New Year's Resolution

      Already two weeks into a new year's resolution and the challenges are really beginning. How can you combat those achy muscles which can be so persuasive on a cold evening after work? Massage can help, of course! Massage can help you stay on track with your health and wellness goals by speeding up recovery time, improving your performance, and preventing injury.  By adding massage to your regular routine, your new year’s resolution can become your new lifestyle.

          In my experience,  one of the biggest causes for a failed attempt to add exercise to your lifestyle is injury. Most fitness professionals recommend, to avoid injury, a proper warm-up before exercising as well as a cool down after. Stretching can also be beneficial, especially throughout the day when your body is stuck in repetitive movements like typing, driving, cooking or doing laundry. Take time to give your body a break throughout these tedious tasks. Getting regular massage helps to increase circulation, improve muscular health as well as keep you mentally relaxed. Massage helps to speed your recovery time after workouts, so you can keep up the hard work at the gym. It’s already hard enough to get out of bed on these cold winter mornings, don’t add over sore muscles to the mix.

       When you get a massage, you will notice areas of tension and soreness that you didn't even know existed. This is extremely important, especially when it comes to injury prevention. If you can figure out where you are holding tension,  you can take extra precautions with an extra warm-up in that area or extra stretching after exercise. Prevention is the main goal, however it is not always possible. Massage can also be used in rehabilitating an injury. With a basic muscle strain or joint sprain, massage has proven to be very beneficial. Discussing an injury with your doctor first is recommended to be sure nothing more serious has occurred.

      In some cases, you may be very aware an area is tight, though you are struggling to loosen the muscle on your own. This can negatively impact your workout, whether it affects your running stride, or the number of reps you are able to do with weights. Tight muscles become very apparent during a hard workout. Although, things like stretching and foam rolling can be very helpful in these times, it is not always enough. Your massage therapist can use skills to bring your body back into balance to take stress off of your over worked muscles. Generally, pain in the body is due to an imbalance, so being able to find out what has caused this is key to finally loosening up those muscles.

        Along with bringing your body into balance, as well as working through injuries, being able to mentally relax is also a big factor in a workout . Focusing on your workout is important if you want to get the full benefit from it. If you are thinking about everything else you need to do, or that happened during the day, your workout will suffer.  Getting a regular massage helps to develop skills in relaxation. Learning what it is like to actually let go and relax during your massage will help you get comfortable while relaxing outside of massage.

          As your mental and physical stress dissipate, you will find that you are able to get much more out of your work outs. You will be able to focus more on what you are doing, so you can be efficient during the times you have to work out. This will help to reduce injuries as well as increase your results. Being able to do both of those things will greatly improve your odds of keeping up with your new year's resolution and making it a long lasting change.

We would love to help keep you on track with your goals this year! Call today to schedule your massage 919.322.8382 !!

Convenient to Cary, Morrisville, Apex, and Raleigh for Medical massage, Sports massage, Prenatal massage, and Relaxation massage.

Oak City Massage Therapy