Nothing beats feeling your best. When everything is running smoothly and your energy is high, you’re ready to enjoy all the good things in life.
The downside to feeling good is it’s easy to take your good health for granted. When nothing is bothering you, it’s easier to ignore doing the things that keep you healthy. A common comparison made in the health field is taking care of your car—and for good reason. Many people are more aware of the need to maintain a regular schedule for tune-ups and oil changes than they are for their own bodies. Obviously, there’s no comparison between the importance of your health and well-being and that of your car. We expect to “trade up” and replace several vehicles during our driving years—but your body is by far the most important “vehicle” you have!
It may be that we associate the need for personal healthcare with illness rather than with the prevention of poor health—or that the auto industry has trained us to follow specific maintenance schedules. After all, a car is a fairly simple mechanical device compared to the human body.
Your maintenance plan for your body includes several parts that are best addressed daily, such as which fuel you put in your tank, how much wear and tear you subject yourself to, and all the other choices you make that affect the way you feel tomorrow and in the future.
If you think of your massage sessions as your body’s periodic tune-ups, you may ask how they can help you to keep cruising down the highway of life.
The underlying reason that makes regular massage so important to your overall health is this: Your body is constantly changing, and massage contributes to the positive aspects of these many changes. In other words, a major factor in maintaining good health is ensuring all of the communication systems of the body are operating properly and everything is kept moving. It’s very hard to imagine the millions of processes that are taking place every day within your body. Each of these minute actions contributes to the quality of your health and well-being. Since each system depends on the others, helping your body to keep things flowing properly greatly benefits your overall condition.
Anyone who’s received several massages is probably most aware of the reduction in tension and muscle stiffness. While massage is working out those noticeable kinks, it’s also contributing to more subtle areas of concern, like promoting detoxification and encouraging your body’s regenerative and cleansing capabilities, as well as boosting your immune function. These benefits are the ones you notice in increased energy, an enhanced sense of well-being, etc.
So, make the most of your most-prized vehicle (your body) by keeping it in tune with your regular massage sessions!
© 2006 Massage Marketing. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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Depressed? Take Action!
“Doing even a little something to make yourself happy could bring you the real thing, say psychologists at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. They asked 50 students to record their moods during various activities. Almost any kind of outgoing behavior— talking to someone attractive or even just singing aloud—acted as an instant antidepressant. ‘Every single participant in the study was happier when he or she acted extroverted than when he or she acted introverted,’ Will Fleeson tells ABC.net. In social situations, talking more and behaving assertively made subjects happy. ‘But you can do things by yourself that work just as well,’ says Fleeson. ‘Things like going hiking, climbing a mountain, whitewater rafting.’ Too often, people think of happiness as something outside themselves. But ‘to some extent, we have control over our personalities.’ ” —The Week; Vol 3; Issue 96
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I've been wondering ...
Q: Why is it I feel great after most massage sessions, but sometimes I feel run down for a day?
A: Massage brings change to your body, and most of the time you feel invigorated and renewed after your session. When you feel less than terrific afterwards, the first question to ask is: Are you drinking plenty of pure water? The most common reason for feeling a little run down, etc. is that the massage has begun a detoxification process, and your body has released toxins and cellular waste into the bloodstream for disposal. Water helps your body to eliminate these toxins, just like the rinse cycle in the washing machine helps to remove dirt from your clothes that’s been loosened by the wash cycle. When you cut short or skip this vital step, you run the chance of letting this waste material redistribute in your body.
Water is one of the easiest health aids you can incorporate into your life. Make sure you drink several glasses every day—especially following your massage!
