TruHealth & Wellness

TruHealth & Wellness Wr are a multi disciplinary clinic. We focus on rehabilitation and treatment of injuries as well as overal health and wellness Chris Michael R.M.T.

Welcome to my page for TruHealth & Wellness. This page is dedicated to my growing business in Registered Massage Therapy and Personal Training. Schooling and Qualifications:

I have been an RMT for seven years working in the Kitchener/Cambridge area and I have recently decided to expand my business and start fresh in a new location. I graduated from the 3 year Massage Therapy Program at Lambton College in 2005. In 2006, I obtained my Personal Training certificate through Fitness Alliance Corporation. Finally, in April of this year, I completed the 2 year Paramedic Program at Conestoga College. Massage:
I specialize in deep tissue massage, working on sports, work, and chronic injuries. I also offer general relaxation massage. I encourage all to look into your benefit packages and see what kind of coverage you could be using to help ease those aches, pains, and tension headaches. Massage Therapy Rates:

Thirty Minute Massage- $48
Forty-Five Minute Massage- $68
Sixty Minutes - $82

*tax included in all rates*

01/27/2026

Hip Flexor Strains Fail at End Range

Hip flexor strains rarely occur when a muscle is short and relaxed.

They most often occur when the hip flexors are lengthened and asked to produce force, such as during sprinting, cutting, or kicking.

From a tissue-loading perspective, muscle strain risk increases when force demand is high and the muscle is near end range, especially if load tolerance hasn’t been rebuilt yet.

Research on muscle strain mechanisms consistently shows higher injury risk during high-load contractions at longer muscle lengths. This is why rehab needs to progress beyond pain relief and basic strengthening.

This drill restores force tolerance in a lengthened position in a controlled, progressive way.

Pain down first.
Gradual loading next.
Strength through range before speed.

01/24/2026

3 SIMPLE BRAIN EXERCISES FOR DAILY CLARITY

These look simple.
But they’re doing a lot more than people realize.

When you use coordinated hand movements, unfamiliar positions, and controlled timing, you’re feeding your brain high-quality sensory input.

That matters because the brain thrives on novel, precise movement, not just repetition.

This kind of work helps:
• Improve attention and mental clarity
• Reduce that foggy or sluggish feeling
• Support learning and focus throughout the day
• Improve body awareness and coordination
• Keep the nervous system adaptable and responsive

It’s not about strength or stretching.
It’s about how efficiently your brain processes information and organizes movement.

That’s why people often feel more alert, clearer, and more “switched on” after doing this consistently.

How to use it:
Do each movement for about 1 minute.
Repeat anytime your brain feels flat.

Use it:
• In the morning
• Before training
• During an afternoon brain-fog slump

01/22/2026

Eyes Closed Ball Toss = Prediction Training 👇

Doing this with your eyes closed isn’t just “harder”…

It changes what part of your brain is working.

When your eyes are open, your nervous system relies heavily on visual tracking to control the movement.

But when you close your eyes…

your brain is forced to switch to internal systems like:
✅ proprioception (body awareness)
✅ vestibular system (balance + orientation)
✅ motor planning + timing (prediction)
✅ sensory feedback (hands, joints, muscles)

That’s why this is more than coordination.

It trains the nervous system to:
1. React faster without relying on vision
2. Improve hand control + timing under pressure
3. Strengthen your brain-to-body communication
4. Boost balance + spatial awareness
5. Improve focus and reduce “mental fog”
6. Improve movement confidence (especially in sport + rehab)

Try it for 30–60 seconds a day.

01/20/2026

The Proprioception Finger Test

Most people think coordination is just strength, but a huge part of movement quality is proprioception.

Proprioception is your brain’s ability to know where your body is in space without looking. This finger to finger drill (eyes closed) is a simple way to test how accurate your internal “body map” is.

Why it matters:
When proprioception is strong, you move smoother, react faster, and stay more stable under load. When it’s weak, your brain becomes less confident, your body stiffens up, and compensation patterns show up. This is a big reason athletes get injured and why people feel “tight” even when they stretch a lot.

What’s normal:
It’s normal to be slightly off with your eyes closed. Research shows average error without vision is often around 1.5 to 2 cm (vision tightens closer to about 1.2 to 1.3 cm).
If you’re consistently missing by a lot, shaky, or uneven side to side, your nervous system likely needs work.

Try it
30 to 60 seconds daily, slow and controlled.

01/19/2026

Why Anti-Rotation Matters 👇

Anti-rotation training teaches the body how to resist unwanted movement, not just create it.

This is one of the most overlooked components of rehab, posture, and performance, especially for people who feel tight, unstable, or keep getting the same injuries over and over.

By challenging the body to stay stacked and controlled under tension, anti-rotational work improves how the upper and lower body communicate through the core.
That means better force transfer, fewer compensations, and less stress dumped into the spine and joints.

As a massage therapist, this is something I use frequently with clients who:
• Have recurring low-back or hip discomfort
• Feel strong but “leaky” in movement
• Struggle with asymmetries
• Want stability without stiffness

This isn’t about fixing posture or bracing harder.
It’s about teaching the nervous system to control motion, so strength actually carries over into real life.

Read the screen first, then the caption.
That’s where the real work happens.

01/17/2026

Sleeping Without a Pillow (Part 2) The Progression 👇

I didn’t sleep with no pillow overnight.

I was dealing with neck stiffness from work, editing, and constantly looking down, so before trying anything, I read a research paper out of Japan that discussed pillow height and neck positioning during sleep.

Then I tested it gradually.

My progression looked like this:
• 2 pillows (what I was used to)
• 1 thinner pillow
• rolled towel supporting the neck groove
• then no pillow

I’ll be honest: the first 3 days I was stiff and sore.
But I noticed a major change around day 10.

Less morning stiffness.
Less trap tension.
And my neck felt more “neutral” instead of forced into flexion.

After about a month, my neck pain was completely gone, and it hasn’t returned.

This doesn’t mean pillows are “bad.”
It means the wrong pillow height can create stress in the neck for hours every night.

Important note:
If you’re a side sleeper or have injuries/conditions, this may not be for you. Always choose support that matches your body and sleep position.

⚠️ Not medical advice, just my personal experience as an RMT who focuses on movement, posture, and recovery.

01/15/2026

I did this 1-minute brain routine for 21 days and I was surprised how much it helped.

This isn’t a “hack” — it’s nervous system and coordination training.

Your hands and fingers have one of the highest densities of sensory receptors in the body. When you do fast finger patterns and cross-body coordination, your brain has to process speed, timing, and accuracy… and adapt.

This type of work challenges:
🔸Sensory + motor cortex (movement + control)
🔸Cerebellum (timing, precision, coordination)
🔸Left/Right brain communication (cross-body patterning)

It’s also similar to drills used in neuro rehab and concussion-style retraining because it improves sensory-motor mapping and reaction speed.

What I noticed:
🔹Better focus
🔹Less brain fog
🔹Faster reaction time
🔹Sharper memory
🔹Better hand-eye coordination
🔹Smoother fine motor control
🔹More alert and calm

Try it daily for 21 days and tell me what you notice. 😊

01/13/2026

The Chronic Pain Cycle (The Brain-Body Approach to Pain)

Sound familiar?
You wake up thinking about your pain.
You plan your day around it.
You’re always trying to figure out how to fix it.

Here’s what’s often overlooked.

Chronic pain isn’t always a “tight muscle” problem. Sometimes it’s a nervous system problem.

When pain sticks around long enough, your brain becomes protective. Your body stays guarded. Even normal movement can feel threatening.

This is how the loop happens. Pain creates tension and guarding. Tension increases sensitivity. Sensitivity creates more pain.

So you stretch. You strengthen. You try harder. But your system stays “on.”

That’s why my first goal isn’t aggressive rehab. It’s helping your body get out of survival mode.

My approach starts by calming the nervous system, releasing overactive tissues, using simple breathing and regulation strategies, and helping your body feel safe again.

Because when you shift back toward parasympathetic, your muscles stop gripping, your system settles, and the right rehab actually starts to work.

Comment PAIN and I’ll send you a simple 3-minute reset you can use today.

01/10/2026

Ball Toss = Brain Wiring (Not Just Coordination)

This looks simple — but it’s powerful.

Tossing and catching a ball trains hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, and nervous system timing all at once.

When your eyes track movement and your hands respond, your brain is forced to:
• Integrate visual input
• Coordinate motor output
• Improve reaction speed
• Strengthen neural pathways

I started doing this every morning for 23 days, and here’s what I noticed:
• Sharper focus
• Faster reactions
• Better body awareness
• Less “mental fog”
• More control under fatigue

This is how you train your brain without screens.
Simple movements → powerful neurological benefits.

Try it for 1 minute a day and see what changes.

01/08/2026

Hamstring Isometrics: Why They Work (and Why You Might Feel Tight)

Isometric hamstring work isn’t just about “holding tension.”
It’s about changing how the nervous system responds to load.

Hamstrings often feel “tight” not because they’re short —
but because the body is protecting something.

Common reasons hamstrings stay tight include:
• Previous strain or injury
• Poor load tolerance
• Prolonged sitting or lack of variability
• Pelvic or low-back involvement
• Fatigue, stress, or nervous system overload

In these cases, the nervous system increases tone to create stability.

Stretching alone doesn’t always help — and sometimes increases the sense of threat.

Isometrics work because they:
• Load the muscle without movement
• Build strength at specific joint angles
• Improve tolerance to tension
• Reduce protective guarding over time

Side note:
Mild cramping during isometrics is common, especially early on.
If it happens, ease out of the hold, reset, and continue gently.

If your hamstrings always feel tight, the solution isn’t always more stretching. Do YOU 🫵 agree? Comment below 👇

01/06/2026

The Calf Muscle That Protects Your Knees
(But Everyone Skips It)

I didn’t stretch my calves.
I didn’t chase a burn.

I focused on soleus strength — and the difference was obvious.

Here’s why this matters:

The soleus works with the knee bent, which is how your body loads during:
• Walking
• Squatting
• Running
• Deceleration

If it can’t hold force, your knee absorbs more stress.

Soleus work helps:
✔ Improve knee & ankle stability
✔ Increase fatigue resistance
✔ Reduce tendon overload
✔ Build joint-friendly strength

If your calves always feel tight…
If your knees feel unstable…
If stretching hasn’t helped…

You need better load tolerance.

Save this and train what actually supports your knees.

12/23/2025

I Slept Without a Pillow for 30 Days

I didn’t do this because it’s trendy.
I did it because I treat neck and upper-back pain every day.

For me, removing the pillow meant less forced neck positioning, less tension through my traps, and fewer morning stiffness complaints in my own body.

This doesn’t mean pillows are bad.
It means the wrong pillow can be worse than no pillow at all.

Sleep posture matters.
Neck position matters.
And comfort ≠ support.

If you’ve been waking up stiff, sore, or constantly adjusting your pillow, it might be worth experimenting — slowly and intentionally.

This is not medical advice, just my personal experience as an RMT who pays attention to movement, posture, and recovery.

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15-299 Northfield Drive East
Waterloo, ON
N2K4H2

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Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 6:30pm
Thursday 10am - 6:30pm

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