The Many Ways Exercise And Massage Therapy Can Help Improve Your Life

Looking for a boost? Whether you’re always feeling run down at the end of the day, you suffer from chronic stress thanks to a job and family life that never quits, or you’re trying to shed those last 10 pounds that seem to be clinging on for dear life, exercise combined with massage therapy can provide a superior strategy.

Both exercise and massage therapy go hand in hand at providing a wealth of benefits to just about everyone. So many in fact, that you simply cannot afford to pass them up.

Let’s look at a few of the many ways that these two factors will help you improve your life and take your health to the next level.

The Management Of Sugar Cravings

If you’re struggling to stick with your healthy eating plan because you just can’t seem to put down that donut (or some other tasty sugar-laden food you desire), exercise and massage can help.

Exercise is going to release positive feel good endorphins that tend to blunt hunger, and could blunt cravings as well. Furthermore, as exercise enhances your insulin sensitivity levels, this means you may not experience the blood glucose crashes that you otherwise would, which will drive you to want more sugar.

By engaging in regular exercise, you should find that you simply crave sugar less often and notice that your energy level is on an even keel.

How can massage help combat sugar cravings? Simple. Stress reduction.

Most of us do crave sugar when we are stressed because consuming sugar causes you to release feel-good neurotransmitters called serotonin and dopamine. There actually is a scientific reason why digging into that tub of Ben & Jerry’s after a bad day picks you up.

But, that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

As massage therapy can help combat stress, it hits the root of the problem. Practicing proper stress reduction is one of the most important steps you need to take if you hope to combat cravings and make sticking with your diet easier.

Improvement Of Natural Energy

Another way that both of these elements can benefit you is through enhanced natural energy production.

While you may think that engaging in regular exercise would make you more tired, often it’s the opposite. The extra activity gets the blood flowing and helps bring more energy to your day.

Likewise, as massage therapy can help work out any aches and pains you may be experiencing that drag you down, this too can help boost your energy in the positive direction.

Moving Past Feelings Of Depression

Feeling a little low? Whether it’s been a bad day, week, or year, exercise can help you move past those feelings of depression.

Exercise has been a proven strategy to help ease clinical depression in those suffering, so why not give it a try?

Whether you choose something more relaxation focused like yoga or a higher intensity session like weight lifting or sprint training to work out any feelings of negativity or frustration, there’s no denying the fact that exercise is a great mood booster.

Likewise, many people relate feeling incredibly stressed to feelings of depression, and since massage therapy can help relax the mind and body, this too can be an excellent natural treatment method to help combat these low feelings you are having.

Lowered Levels Of Inflammation

Inflammation is something that more and more people are paying attention to as in today’s world, it is one of the leading causes of health concerns. Inflammation has been linked to conditions like cancer, diabetes, as well as heart disease and sadly, more and more of us are experiencing it every single day.

Exercise is a great way to combat inflammation as it helps to reduce oxidative stress on the body, which can be linked to that inflammatory state.

Furthermore, if you also go for a deep tissue massage, you can also say so-long to localized levels of inflammation as the massage will help to enhance blood flow to the tissues in order to promote healing.

If inflammation is what’s causing you pain during your workout, massage therapy may be a great way to help you get through this. Whether you choose to go for massage strictly when injured or on a regular basis as a preventative strategy, there are definitely benefits to be had from engaging in regular stretching in your day to day life.

Ease Sore Joints

Finally, the last critical benefit that exercise and massage therapy can bring is with the easing of sore joints.

Whether it’s back pain, knee pain, or elbow pain that you suffer from, there’s no question that sore joints can be a seriously limiting factor in how well you are able to keep up with day to day life.

Sore joints are often the result of stiffness due to inactivity. By exercising, you enhance blood flow, increase natural joint lubrication, and you’ll also strengthen the muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding the joint, keeping everything in place.

This in turn will make you stronger, less likely to experience joint pain into the future.

Massage therapy is also great for promoting healthier joints as it can help to break up scar tissue that has formed around the joint, which is leading to stiffness and immobility.

Regular massage therapy for those suffering from chronic joint pain is one of the best natural treatment methods you can add to your recovery program.

So keep these benefits in mind. If you are not yet on a regular workout program or are not taking advantage of what massage therapy has to offer, now is the time to consider doing so.

Don’t think that you have to exercise for hours each week to benefit either. Just 2-3, 30-minute sessions is enough to get the ball rolling on helping you see these health-enhancing benefits.