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Start 2023 Off With Less Stress With A Full Body Massage

Start 2023 Off With Less Stress With A Full Body Massage

December 14 2022
It’s a new year and time to implement those resolutions. Many people make a New Year’s resolution to reduce their stress levels, but this quickly falls by the wayside as life and work resume after the holidays and things start to get busy again. You can give yourself a jumpstart and really get the ball rolling with stress reduction by starting your year off with a therapeutic full body massage. Massage is an excellent stress reduction tool that you can utilize and incorporate into your regular self-care routine to manage stress and have a more relaxed and joyful year.

 

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine soft music, low lights, relaxing aromas, and an overall sense of peace and tranquility. Sounds like bliss, doesn’t it? Not only is massage extremely relaxing for your muscles, it’s also relaxing for your mind, while at the same time stimulating your nervous system and vital internal processes that help promote health and regulate stress hormones. Your body needs a massage to reverse the effect of stress and renew itself. But did you know that there are many more benefits to receiving a massage? Let’s take a look at a few of the lesser-known benefits now.

 

Refreshes Your Skin

Massage helps to refresh your skin both by stimulating circulation, moisturizing the action of the massage oil or lotion and also by the gentle exfoliation caused by the slight friction of the massage therapist's hands and tools against your skin.

 

Relaxes Your Nervous System

It’s no secret that relaxation promotes rest, and your nervous system needs that rest, especially when you have areas of pain or tension. Muscle tension can place pressure on nerves and cause pain. This constant stimulation of the nerves causes a rise in stress hormones which in turn increases muscle tension and locks you into a cycle of an overstimulated nervous system. Massage helps to relieve tensions and balance everything out by releasing endorphins that counteract the stress hormones. A relaxed and balanced nervous system can lead to improved sleep, improved immune function, more stable blood sugar, and less pain.

 

Helps Detox Your Lymphatic System

Your lymphatic system is a crucial part of your immune and circulatory systems. Lymph fluid is moved through the lymphatic vessels by pressure from your muscles moving. Stagnant lymph can lead to fluid retention in your tissues and a build-up of toxins in your system. As your massage therapist kneads and squeezes your muscles they are also helping to drain lymphatic fluids to detox your body.

 

Benefits Your Musculoskeletal System

Your muscles work with your circulatory and lymph systems kind of like squeezing a sponge. When your muscles are contracted and tense they squeeze out all of the blood and lymph. When they relax they open up and allow fresh blood and lymph to flow in carrying with it nutrients, immune cells, and oxygen. Your massage therapist kneads and stretches your muscles to mimic this. All of this improves the range of motion, reduces inflammation, and brings faster healing to tendons, ligaments, and muscle injuries. It also improves the blood supply to your bones bringing them more calcium and other minerals needed to keep them strong.

 

Promotes Heart Health

Massage helps to open and dilate your blood vessels which improve both blood pressure and circulation throughout your body. Your whole cardiovascular system relaxes. This is a recipe for improved heart health.

 

Supports Healthy Digestion

Stress can have a major impact on your digestive system. Stress increases your risk of developing ulcers and other digestive disorders. But massage doesn’t just support healthy digestion by lowering stress levels. A full-body massage that includes abdominal massage acts directly on your digestive system to help relax muscles and get things moving properly through your digestive system. And healthy digestion supports overall health.

 

Improves Breathing

Have you ever been incredibly stressed and found yourself holding your breath? You’ve no doubt noticed how stopping to take a few deep breaths can make you feel instantly better. Tension tends to accumulate in the shoulder, chest, and neck regions and this can restrict our breathing, often without us even realizing it. By relaxing these muscles they are better able to assist in opening up your lungs to get a full breath and better oxygenate your body.

 

Get your new year started off with less stress by allowing the massage therapists at Helen’s Haven to melt your stress away with a full body massage. We would love the opportunity to help you maintain lower stress levels and better health throughout 2023 with regularly scheduled massages. You’ll be amazed at the benefits to your physical and mental health. Call us at 808-739-0400 to book your massage session today. You can also download our free app on iTunes or Google Play to manage appointments easily from your mobile device. We look forward to serving you at 4819 Ave., #6 in Honolulu.

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