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10 Reasons Why You Should Book A Massage Today
You know that massage is good for you, whether you’ve had one in the past and enjoyed the positive effects or you’re just curious about whether a massage therapist’s healing touch could help sort out your aches and pains.
So, what’s stopping you?
We have 10 reasons right here that will inspire you to visit your massage therapist today…
Massage helps to treat some health conditions
Massage therapy can help with several common health conditions, some that you might already know about and others that may come as a surprise to you. If you suffer with constant back, leg and neck pain; muscle tension and spasm, a good massage will send you on the route to feeing relief.
Some musculoskeletal conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome can also be helped by massage, as can the symptoms of chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis and some digestive disorders.
Massage can help to improve circulation
Massage therapy is great for boosting blood circulation, which helps to deliver oxygen and nutrients around the body more efficiently.
Massage can increase lymphatic flow
Your lymphatic system is a system of tubes and lymph nodes running throughout your body which make up an important part of the immune system. It helps to fight bacteria and other infections, and a healthy lymph flow also helps clear toxins from your body.
Massage can speed up post injury healing
If you’ve overdone it or hurt yourself accidentally you’ll be glad to know that massage doesn’t just help reduce muscle soreness and stiffness, it can also break up scar tissue, freeing up movement and enhancing your recovery.
Massage can help to increase your range of motion
Another thing that a great massage therapist can do is use techniques that stimulate the production of lubricants between connective tissues, which improves flexibility and balance.
Massage can help you to improve your posture
Massage helps to train your muscles, which improves the posture of your body as well as correcting any imbalances caused by sitting for long periods – which are common in people who sit at a desk all day.
Massage can give your immune system a boost
Massage is known to boost production of lymphocytes – the white blood cells which help fight off disease. Although a massage can’t guarantee you’ll never get another cold, there has been research that suggests it helps the body to fight infections and reduce the severity and duration of bugs and minor illnesses.
Massage can make you feel happier
The action of massaging the skin stimulates alpha brain waves, which are associated with relaxation, and promotes the release of endorphins – the body’s feel-good chemicals.
Massage can help you to de-stress
Massage is known to help reduce cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone, so elevated levels are not good for your body at all. At the same time, massage has been shown to boost serotonin and dopamine levels, making you feel more relaxed and happy.
Massage could give you a better night’s sleep
If insomnia is your bedfellow, try a massage. Massage can help to balance out your sleep pattern and overcome insomnia and the fatigue that goes with not getting enough sleep.
Have we convinced you to book that appointment yet? CLICK HERE
Massage for back-pain relief
Massage for back-pain relief
A regular massage is often considered to be a treat, rather than a necessity. Most people believe that having a massage is good for aches and pains, or can help if they’ve overdone the exercise. Not everybody realizes that massage therapy is also a powerful painkiller that can even be used to help people with back problems to reduce the amount of medication they must take.
Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain and if you’re one of the 31 million Americans who suffers with back pain at some point in their life, you’ll know how miserable it can be. If you are dealing with chronic back pain – which is pain that’s lasted more than three months and less than six – it can impact on your daily life, and stop you from doing things you want to do. You could be reliant on drugs to keep you mobile or help you sleep.
The vicious pain cycle
If you can no longer exercise pain-free, you might end up in a vicious cycle of inactivity which makes your pain worse, which stops you from being active. Or you could just increase your meds, but that just masks the problem. Also, some strong pain meds contain opioids like codeine which can lose their power over time as you build up a tolerance to their effects. They can also have unwanted side effects.
What you need is a way to manage your back pain that is effective but doesn’t have the side effects. Wouldn’t you know it, research has shown that regular massage along with your prescribed medication and any other advice from your healthcare supplier can be so powerful that you might be able to decrease the number of painkillers you need to manage your back pain and start to live a more active life.
How massage can help beat back pain
A massage session doesn’t just relax you, it can help to promote tissue repair, improve the blood circulation and does wonders for your stress levels and mood. Recent research showed that regular massage therapy combined with exercise helped people suffering from chronic back pain to feel less anxious about their condition too. The study, which took place at a pain management clinic in Western New York, involved sixty chronic low back pain patients who were split into two groups. One group received regular massage therapy, twice a week for four weeks, along with their regular treatment, and one group only carried on with their prescribed treatments.
The participants all recorded their own pain levels before and after having massage therapy on a scale of one to ten. There was a significant difference between the pre-and post-treatment pain rating in the group that had regular massage, but the control group who carried on as normal reported no changes to their pain levels.
If you suffer from back pain and want to try something different – book that massage session now. Here is a link to our calendar: CLICK HERE
The Power of Relaxation
A spa day or a trip to your local massage center are great ways to get that lovely, relaxed feeling we all crave. With our busy lifestyles and never-ending to-do lists it can sometimes feel as if relaxation is some kind of unattainable goal, but there are plenty of ways that you can relax and step away from stress without having to go too far or spend too much.
Breathe Deeply
Have you tried breathing lately? Silly question but although we all do it, day in and day out, we don’t always recognise the healing properties of breath work. Just stop as you’re reading this, and take a long, deep breath to the count of 10. Stop, and exhale SLOWLY. The act of concentrating on your breathing slows everything down, and if you do this for just a few minutes you’ll be mastering a very basic meditation technique.
Meditate on Life
Talking of meditation, if you thought that it was all about Buddhist temples, incense and hours of silent contemplation, you’d be wrong. You can start a meditative practice by just being mindful – being aware of your surroundings, even your body. One good meditation if you have time is to focus on a part of your body at a time; for example, how do your toes feel right now? Relaxed or tense? Warm, cold? Are they enclosed in footwear or bare? Work your way along your body, breathing slowly in and out as you go.
Take it further by using one of the many free visualization and meditation downloads available and spend a few minutes focussing on YOU.
Get a Massage
Massage and the power of touch are incredibly relaxing. Our bodies crave touch and human contact, or even contact with a pet. If you don’t have a pet or a pet human to give you a soothing back rub or relax your shoulders when you feel stressed out, opt for a quick massage in a spa or center with a professional. You should never have to go without a massage when you need one, and so find yourself a great massage therapist and relax with touch of their healing hands.
Get Outside
If you work indoors, chances are that you skip lunch and don’t get outside anywhere near nature for most of your working day? The outdoors is a natural relaxant and getting some green space is a sure-fire way to calm down any stressful feelings. If you live or work near a park, beach or river, get yourself down there as often as possible and breathe in that fresh air. Beaches are especially good for calming and de-stressing, plus the sound of the waves and effects of the negative ions in the air really have a positive effect on many people.
Five Headache Triggers You Might Not Expect
Headaches are so common that most of us don’t give a second thought to what might be causing them. Look behind the painkillers to what could be the root of your headaches and you may be able to nip them in the bud without visiting the medicine cabinet.
Being overweight: One study found that women with a body mass index of 30 to 40 had a 35 per cent greater risk of getting headaches than women with a healthy BMI. For women with a BMI of over 40, the chances of being affected by headaches were increased by 80 per cent.
Your caffeine habit: It can be confusing as research shows that if you already have a headache, caffeine can help soothe it. If you’re a hard core espresso drinker though, and you’re prone to sore heads, you might need to curb your caffeine habit a little. If you suspect that you might be sensitive to caffeine try cutting back slowly until you are only having it one or two days a week.
Lack of activity: The last thing you might feel like when you’ve got a bad head is a workout, but a Swedish study showed that if your lifestyle is sedentary you’re likely to be more prone to headaches if you’re active. If you can manage 20-30 minutes of cardio, five days a week it should help relieve your headaches as working out helps relieve stress, improve blood circulation to your brain and gets the endorphins flowing to make you feel good.
Sleep deprivation: If you’re tempted to stay up late on a regular basis, binge watching box sets on Netflix, don’t! People who only managed six hours of sleep a night (on average) tend to have more headaches and more painful headaches than those who manage more sleep most nights.
Your personality: Strange as it may sound, your personality type might dictate your headache status. If you have a tendency towards being rigid, reserved or obsessive, you can also find that you get more headaches than people with a more relaxed character.
Great Ways to Start Your Day!
Today we are talking about starting the day. How you start the day can set the tone for the whole day and leave you feeling frazzled or calm and ready to tackle your day.
Morning routine ideas:
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Wake up 20-30 minutes early to fit in some “me time” with a good book, journal, or meditation (and coffee!!).
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Start your day with no news or internet for 30 minutes (exception: your morning meditation).
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Write three things you are grateful for in a gratitude journal each morning. For a challenge try to write three different things each day, and by the end of one year you will have over 1000 things to be grateful for!
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Drink some water to hydrate your cells and brain.
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Visualize your day and how you would like it to go to start a positive intention for the day.
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Listen to uplifting music as you get ready.
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Stretch even if just for a minute.
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Have a green smoothie!
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Have your clothes picked out the night before, to make getting ready easy.
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Put a list of these on your bedside table, with a pen, journal and water bottle.