Monday, June 29, 2009

Get the Most Out of Your Massage

By Suzy X Esquire

Many people view a massage as something that just feels good. However, the main purpose of the massage is a therapeutic treatment of the body. The build up of stress, toxins and body stiffness can cause discomfort. Massage therapy seeks to release the tension in the body, while flushing toxins and helping the mind to relax. There are many benefits of receiving massage therapy, but like any treatment there are ways to better maximize its effectiveness.

A massage is meant to be a holistic body treatment. These types of treatments have been given for centuries. Many of these traditional remedies have been incorporated into different massage techniques. There are many schools of thought on massage therapy. However, there are many common elements which can be used to help you get the most out of your treatment.

If you plan on getting a massage, do not eat immediately before hand. When you eat it causes blood to be diverging to your digestive tract. This helps the body to more effectively digest your meal. However this also affects the quality of a massage treatment. Generally, you may need 30 to 40 minutes to digest your food.

You want to avoid any areas that should not receive massage treatments. If you are unsure about receiving a massage treatment, then check with your health advisor. They can let you know is it would be wise to receive a massage in that area. When first receiving a massage, it is typical to feel some discomfort as these areas may be sensitive to start.

Relax your mind by playing some music. Music is typically played during a massage treatment. Find relaxing tracks with subtle melodies and rhythms. This will help to keep your mind off of stressful situations. Normally, it is preferred to have music without any vocals. This helps your mind to drift to the rhythm of the music and not focus on words and thoughts.

When pressure is eight applied during the massage this can cause disc comfort. Some people are more sensitive to this type of action. They will tend to resist the massage and tense their muscles. This can cause you to increase your breathing rate as you again to fight the massage. Check your breathing rate and make sure it stays consistent during the massage.

Minimize the distractions during your massage therapy make sure that your cell phone is off and other communication sources are blocked out. It is important to relax from start to finish getting the most benefit. Your mind needs to let go of the tension and let the body be penetrated by the massage.

Receive your massage in a soft lighting environment. A couple of candles can completely change the mood of a room. Turn off the lights and use a candle. The flickering of the flame and the lowlight level is very relaxing.

Use one of your favorite fragrances in the room. Aromatherapy is quite common to help induce a state of relaxation. With repeated use, the fragrance can help jumpstart your mind into a state of relaxing.

Another good habit to develop after getting a massage is to drink a glass of water. Certain massage techniques help to flush toxins out of the body. This is facilitated to a much greater capacity and a glass of water is drinking after receiving the massage. These toxins can be trapped in the soft tissue areas and with certain techniques they are released and need to be removed from the body.

These are just a few tips to help you get the most out of a massage. It is important that the environment and your mental state are congruent with relaxing massage therapy. If you are too distracted, then your body and muscles will not relax. Also, to get the real benefits of massage it must be received on a frequent basis. Just like diet and exercise, it must be done more than time. - 14130

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