The Benefits of Winter and Fall Messages
Massage for some is considered a luxury and many don’t realize it has a lot of healing properties. So now that the kids are back in school. You have the time to take care of your needs after a fun filled summer and prepare for the holiday season.
Easing from summer into fall gives us time to prepare our minds and bodies for cooler days ahead and it is now that time of year again. Many of us are now eagerly engaged in seasonal chores of harvesting the gardens and preparing for winter. Gardening often requires squatting and bending over, which puts stress on your back, knees, wrists and more. Massage can decrease pain in these areas by dampening proteins known as inflammatory cytokines, which cause inflammation and pain.
Summer has come to an end and winter is just around the bend. Winter is when we see the most injuries and muscle related complaints. During the winter it is cold outside and potentially icy; we are cold, tense, and our circulation is not great lending to muscle tension and a greater risk of injury. Additionally, winter can be stressful; it involves Holidays, bad weather, multiple family gatherings, travel, and extra expenses.
Long falls and winters can make you feel lethargic, stressed, and chilled to the bone. One of the most effective ways to remove the chill of cool weather from your body is to warm your muscles and your mind from the inside out with a therapeutic massage session that increases circulation.
Massage therapy is an essential component of your health care routine throughout the year, and the winter & off-season are no exception. Remedy your winter aches and pains with regular massage and bodywork.
Let’s take a look at just a few of the reasons why:
Cold, Snow, & Ice! It is now only a matter of time before we, have our first snowfall of the season. Then it will begin, the driveway shoveling, tense excursions to and from the car, exercising/training indoors & outdoors: skiing, snowboarding, walking, jogging, and cycling in slippery conditions. These are all things that put added stress into our lives, specifically on our musculoskeletal system. Since we may be experiencing new aches and pains from muscles and joints that haven’t been utilized in quite this way for many months. This is a good time to consider massage therapy to keep you going and to keep your muscles, bones and connective tissue in good working condition for regular massage therapy year-round can help to maintain your muscular flexibility & health and decrease the chances of injury during the winter.
Stress Winter can be a time of tremendous stress. Winter brings Holidays, bad weather, multiple family gatherings, travel, and extra expenses, all things that can cause stress; and let’s not forget that even the things that bring us happiness and joy can also be added stress. Exercise and welcomed life changes are stressful, both mentally and physically. Massage therapy can provide much needed relief, a wonderful place for peace, quiet, stillness, healing, and relaxation for the mind body spirit.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, winter blues/depression)
Keep the winter blues at bay. Massage creates positive changes in the endocrine system where hormones are formed. Hormones affect mood, desire, depression, alertness, sleep, hunger, sense of touch and sex drive; the balance of which are very important for the well-being. During the colder months and shorter days, many people suffer from SAD, a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. Most people with SAD have symptoms that start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Massage therapy can help soothe and relax your nervous system and bring an overall sense of well-being. Massage therapy decreases stress and anxiety levels and is very effective in uplifting your mood – massage therapy stimulates the brain to produce endorphins.
Cold & Flu Season
Improve immune system function and increase your body’s stamina with regular bodywork, a healthy diet, and be sure to maintain a regular exercise schedule. Winter is typically the season when many people get ill with colds and/or the flu. Massage therapy can boost your immune system and decrease your chances of getting sick. This is another great reason to make massage therapy a regular part of your health care routine year-round! After recovering from a cold or flu, getting a massage can be help eliminate toxins from your system – Just a reminder: As a health care practitioner, I ask that you do not come to your session if you are ill, especially if you have a contagious illness. Massage therapy can exacerbate sickness, and if you come to a session ill, it also puts the therapist and other clients at risk for infection.
So, there you have it, these are just a few of the many reasons why massage therapy is essential during the winter & off-season as well as year around. Receiving massage therapy on a regular basis and throughout the year, gives us a chance to boost our immune system, improve athletic performance, prevent injury, promote healing, manage pain, decrease stress, experience quiet, stillness, and promote relaxation. Massage therapy allows the mind to be silent so that the body can heal from the inside out!
Equally important as the season changes is to maintain adequate hydration. Muscles and tissues require stretching and lengthening as well as good wholesome nutrition to function properly and to avoid spasms and sprains.
Keep yourself going great this fall and winter and consider having a full body massage regularly to be at your optimal best and lessen the risk of being sick, with an added benefit of reduced medical costs and lost time at work. Overall the cost of a massage is a small price to pay to have great health and to take care of oneself.
Stay warm and cozy this fall and winter in our Far Infrared Sauna. We invite you to share this experience with your significant other, family member or friend. Far Infrared Sauna and Massage are the perfect compliments to rebalancing the mind and body. Both reduce stress, increases blood circulation, promoting more relaxed muscles, improving sleep patterns mental focus, all of which are favorable outcomes for getting through the fall and winter months.
Amanda D’Agosto owner/operator
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