All you need is love
February is here, the month of love. It can be a time to reflect on what you love to do, your love for others and one that we tend to forget, the love you have for yourself. I feel fortunate every day in my job as I am extremely passionate about my business and I love what I do. I am so grateful for the support and love my family and friends give me and in turn, I love and support them back in this life adventure we are all on. It can become easy sometimes to neglect ourselves in this process. We may not make time for ourselves and prioritise other things, or shut ourselves off in the winter months and let our bodies hibernate. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for chilling out on the sofa and binge watching series on Netflix! It's just sometimes we can forget how important it is to look after ourselves, the saying really is true 'our body is a temple' and we must love it and look after it.
*A little winter tip* This time of year we can get a little help from taking vitamin D supplements to help us through the winter months and aid our body with the vitamin we mostly receive in the summer through sunlight. We struggle to get this through food sources so taking a vitamin D tablet or supplement drink each day can help regulate calcium and phosphate levels within the body. These key nutrients are required to maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscles. If you want to read more visit the NHS website where you can learn more about vitamin D and other vitamins.
Now a blog post from a massage therapist without talking about massage wouldn't be right, so this leads me on nicely to the benefits of massage therapy. For those of you that enjoy massages, we all know that it makes us feel good, but do we really know the benefits it can give us?
1. Massage helps with circulation around the body, promoting the movement of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and organs.
2. It can stimulate and act as a pump for the Lymphatic system, which is our bodies natural defence system, filtering toxins, bacteria and diseases through lymph nodes which contain lymphocytes (white blood cells that fight infection). It is such an important part of the immune system and helps protect us from infection and disease whilst also draining fluid from the tissues in our body.
3. Massage can relieve DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) which occurs in injured and overused muscles. It can relax and soften the fascia, tissue and muscles whilst also reducing spasms and cramping.
4. If you are an athlete or do sports on a regular basis, massage can help reduce recovery time, aiding the healing process of your muscles and potentially preventing an injury that could occur.
5. Like exercise, massage releases endorphin's that make you feel good. This can subsequently reduce stress, and promote other psychological benefits such as reducing anxiety and depression levels.
6. Massage can help improve the range of movement in joints and decrease discomfort due to tight muscles.
7. It can also be an alternative therapy for people who may suffer with headaches/migraines caused by tension.
8. Massage can be helpful to post surgery clients who may have scar tissue build up over recent operations scars. It can be used to aid with the realignment of scar tissue and promote healing to the recently traumatised area. Massage can also help reduce cellulite and help with stretch marks.
9. Massage can stretch muscles that may be weak, tight or atrophied (a decrease in mass of a muscle).
10. It can also be beneficial for those that suffer with myofasical pain syndrome, soft tissue strains and injuries.
So there we go! Here are just 10 benefits to having massage but the list goes on. I hope I have enlightened you on this blog for February and given you something to think about. Please look at my treatments and offers page on my website that may help you decide what massage is right for you.
Happy February
BW Massage Therapy x
