Here are five easy ways you can increase the benefits of your Massage Therapy treatment to ensure the effects are long lasting and your body stays happy and healthy before your next appointment.
1. Stay Hydrated
Humans are made up of 60% water so making sure you drink enough is not only vital to your survival, but can also increase the benefits of your massage treatment by keeping your tissues hydrated and energized in between sessions.
- When you’re well hydrated, the water inside and outside the cells of your muscles provides adequate nutrients and removes waste efficiently so you move better and feel better.
- It’s also important for lubricating joints! Drinking water helps provide a protective fluid found inside joints (called synovial fluid) which will allow them a longer life span.
- By consuming water, your muscles become more energized, allowing you to be more awake, alert and able to perform at a higher level.
- According to many studies, drinking an adequate amount of water can help increase your endurance and tolerance to pain. Sore muscles can be one of the biggest prohibitors of work stress, making it tough to get through your day.
- Drinking water is beneficial in eradicating feelings of soreness and assists in keeping your muscles in proper working order.
- A regular intake of water can also aid in speeding up your muscles recovery time between massages!
2. Get Enough Sleep!
Sleep has a significant impact on muscle recovery. Without the proper amount, your muscles will not recover properly.
- Sleeping for 7-9 hours per night has been proven to be extremely beneficial in increasing muscle mass and changing body composition. When we sleep, our body secretes the Human Growth Hormone which primary function is to allow muscles to grow and recover.
- One of the major reducers of stress is sleep; and when you are less stressed, you are less likely to contract and clench your muscles while in a relaxed state.
- Waking up each day feeling well rested can help increase your mood, productivity as well as increase your exercise performance. Without a good quantity and quality of sleep, your body simply cannot recover well.
3. Diaphragmatic Breathing to Lower Stress Levels
One of the biggest benefits of diaphragmatic breathing is reducing stress. Being stressed keeps your immune system from working at full capacity and makes you more susceptible to injury.
- Diaphragmatic breathing is a breathing exercise that helps strengthen your diaphragm, an important muscle that helps you breathe. This breathing exercise is also sometimes called belly breathing or abdominal breathing. It has been known to lower your stress levels, lower your heart rate, reduce your blood pressure and decrease your sympathetic nervous system from firing (fight or flight system).
- Regular breathing practice can improve your core muscle stability and helps lower your chance of injuring your muscles by improving your body’s ability to tolerate more extreme exercise or conditioning.
4. Eat a Balanced Diet
Food is our medicine! The food we eat plays a vital role in how we look and feel. Nutrition has one of the largest impacts on our muscle tissue and its ability to repair itself.
Eating right can help you feel more energized and keep your body in a healthy balance. A diverse diet will assist in strengthening your muscle tissue, reducing your pain and promoting a healthy recovery.
5. Do your Home Care Routine
The stretch and strengthening exercises your Massage Therapist gives you to do at home will not only speed up your recovery time and reduce your pain but it will also keep your tissues feeling more energized and pliable.
A diligent home care routine will assist to cut down the amount of treatments you require and benefit you both physically and financially!
By regularly performing strengthening exercises you are reducing your risk of injury; increasing balance, maintaining stability and increasing flexibility. Being more flexible can improve your athletic performance and decrease your risk of injury to muscles and surrounding tissues by allowing joints to move through their full range of motion.
Long Lasting Effects
By following the above steps, you are guaranteed to heighten your therapeutic experience and sustain the long lasting effects of Massage Therapy in your body!
Crystal Dunn
Registered Massage Therapist
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