5 Reasons to Get a Massage—Now!
By: Zeel Guest Blogger
Victoria Edwards is the Social Media Marketing Manager at GuideWell. You can find her Tweeting for GuideWell at @GuideWellHealth or on her own personal handle, @TallChickVic.
As I am writing this post, my back is killing me. I am an active person; I do cardio and I strength train at least six days a week. I love to run, but a lot of the time, running does not love me.
At six-feet tall, I tend to have lower back pain that only gets worse with physical activity. And while I know that massage can do wonders for low-back issues (and other kinds, of course), I'm not the type of person who books health and wellness appointments on a regular basis, and so I've continued to live with aches and pains.
In need of a little inspiration, I decided to do a bit of research on the topic and found some very interesting benefits to massage therapy! I know there are others out there who are apprehensive about massage, but perhaps after learning about these five advantages, you'll decide to change your mind too.
1. Helps with anxiety and depression. According to Prevention.com, researchers from the University of Miami did a study that followed over 30 breast cancer patients who received massage therapy over a series of five weeks. The women who received massage therapy not only felt less depressed, but also reported that they had more energy. Another study suggests that regular massage treatments can help ease depression and anxiety on a long-term basis.
2. Reduces your blood pressure. Just like exercise and eating right, massage therapy can also help to reduce your high blood pressure. One study, conducted at the University of South Florida, found that regular back massages could significantly reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings for individuals who were clinically diagnosed with hypertension.
3. Boosts your immune system. Do you feel as though you get sick easily and often? Massage therapy just might help you ward off colds and other illnesses. A study found that Swedish massages tend to increase lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps your immune system fight disease. Take that, viruses!
4. Reduces migraines and headaches. There are many studies out there that have proven that regular massage therapy can be beneficial for migraine and headache sufferers. Especially when aimed at the neck and shoulders, massage has been found to significantly mitigate the amount of pain in as little as one week's time.
5. Reduces PMS symptoms. Are you one of the many women who constantly struggles with PMS and all of its awesome symptoms (bloating, anxiety and pain, oh my!)? Massage therapy offers a simple solution for reducing symptoms both mild and severe.
About GuideWell
GuideWell is a health and wellness e-commerce company whose focus is helping people make small changes in their life in order to attain health and wellness goals. They offer education, products and solutions to many of the health issues American's face today including weight loss, stress management, healthy eating and smoking.
