Tis the season when taking care of ourselves ends up way on the back-burner…behind the cooking, shopping, activities and parties, family, decorating and just plain being busy. There is a reason that the holidays are considered just as stressful as they are joyous. The benefits of massage on combating stress reach further than just those lovely minutes lying on the warm massage table.
Stress makes your body hurt. Maybe you feel it most in your shoulders, or lower back or hips. The point is, stress shows itself in painful ways and massage can help melt away that muscle tension right away. Massage improves blood flow in the body, resulting in increased oxygen to the site of the pain. Oxygen aids in the healing of damaged tissue leading to a reduction in pain, swelling and overall discomfort. The pain reducing effects of massage can last for weeks, and should not be considered as simply short term pain relief.
We all know that people enduring high levels of stress get sick more often, and tend to take longer to regain health. And I am sure that we all agree that the holidays are an incredibly inconvenient, if not impossible, time to get sick. By allowing yourself the time to get a massage to lessen your stress, you can actually increase the activity and effective functioning of your natural immune system. A massage and no illness for me for the holidays? Yes, please.
The holistic benefits of a good massage (or two) should not be underestimated. Our bodies consist of a web of networks of interconnected muscles, tissues, nerves, organs and bones. When one area feels stress, surrounding areas also become stressed, and so on until your entire body becomes affected by one weak, damaged or stressed area. Massage can help.
Please call and schedule an appointment with one of our talented massage therapists today.
(PS – Stay tuned for our December Newsletter for special deals and gift certificates from our Massage Therapists. Massages for you, and as gifts for your friends and family…Perfect!)