Hello and welcome to November’s blog. This month I am talking to you about the benefits of massage and movement. If you haven’t already introduced or increased your daily movement, why wait until the new year? Today is the best day to start!
Last week I listed some of the benefits to be had with massage. Did you know that massage can have a build-up effect? Yep, that’s right, the more you have it, the more you feel the benefits. You will experience the benefits fast too. As the body adjusts to receiving the care it needs and it will respond accordingly.
Benefits of Regular Massage
- Reduced blood pressure: the heart slows down, and the body relaxes.
- Resolved aches and pains: more blood flow to the muscles aids their recovery.
- Better skin condition: the skin responds well to being massaged & I use a high-quality moisturising liquiwax by Songbird Naturals songbirdnaturals.co.uk .
- Faster recovery from intense workouts and activities: reducing DOMS and tight muscles.
- Maintain sporting condition in deload and recovery weeks: athletes treat sports massage as a workout because of the movement the muscles get during a massage.
- Increase joint range of motion: joint range of motion is controlled in the main by the muscles which move it, if the muscles are tight and uncooperative, your joint will be too.
- Improve mobility and flexibility (which aren’t the same, read about it here https://astralfitness.co.uk/mobility/ ): increasing the elasticity and function of your muscles will aid your overall mobility and flexibility.
- Heal scarring after an accident, injury, or operation: When collagen lays down in preparation to heal a hole in your skin, it does so haphazardly. Massage can improve the direction of the collagen and reduce the ‘stickiness’ of the scarring and enable the skin and muscle to move more freely.
- Increase serotonin flow and production: touching the skin is like touching an extension of the brain, and it likes being touched. When done properly, massage creates the feel-good hormone serotonin, which can have lots of positive effects on not only your body, but your mind, too.
- Understand how to aid and prevent pain in the future: this is my favourite part of sports massage, and something I am very passionate about, teaching you how to be pain free in the future. In an ideal world, massage would never be needed to resolve pain issues, and I am very happy to help you understand the whys of your pain, and how you can go about living your life to avoid it again in the future.
Mental Health Benefits of Massage and Movement
There are often other benefits to be had from both Massage and increased movement, such as towards your mental health. I have helped many clients with their anxiety and depression with the power of massage and movement. As I am not a diagnostician, I cannot tell you what it is you are suffering with, but I can help you to forget about the outside world for a little while and leave my treatment room feeling a little bit lighter and ready to face the day again, with extra serotonin floating around in your blood stream too.
If you opt for Personal Training as a way to manage life’s stresses, you will leave feeling strong and capable, ready to take on whatever the rest of the day throws at you.
If you would like more information about healthy movement in your life, I would be honoured if you would join my new Facebook group to help you with your mobility and movement goals www.facebook.com/groups/masteringmobility doors open on 5th January!
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s blog, and remember if you need help with moving more, email me at [email protected] , or if your muscles are hurting and nothing else is cutting it, you can book in online at www.astralfitness.co.uk
See you next time,
Chloe