|
|
Acupuncture About the Institute Professional Continuing Education | |
Massage Therapy Clinics News & Special Events Contact Us | |
Community Education Resources Home |
THIS ISSUE:
90th
Anniversary
Swedish Institute on-line newsletter for our students, faculty and community.
William Hughes, L.M.T.
Massage Therapy, Class of 2004
Personal Training, Class of 2004
Bill Hughes is not working in the field of social anthropology, his major at Harvard, but
now finds himself taking an active part in the kind of sweeping changes he once observed. A
graduate of both the Massage Therapy Program and Personal Training Program, Mr. Hughes plans to
be active in shaping a new paradigm for health and wellness, as a provider of complementary care.
"My path is the result of my own personal evolution," he explained. After eight years as general
manager of an executive recruiting firm in New York, he was ready for a career change. He was
looking at health care on many levels; his own need to be healthier, his desire to help others
in a way that was both personal and nurturing, as well as a drive to contribute to solutions for
national problems. He left his business career to enroll full-time in the Massage Therapy Program.
Adding Personal Training to Massage Therapy
Toward the end of the 16-month course of study to become a licensed massage therapist, Mr. Hughes
enrolled in the Personal Training Program. "It seemed like the two would work together so well,"
he said, "especially for the population I want to work with, which is athletes and people
recovering from injury. As a personal trainer, I can work with clients to establish short-term
and long-term goals we'll try to achieve together.
"I see clients not as passive receivers, but as active participants in the process, an important
element in the emerging paradigm of health care." In addition, Mr. Hughes says, "We’re facing a
health care crisis because there is not enough appropriate education, or one-on-one care. With
massage therapy and personal training I can make a positive contribution to people's need to
understand their own bodies."
A Case Study
As an example of how personal training can complement massage therapy, Mr. Hughes points to a
client he refers to as "Gary. "After more than 20 years of running on hard city streets, Gary
started suffering from serious foot pain. He continued to push himself through the pain despite
his physician’s objections, because running was the only way he knew how to stay fit.
"Eventually, however, Gary had bilateral heel spurs, plantar fascitis and intermittent bouts of
sciatica, and stopped exercising altogether," said Mr. Hughes. "He was upset that he couldn't
exercise, and this led to a deterioration of his eating habits; in two years he gained close to
50 pounds and developed elevated LDL cholesterol. Gary finally heeded his doctor’s advice and
agreed to get in shape."
When Mr. Hughes started working with Gary, they first discussed goals and negotiated terms. "We
kicked-off our relationship with the signing of a fitness contract that committed Gary to the
gym three mornings a week for six weeks, one day with me and two days on his own," said Mr.
Hughes. Gary, a sales professional, valued the contract and felt it underscored his commitment.
Mr. Hughes used physical assessments to establish a baseline, set goals, and provide markers to
measure the efficacy of the routine. The training cycle combined cardiovascular exercise,
strength training and stretching routines. The program emphasized burning calories, while
respecting, and hopefully improving upon, the limitations of Gary’s previous injuries. Specific
goals included a one-pound per week weight loss and overall 10-15% increase in exercise intensity
over the next 6 weeks. Gary was also instructed to read nutrition labels and modify his diet.
Outcome
"Gary continued to get massage, as well as see a physical therapist and other specialists," Mr.
Hughes explained. "But adding the exercise made him feel much better and he was motivated to see
improvements. He lost 3 pounds in the first two weeks and 8 pounds by the end of the 6 weeks.
Equally motivating were improvements in his fat-to-muscle ratio, cardiovascular endurance and
strength. His pain was reduced, though it is difficult to attribute the reduction in pain to
any one modality. The exercise program was designed to provided a fitness routine that would not
aggravate any of his existing injuries, however, it is likely that the weight loss, stretching,
and strengthening exercises, particularly the core strength training, have assisted in the pain
reduction." It is just the kind of collaboration that Mr. Hughes feels will lead to lasting
change.
Weaving Old and New Together
In some ways, the future Mr. Hughes is weaving uses threads from his past. It was during a class
in medical anthropology at Harvard that Mr. Hughes first encountered the health maintenance
system used in Chinese medicine. "It has always been part of Asian health care to
address the personal need to exercise, reduce stress and maintain the body with natural,
non-toxic methods. What I believe is happening today is an attempt to take the old models,
turn them into something that reflects modern cultural norms, and integrate the two into a new
model of wellness. I hope to grow such a practice, working with a collective that would include
massage therapy, personal training, yoga, chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, or any kind of
complementary modality that addresses the desire to optimize health."
Photos
Top: Photo by David Corio.
Center: Bill Hughes in 2005, during a return visit to the school.
All photos in the newsletter not otherwise specified are by Barbara Goldschmidt and are the
property of the Swedish Institute ©2006.