Massage Miracles

This week I’d like to remind you about how important it is to care for yourself by taking some time out to just RELAX. There are so many different ways to do this but one of my favs and also one of the most beneficial for the mind and bod is MASSAGE.

I’m in Bali this week and one of the best things to do here –along with lazing by the pool and beach, surfing, yoga, eating great food and walking or riding around, finding beautiful views and sunsets – is of course getting massages. I live in Hong Kong and I loooove a good Chinese massage, though I’ve realised I should probably do myself the favour to get more, even if it costs me a little extra than it would in a place like Bali.
This is why I’ve decided to make a little list of the benefits, to remind you how great these are and why you should be trying to get these as much as possible and not just on holidays.

So apart from it being incredibly relaxing and reducing muscle pain, blood pressure and stress levels in a number of ways, what else can it do for you?

1. Boosts immunity – It does this by boosting the white blood cell count – which plays a large role in defending the bod from disease and the nasties out there.
2. Improves sleep – Of course a massage can help you have a more sound sleep but also helps chemo patients get more rest and helps babies get to sleep, cry less and be less stressed.
3. Counterbalances all the sitting – With a lot of the population in stressful jobs that require us to sit down for long periods of time, most are dealing with some kind of back pain – usually caused by stress that manifests in the shoulders and neck or lower back and glute pain from sitting down for too long. Luckily, getting a good rub can counteract this imbalance and help avoid the pain in the bum or neck!
4. Increases flexibility – You don’t need to be an athlete or yogi to want to maintain flexibility. Simply being a middle-aged adult who’s lost a bit of range of motion in the hips and joints should be enough to want to keep your flexibility up. For me its key and getting a massage is one way to maintain flexibility by working all the muscles, tendons, tissues and ligaments and creating the natural lubricants the joints need.
5. Boosts mood while decreasing anxiety and depression – Human touch can be incredibly therapeutic and relaxing. Studies show that people suffering from anxiety and depression felt much more relaxed and happy after massage treatment.
6. Anti ager – Well we all know stress can accelerate aging – this is due to all the cortisol and insulin (the stress hormones) released and lack of the feel good hormones (serotonin and dopamine). Not only that, but a massage also improves blood circulation with is vital for healthy skin.

Need I say more!? Your homework for this week is book yourself in for a massage! You deserve it.