Many of us start the New Year with the best intentions. We’re going to go to the gym every day, walk to work, and forgo fast food. But one week into 2008, those nagging aches and pains are starting to crop up, making it all too easy to skip the gym.
Rather than forgo your fitness routine, We recommend adding another element to bring you closer to total wellness – massage.
Massage stimulates your nervous system and increases circulation, this can help relieve the affects of inactivity – and we all tend to slack off somewhat during the holidays.
Swedish massage, the ‘classic’ massage one gets at any high-class spa or wellness center, incorporates five basic techniques: 1) Effleurage: long gliding strokes; 2) Petrissage: Kneading movements; 3) Friction: Circular pressure; 4) Vibration: Oscillatory movements that shake or vibrate the body; and 5) Percussion: Brisk hacking or tapping. This basic vocabulary of strokes is used to revitalize muscles. Deep tissue massage is used to specifically target individual muscle groups that may be aching after an intense session in the gym. The body has an amazing tendency to compensate, if you’ve overworked one area, your body will naturally want to shift weight and tension to another part of your body in an attempt to balance itself. This re-directed tension often results in aches and pains that seem unrelated to the original activity. By working with a massage therapist, you’ll be able to get to the underlying issue and heal your whole body.
People who feel healthy are far more likely to continue with a new fitness routine. There’s that good, achy feeling you get when you’ve had a workout, but if that pain hasn’t gone away in two days, or if you have a constant ache that keeps you up at night, you’ll want to see a massage therapist. Massage brings nutrients to your muscles, which speeds repairs. Microtears – the tiny rips that form in our muscles when we exercise – heal more quickly. You’ll feel better, sooner, and move that much closer to your fitness goals.
