How Massage Can Keep Your Muscles From Getting The Winter Blues
There’s a chill in the air.
Maybe arctic blast is a more accurate description. Whatever you want to call it, winter is here in all its glory. Whether you love it or hate it, the cold weather affects our bodies, and for many of us, that includes our emotional health.
When you’re looking for a way to lift yourself out of the winter doldrums, there’s no question that massage can make you feel better almost instantly. It provides and immediate emotional boost. But, even if you’re happy as a lark in the winter, your muscles might not be and now is the time to take extra good care of them.
IT’S TIME TO EMERGE FROM HIBERNATION
It’s cold outside, and even if you love winter, you’re probably not as active during the colder months as you are during other times of the year. The urge to hibernate is strong, the problem is that staying locked up inside and more sedentary than usual can lead to big problems for your health and how you feel.
Muscles get stiff, or even begin to atrophy, from those lazy winter days. Even if you’re not ready to try a winter marathon, there are steps you can take to keep your muscles healthy all winter, and this includes massage.
Massage wakes up tired, hibernating muscles and brings them back to life. Here’s how it happens.
HEAT THINGS UP
To stay flexible, your muscles need a certain amount of heat. Stretching and exercise helps to create this heat, but during the winter, the cold temperatures can affect how your muscles perform, leaving you more inflexible than usual.
Massage warms and stimulates your muscles in much that same way that stretching exercises, like yoga or Pilates, might. Regular massage helps to loosen tight winter muscles and relieve soreness from wintertime activities. Plus, you get to relax and enjoy a little pampering.
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
Think about how your body works differently in the winter. There’s shoveling and snow blowing that needs to be done. Ice and snow need to be scraped off hard to reach spots on your car, and you probably find yourself walking a little differently on slippery spots or through knee-deep snow.
The point is, we need to use our bodies differently in the winter, and this can lead to some unpleasant side effects, like injuries.
Regular wintertime massage will help to keep you muscles warmed up and flexible. A lack of flexibility is a leading cause of injury from physical activity, and massage can help prevent it.
IMPROVED CIRCULATION
When you’re cold, your body automatically protects your vital organs by increasing heat and circulation to those areas. This is great, except for your extremities which are the first to left behind. This is part of the reason why your hands, knees or ankles might be a little more stiff and sore in the winter. It a simple lack of circulation.
Wintertime massage can help promote healthy circulation throughout your entire body with lasting results. Plus, massage rooms are always comfortably warm and cozy, which is a nice break from the wintry chill outdoors.
Are you ready to treat yourself and protect your muscle health with a wintertime massage? We can’t wait to pamper you. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
