December 2020 AMTA IOWA Chapters Newsletter

Well hello again my fellow AMTA-IA members. I hope this article finds you all well and in at least good spirits with the Holiday season upon us. I wanted to take a moment to wish you all the Happiest of Holiday Seasons and to wish you the very best of new years. Like most of you I am ready for 2021 to get here and gladly look at 2020 in the rear view mirror.

I’m sure you are tired of hearing about the Coronavirus (Covid 19), and I am sorry to say that I will be adding to it. The year 2020 has been a learning experience of how we perform our duties as massage therapists. Some of us have found new ways of performing massage with gloves and facemasks, others have continued to hold off on performing massage until a vaccination or cure for the virus is found, while others have decided to close up shop for now, and resume their career when it is much safer to do so. We as a board can not instruct you what is the “right” career path for you, as each of us must make that choice on our own merits.However, what we can do is offer you the comfort that we will be here through it all with you, and will be there at the end to offer you the same dedication that we have always provided with a a new and improved version of how to perform techniques.

Like most of you, I have dealt with the trials and tribulations that this year has offered. I have lost loved ones, prayed for those that have contracted this horrible disease, and worked with those with it. For the last 9 months at the hospital I work at, I have had an up close view of all the different ways the disease affects people. How some will have any symptoms and yet others pass away from it. The emotional effect this has on those fighting it first hand has been hard for me to watch. We as massage therapists want to help those in need. Seeing these nurses and patient care technicians helping these people out, sometimes putting themselves in harm’s way to care for someone who is dying, just makes me want to break out my table and give them the massage that they truly deserve. If this article does anything, I hope it reminds you that there are those out there right now that are in desperate need of massages and could use our help.

On a positive note, the vaccinations are starting to come out. Hopefully this is a good sign of things to come. Our state levels of those contracting the virus is on a decline for the time being. People have been reaching out and looking to purchase gift certificates for massage which will mean business is on the rise again. I know this year has been one of the hardest if not the hardest that most of us have had but once again things are starting to get better.

Have a joyous holiday season and I wish all of you the best.

Your humbled AMTA-IA Chapter President ~ Robert “Bob” Campbell

Hello all I sure do miss seeing everyone. I am hoping by Fall of 2021 we can all meet face to face again. These are sure trying times for all of us. During this time, I have learned to slow down and to appreciate
what I have. I also learned a lot about ZOOM.

We, as a board, are doing our best to keep up with all the changes as they happen. Our goal is to keep all the members up to date. We want you to know please reach out to us with anything that you may need, and we will do our best to help you or point you in the right direction.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season. ~ Holly Rasmusson

Holiday Greetings!
This has been quite a year! COVID hit and we ALL learned how to cope in ways we never imagined.

I, for one, have learned how to disinfect my office in my sleep!!! I’m sure there are many of you that feel the same way. Even though this has been a stressful year we need to look back at the many blessings we have received and be thankful for what we have endured through this time of “COVID”.

My wish for you All is to have a Happy, Healthy, and Safe Holiday and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year in 2021!!
Respectfully, Cindy Haack, LMT
AMTA Iowa Chapter
Awards Chair

ATTENTION: STUDENTS AND NEW GRADUATES…

JUDY ROBUCK GIFT
THIS GIFT WILL BE AWARDED ANNUALLY FOR PARTICIPATION AT THE SPRING CONVENTION (MARCH). THIS GIFT WILL COVER THE COST OF REGISTRATION. ALL OTHER COSTS WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARTICIPANT.

APPLICANTS MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE AMTA IOWA CHAPTER IN GOOD STANDING AND HAVE GRADUATED FROM AN AMTA SCHOOL MEMBER, LOCATED IN THE STATE OF IOWA, WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF SPRING CONVENTION OR BE A CURRENT STUDENT AT AN AMTA SCHOOL MEMBER PROGRAM.

APPLICANTS WILL BE QUALIFIED THROUGH MEMBERSHIP REPORTS RECEIVED FROM THE AMTA NATIONAL OFFICE. THIS QUALIFICATION WILL INCLUDE CURRENT, ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP WITH THE AMTA IOWA CHAPTER (AT THE TIME OF APPLYING FOR THE GIFT AND AT THE TIME OF CONVENTION) AS WELL AS VERIFICATION THAT THE APPLICANT ATTENDED OR IS CURRENTLY ATTENDING A SCHOOL WHICH IS AN AMTA SCHOOL MEMBER LOCATED WITHIN THE STATE OF IOWA. ADDITIONALLY, APPLICANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHOW PROOF OF GRADUATION, INCLUDING THEIR NAME AND DATE OF GRADUATION, IN THE FORM OF A COPY OF THEIR DIPLOMA. IF THE APPLICANT IS A CURRENT STUDENT, A LETTER FROM THE SCHOOL’S ADMINISTRATION MUST BE INCLUDED TO VERIFY THEIR CURRENT STATUS AS A STUDENT.

THE JUDY ROBUCK GIFT WILL BE AWARDED BASED UPON A WRITTEN REQUEST (NOT TO EXCEED 500 WORDS) OUTLINING WHY THE APPLICANT SHOULD BE CHOSEN. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION MAY BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS OUTLINING FINANCIAL NEEDS. THE BOARD MEMBERS WHICH WILL DETERMINE THE AWARD CONSIST OF THE CHAPTER PRESIDENT, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR AND EDUCATION CHAIR.

APPLICANTS WILL SEND THEIR ENTRY FOR THE JUDY ROCK GIFT TO THE AMTA IOWA CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP CHAIR. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR NO LATER THAN 45 DAYS PRIOR TO THE SPRING CONVENTION DATE. THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR WILL THEN SHARE THE ENTRIES WITH THE CHAPTER PRESIDENT AND EDUCATION CHAIR AND A DECISION WILL BE MADE NO LATER THAN 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE CONVENTION DATE. THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR (  membershipchair.amtaiowa@gmail.com )WILL NOTIFY THE RECIPIENT AND THE OTHER APPLICANTS OF THEIR STATUS REGARDING THE GIFT. SHOULD THERE BE NO APPLICANTS FOR THIS AWARD IN A GIVEN YEAR THEN THERE WILL BE NO JUDY ROBUCK GIFT GIVEN THAT YEAR. THE GIFT WILL THEN RESUME THE FOLLOWING YEAR (SPRING CONVENTION) AS OUTLINED ABOVE.

A New Era of On-line Connections

Have you expanded your experience with on-line meetings in the last year? Our chapter elected board members and appointed chapter chair members have been involved with an assortment of on-line AMTA trainings and meetings during the pandemic. Our Iowa chapter leaders meet regularly on ZOOM to connect with each other and discuss how we can continue to meet the needs of our membership this year.

Chris Rider, President of Carlson College of Massage Therapy, has been hosting Coffee and Conversation via ZOOM for LMTS to join and discuss topics about COVID-19, Unemployment, and traversing the pandemic while staying in business. Karen Sindelar, Soraya Wagner, Ken Swenson, Holly Rasmussen as well as many of our membership were active during those ZOOM gatherings. We’d like to thank Chris for her continued support of the profession in new and innovative ways.

Holly Rasmussen and Pam Burnikel attended the on-line Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program (CVOP) in August. Engagement through newsletters and building connections between members are important parts of our Chapter’s responsibility. Karen Sindelar, Ken Swenson and Holly Rasmussen attended the AMTA Chapter Leadership Training on September 10. Speakers included Jeffrey Montoya with Succession Planning for Chapter Boards and Organizational Engagement with Emilie Palmer and Krissy Warren.

Ken Swenson attended the Assembly of Delegates (AOD) meeting on September 15 with 74 delegates from around the nation. They discussed volunteer training at length. Small groups of the Assembly of Delegates were asked to consider the volunteer positions they have held outside of AMTA, and then to consider what training you would like to have in your AMTA position. 100% of the assembly passed a motion to request more training from the AMTA National Board of Directors. The Assembly of Delegates are alive and working well.

With this new era of on-line connections, if you have technology skills in this area and would like to assist in helping set up Iowa AMTA on-line meetings, the board wants to hear from you. We are hoping to find a few LMTs with technology interests to assist us in staying connected with all of our membership in this on-line world. If you have suggestions on what other information you would like from our volunteer board during the pandemic, please contact Karen Sindelar, boardmember2amtaiowa@gmail.com.

Karen Sindelar MA, LMT, R-DMT, HTSM-CP, CCA
American Massage Therapy Association, Iowa Chapter
Board Member & Education Chair

Healthy Benefits: Water Intake

Water…. We all know what it is, and we all know we need to drink it, right? But do we all remember the reasons why? For the longest time we probably all remember when we were told to drink “eight 8oz glasses of water per day”. Then we were advised to drink “half our body weight in ounces per day”, and if you don’t already do this I challenge you to start! This equation has been changed, and probably will be changed a few more times in our lifetime, but the importance stays the same. We all NEED water to survive and we NEED more than some might think in order for our bodies to function healthy and properly.

One can easily find the many benefits of drinking water on the internet, and according to the Medical News Today I will be briefly highlighting 5 of the many that they list. We as humans are made up of about 60% water. And in order to properly function we need to make sure that we are replenishing our bodies daily.

Our blood is about 90% water! Yes, that is an insane amount when you sit back and think about it. Think about how much better you feel when you stay fully hydrated throughout the day. You’re more alert, cognitive, reflexes are quicker, fatigue is usually nonexistent etc. That’s because our blood helps carry oxygen throughout the body. So, if we are keeping better hydrated our blood can better help deliver oxygen throughout our bodies.

Hydration is key both internal and external. Drinking water to help aid our organs function properly is vital yes, however never forget that when your skin and lips seem a little chapped it can be due to dehydration too. Making sure one is drinking the proper ounces of water can also assists with keeping fine lines and wrinkles away as we age.
Lubrication of our joints is an all-around win if you ask me. Everyone needs to drink more water daily to help prolong the healthy function of our many joints throughout the human body.

When one has a healthy daily intake of water it can help both to increase performance during exercise and help aid in weight loss. As Massage Therapists we all enjoy an added energy boost while we work yes? Then just a friendly reminder to enjoy a nice 8-16 oz of water between each client. When water is consumed prior to a meal, it can help one to feel full sooner and to not overeat therefore assisting in weight management and or weight loss.

The list could go on and on, however I encourage you to take the time and look up some of the many benefits from increasing your water intake and I highly recommend you share your findings with your clients as well. Make it fun, give them homework! Challenge them, just as I have challenged YOU, because something as simple as water… has a huge, important, impact on us all.

I would like to introduce the newest chair member of the Iowa chapter of the AMTA. Hannah Buffington will be our Facebook /Instgram go-to person.

My name is Hannah Buffington, and I have been practicing massage therapy since 2012. I’ve moved all over in the early stages of my career. Working in Algona Iowa, Kansas City, and then back to Iowa. I currently work in the Spirit Lake/Okoboji area at Dixon Family Chiropractic, and have been with them since February 2016. I also have my Approved Provider License through the AMTA, and teach continuing education on weekends.

My small business is called Hannah Buffington Massage, and I am a sole proprietor through the chiropractor. In the spring I hope to add an employee to my team, due to the demand of summer in my area. Having a waitlist of 14 after returning from COVID really jump started me into thinking bigger.

I love to volunteer, so I attended Lobby Day last February 2020. That was such a fun, exciting day for me being more involved with AMTA, that I knew I wanted more. So helping anyway I can with this organization I am up for the challenge.

My social media is as follows:
Facebook: Hannah Buffington Massage
Instagram: @hannahbuffingtonmassage