What’s The Big Deal With A Massage?
Why get a Massage? Series 1 of 3 (Surprise on day 3)
Some of you probably just spit out your Cheerios, which you shouldn’t be eating anyways, too many fast acting carbs/sugars :-).
You’re probably shaking your head and thinking, “What in the world is wrong with Kellen Lake? Doesn’t he know massages are awesome?
Actually, I do know massages are absolutely epic and I love them! I think everyone should be able to get a massage. In short, I agree with you, calm down :-).
However…I have a HUGE confession to make. I have never, yes, never had one : (.
I don’t know why really. I think it’s just because I am so busy and never really slow down enough to make it a priority. I totally should make getting one my new year resolution : ).
That being said, there are many benefits of getting a massage regularly. Professional athletes, especially many football players get massages daily. There are numerous reasons why you should get a massage. But today I’m just going to focus on the big three.
Number #1: Stress Relief.
Cuz really…who doesn’t want less stress in their life? Relieving stress is a huge key to having and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I truly believe that. I cope with stress daily by reading God’s word and praying as well as working out. Those are two ways I am able to make myself feel less stressed. I can only imagine how much better I would feel if I added in a massage. It would help so much more.
When you get a massage it relaxes your muscles and increases your production of endorphins. When you workout, your production of endorphins increase as well. But when you are working out you are definitely NOT relaxing your muscles…this is something I need to try : ).
I can only imagine how much better I would feel if I added a massage to help relax my muscles and increase my endorphins. I would probably feel like superman : ).
Regardless, getting a massage will help you relieve stress by relaxing your muscles and increasing your endorphins.
Plus, if you’re less stressed you’ll have more time for play! For me that would likely mean more time and better quality of time with Beth and the Kids. Instead of being distant and aloof, I would likely be present and engaged. Which I am getting better at.
Oftentimes, stress directly relates to the tension that you and I feel in our shoulders. This tension also affects our heart and our blood pressure, which isn’t that good for me given my families cardiac history, nor you. But, when you have a masseuse work on your muscles, it relieves tension and often alleviates and helps you deal with chronic pain as well as helps you with acute and short term stress. I big win-win!
Number #2: It Helps With Your Posture.
If you have been following me, you may remember a post I made about posture. When I was younger I was “big” into posture. Mainly because of how I thought it affected others opinions of me. In my mind, if I had bad posture it would make me look weak and piny…which I didn’t want! On the flip side, if I had good posture, I assumed others would think I was stronger and more athletic. Stupid…maybe, self-centered…definitely : ).
Regardless, when you have proper posture you have more confidence and it makes you feel better. Which is a big WIN in my book. So many people suffer from low confidence. If you could improve your confidence just by improving your posture it seems like it should be a no brainer, because when you’re more confident and you feel better, you are less stressed.
What’s this got to do with a massage already?
When you get a massage, it helps reinforce your natural movements which gradually over time improves your posture and puts it back on track, both literally and figuratively : ).
This is a HUGE benefit of getting a massage. Granted, to maintain these awesome benefits you should get weekly massages and build your muscles up to support your spinal structure. So you will need a great masseuse (I know a great one, my clients talk about him often!) and a great trainer (like me : ).
In short, by getting a massage you can improve your posture which is fantastic on so many levels!
Number #3: It Improves Your Circulation.
Your circulation is extremely important. Your body needs your circulatory system to transport oxygen and nutrients to your muscles so that they can recover and become stronger. Plus, our circulatory system helps rid our body of toxins.
We can boost our circulatory system by simply adding a massage. The benefit of getting a massage enables your muscles to recover more quickly.
Practically, if you just did something that’s taxing, like moving, working out, playing a game of soccer, etc. And your muscles are sore and achy, one of the best ways to recover is to improve your circulation and a massage will help you do just that.
Another often forgotten topic on circulation is how it relates to stress. When you are stressed and/or when your body is tight and tense and it restricts your circulation, which can add additional stress to your body and mind. When you get a massage, it releases some of those chronically tense and tighten muscles and increases blood flow, which will help lift your stress, make your body feel better, and flush toxins out of your body.
That is day one of massages. Two more emails to come…make sure you follow along, because on day three I have an awesome gift for my clients and a surprise for my followers : ).
To be continued….Now go be awesome!
KELLEN LAKE – I am terrible with surprises…I will give my clients their “surprise” gift starting two days ago : )
PS – Want a “surprise” gift that is massage related? Sign-up and come in for 3 Free Personal Training Sessions that will be custom designed for Just You, click the link https://winstonsalem.justyoufitness.com/offer.html
