Finding a way to work regular massage therapy sessions into one’s fitness regimen can be a wonderful way to boost overall health and wellness. In fact, even massage therapy alone brings fitness benefits. However, when combined with regular fitness activity, massage therapy can help improve physical performance and prevent injury.
For starters, let’s take a look at the fitness benefits massage therapy can offer. One benefit is the fact that receiving massage therapy has been connected to decreased blood pressure and improved circulation. When you consider the effects of improved circulation, it is important to remember this can mean increasing the supply of blood and nutrients to all areas of your body and also boosting your body’s ability to flush out waste.
Another fitness benefit associated with massage therapy has more to do with one’s mental fitness. In other words, receiving a session of massage therapy can help to relieve mental tension, stress and anxiety. By inducing a state of mental calm and relaxation, massage therapy can help pump up your emotional fitness. When you think about all the research on how stress can affect health, it becomes clear this benefit of massage therapy can be a huge boon to fitness.
Now let’s dive into the benefits of receiving regular massage when you are an active fitness enthusiast. For your clients who engage in consistent and physically demanding activities—whether this means sports, hobbies, certain professions or all of the above—weaving massage therapy appointments into the routine can prove crucial.
This is because the body can begin to wear down when performing similar movements repeatedly on a regular basis. For example, if your client’s job involves lifting heavy boxes over and over again, then the muscles of the back, legs and arms all may begin to feel worn down with time. In addition, these repetitive movements can even result in overuse injuries that could force this client to take time off the job.
Fortunately, when you or your client brings massage therapy into the equation, you are taking steps to balance out such wear and tear. Instead of feeling worn down from doing the same physical activity all the time, massage therapy can heal and rejuvenate muscles and joints, so your client can go back to his job or you can return to your fitness regimen feeling renewed and refreshed. This regular physical renewal offered by massage also is what can serve to prevent those dreaded overuse injuries.
Of course, a physically demanding job is just one example of where massage therapy can come into play in terms of boosting overall fitness. For people who participate in sports from tennis and soccer to football and softball, the same benefits can be expected when receiving massage therapy. Fitness enthusiasts who prefer to work their bodies by lifting weights or engaging in cardiovascular pursuits can reap the rewards of massage therapy as well.