Wouldn't it be a dream if you could treat yourself to a massage under the hands of a trained therapist every week or even once a month? But if you don't have the time or money for a professional massage, you can easily do some self-massage. It only takes a few minutes... or however long you have.

There are a number of wonderful self-massage products, such as the Healthy Body Ball. You can also use a tennis ball for hard-to-reach places on your back or shoulder blades. A golf ball works wonders for tired feet when you roll it underneath your soles.

Try this technique for stressed out neck and shoulders:

• Stroke your right shoulder with your left hand.
• Starting at the base of your spine, rub down the side of your neck, over your shoulder and down your arm to your elbow.
• Glide back to your neck and repeat three times.
• Do the other side with your right hand.

For your tired legs, try this complete self-massage:

• Bend your knee up and massage your whole leg from ankle to thigh with one hand on each side of the leg.
• Starting at your foot, stroke smoothly up the calf, over the knee and up to the top of the thigh.
• Repeat five times.
• With alternate hands, firmly squeeze and release the muscles of your thigh, around your knee and down to your calf.
• Then soothe the area by gently stroking, one hand following the other up the back of the leg.

Other ways to learn self-massage include taking a course or a workshop. And the best thing about learning and mastering the art of self-massage? You'll always have a willing subject!

Rebecca Heaton is a sports and fitness writer and editor of the Rocky Mountain Sports magazine based in Colorado. She also contributes to a number of regional sports and fitness publications around the country.