The strong connections between massage therapy and fitness are quite clear to those who practice healthy touch as a profession. In fact, many may notice massage therapy could be considered an integral piece of the fitness puzzle. This is because massage is tied to improved mental and physical health, and it often is used to help prevent or heal issues or injuries associated with fitness pursuits such as playing sports, running marathons or lifting weights.
Professional massage therapists and bodyworkers can use their advanced knowledge of the ties between touch therapy and fitness to better serve clients, improve their own fitness level and advance their careers. You may choose to focus on all three of these goals, or you may feel pulled more toward one or the other. Either way, seeing how the links between massage therapy and fitness can help you, your clients and your career can be a wonderful jumping board to new levels and different directions.
Let’s begin by taking a look at how your own knowledge about how massage therapy and fitness relate to one another might help you better serve your clients. This can happen in a number of ways, but one common example might pertain to those clients who come to you for massage therapy because they are sore or injured due to their fitness endeavors. For instance, a woman who trains for and runs marathons on a regular basis may come in complaining of pain in her lower back and hips.
In this instance, you can ask the client how often she receives massage therapy. Then, you can explain how regular massage appointments can help to prevent the pain she is experiencing and also reduce the risk of injury due to the wear and tear placed on her body by training for and running marathons so often. You may also want to mention the ways in which massage can work to keep athletes on top of their game and help them reach new levels of performance.
Another way to discuss the fitness benefits of massage therapy with your clients might be geared more toward the wellness results associated with touch therapy. For instance, you may learn from a new client’s intake form that he suffers from high blood pressure and has trouble sleeping. In this situation, you may wish to inform your new client of the ways in which massage can help to decrease blood pressure and relieve some of the mental and physical tension that can lead to insomnia.
By taking time to educate each client on the relationship between fitness and massage therapy, you can create a sense of greater value and carefor each and every client. This, in turn, can help keep clients coming back, because they perceive you as an expert with sincere concern for their specific issues. Also, simply knowing how to use your massage therapy skills to boost overall fitness is a huge piece of creating a successful practice.