You are unique and so is your body! Before starting any new health routine, always be sure to talk with your doctor to make sure it is right for your needs.
Many of us view massage as a relaxation technique, but have you ever considered including it with exercise as part of your health & wellness regimen?
Post Workout Massage Benefits
When you workout, whether it’s a cardio session, lifting weights or yoga, you create microtears in the muscle fibers. Then, your body’s natural recovery process is to send good blood and nutrients to these tiny damaged areas to rebuild and restore the muscles. While damaging our muscles may sound like a bad thing, this is actually how we grow new musculature and get stronger. Not only are we challenging our muscles, bones, joints and ligaments with exercise, we are also challenging our minds.
Regularly working a post-exercise massage into our routine can help us not only recover from the physical challenge of a workout, it can also help us grow in our mental fortitude. Here are just a few of the ways massage can help us in the gym.
- Reduce soreness
- Increase circulation
- Improve flexibility
- Reduce pain and inflammation
- Break up lactic acid and toxins in the muscles
Different Types of Massage
Relaxation Massage: This type of massage is great after a workout because it focuses on long strokes and medium pressure that will help muscles release tension without creating soreness following the massage.
Deep Tissue Massage: As the name describes, this type of massage goes deeper into fascial areas and muscle to address issues like tightness and knots. While this style of massage can help relieve pain related to tissue and muscle issues, it isn’t ideal following a workout due to the intensity of pressure, which can cause more inflammation.
Reflexology: This style of massage focuses on applying different levels of pressure to specific points on the body like the hands, feet, and ears. By applying pressure to these specific points, individuals can experience relaxation and pain relief all throughout their bodies.
Massage Tools: While it may not always be possible or economical to regularly schedule a massage, you may consider investing in a massage gadget like a foam roller, massage ball, or massage gun. These devices are great for providing relaxation and relief from the comfort of home.
Let Us Help You Embrace the Journey
At Baer-Fit, our certified trainers work closely with you to understand your unique fitness goals and design customized workout and meal plans to get you there. Not only do we provide you with the roadmap to get you where you want to go, but we are with you each step of the way, holding you accountable and celebrating all the milestones.
To learn more, visit our Contact page and send us a message! We can’t wait to learn more about you.