If you’ve never had a real massage, it’s high time you treated yourself. You leave feeling rejuvenated, beautified, energized and relaxed all at the same time. Aches and pains can cause us to be in a bad mood, but after the massage you just feel on top of the world and ready for your next workout! As a motivation boost, nothing beats a massage.
Massage therapy alone isn’t going to get you into a bikini or your favorite little black dress, but it certainly will affect other efforts to lose weight and get into shape. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with what we can’t eat and how much exercise we have to endure to shed those extra pounds. Massage therapy can be the cherry on top of the cake and even help you reach your goals!
If you are carrying around extra pounds, you know how difficult it can be to achieve meaningful weight loss. But perhaps you haven’t heard of a powerful technique to help you shed unwanted fat: weight loss massage. Researchers have discovered that, following a workout, the right kind of massage session can help deliver desirable results. The secret is muscle recovery and development. When muscle displaces fat, you tend to lose weight and look better at any weight. A strenuous workout tires out muscles, which require nourishment to recover. Massage actually boosts the circulatory system, helping it to deliver the necessary nutrients and oxygen. Massage also can help regulate nutrient exchange between the bloodstream and body tissues.
Muscles that receive a good supply of nutrients and oxygen are likely to undergo growth and development. This raises your base metabolic rate, which helps you shed pounds by efficiently burning calories, even when you rest. Body massage aids in this process. In addition, massage can increase your body’s flexibility and range of motion. This allows you in turn to have more effective workouts, burn more calories and lose more weight – a virtuous circle. Different workouts benefit from specialized massages. Swimmers do well with a follow-up massage that focuses on the shoulders and ankles. Your flexibility and power in the water will increase, and you will suffer less from muscle soreness which could interfere with future workouts. The added flexibility afforded by a good massage will help you avoid injury while exercising, keeping you on track towards your weight loss goal.
Another benefit of weight loss massage is the removal of toxic buildup. Exercise creates waste products in your body which can accumulate, especially in your muscle tissue. We are talking about such nasties as carbonic acid and lactic acid – they can slow down muscle recovery. Massage, by stimulating circulation, helps the body eliminate these waste products. This in turn cuts down on the amount of time you need to recover from a workout, meaning you can work out more often.
Finally, let’s not forget about stress relief. A luxurious massage is the right psychological reward after enduring a strenuous workout.
Stress produces cortisol, which interferes with efficient digestion, so a circulation-stimulating massage will aid digestion by ridding you of the cortisol buildup. Less stress also means less binge eating. So don’t be shy – get a wonderful body massage after your next workout!