If it’s been a while since your last massage, there are more than a few reasons now is the perfect time to return to your de-scrunching, workout-boosting, gloom-busting ticket to a healthier everyday life…
Un-Scrunch Those Aching Bones
The short, gray days of winter make it dangerously easy to become inactive. Tacked onto a locked-down year, it’s a recipe for musculoskeletal disaster. Sore backs, hunched shoulders, and misaligned hips are rampant, especially among the WFH-ers. Fortunately, massage is the #1 antidote to the (literal) slump.
Massage relieves stiffness in muscles, tendons, and joints, improving suppleness and mobility. Stepping up your yoga routine? A Swedish massage beforehand is a great way to warm and lengthen muscles, so you can stretch farther and hold poses longer.
Sports or deep tissue massage can treat more targeted areas of pain and include guided stretches for added conditioning and mobilization. But remember to be kind to your body in the rush to regular life. A deep tissue massage can be similar to a workout in muscular impact, requiring some rest afterwards to get the most benefit. So if your fitness routines have lapsed, it’s okay to ease back in so your body can adapt.
This improved conditioning will sure come in handy now, as…
The Beach Bod Mad Dash is Here!
2020 distracted us from the usual late-winter-padding panic, what with canceled vacations and closed beaches, but desperate sun worshippers won’t be doing that again! So about that workout plan…
If your exercise has slipped, your muscles will be less efficient at workout recovery, making you more prone to knots, cramps, and soreness. Massage calms this inflammation by lowering cortisol, reducing lactic acid buildup, and promoting circulation—all of which speeds up muscle recovery and relieves associated agony. Pro tip: A gentler Swedish massage will get you all these benefits without added wear to soft tissue.
Beautification Bonus: The slight friction of a massage on the skin causes a gentle exfoliation, encouraging cellular turnover and that fresh, healthy glow. A nice bonus for all the skin you’ll be showing with that beach body!
But if the mere thought of a poolside reveal makes you depressed…
Work Out Your Winter Blues with Massage
With powerful abilities to treat depression, anxiety, and stress, massage has been shown to increase production of serotonin and dopamine—an average of 28% and 31%, respectively, in one study. These hormones are essential for maintaining a positive emotional state. Oxytocin, known as the “cuddle hormone” because it’s released when people snuggle up or bond socially, is also released through non-romantic touch, such as in a massage.
By improving blood flow to the brain, massage can even boost your concentration. That gloom-inducing brain fog doesn’t stand a chance against this mood lifter! And it’s a good thing, too. Because depression can wreak havoc on your wellness by suppressing your immune system. Fortunately…
Massage Is Your Secret Immunity Weapon
And in more ways than one! Let’s start with circulation. The action of a massage promotes blood flow, distributing fresh nutrients, oxygen, and illness-fighting white blood cells throughout the body, including lymphocytes—one of the most powerful crime fighters in the immune system.
The lymphatic system, whose MO is to balance the fluid and function of your immune system, is also drained in the process of a massage, helping lymph nodes to filter out toxins, waste products, and other outside threats.
What’s more, by relaxing the nervous system, massage encourages the overall balancing of hormone production. Hormones that regulate immune function, sleep cycles, menstrual cycles, blood sugar, and more all react positively to this effect, supporting a healthier—and more pathogen-resistant—you.
And where are all these benefits best enjoyed? Right where you are, of course, because…
Home is Where the Health Is
Your home is your sanctuary—your personal retreat, where you can let down your guard and recover from the stresses of the outside world. What better place to get all the above benefits and more? At Zeel we live by this philosophy, and it’s why we make every in-home treatment the easiest, safest, and most beneficial experience it can possibly be. Why? Because healthcare feels better at home, and every Zeel massage should be a toast to your good health.