Spring has sprung! It’s the time of putting away the winter woolies and digging out your swimsuits from the bottom of the cupboard. Minds turn to summer fun and bikini bodies. But in the midst of preparing to look the part for summer, do you not also want to feel the part? 

Winter can be a difficult time on our bodies. The chill sets in and permeates to our core. Subtle aches and creaking bones become a lot more prevalent during the winter time. So, as spring starts to thaw us all out again, I’m putting health and wellness on the top of my priority list. This will help me prepare for summer, in body, mind, and feelings. 

Massage often takes pride of place at spas and wellness retreats, alongside yoga, pilates, saunas, and spas.

Massage has long been associated with general health and wellness. It often takes pride of place in day spas and wellness retreats, alongside yoga, pilates, saunas, and spas. Massage has been referred to as an hour long vacation, as during treatment, you get a chance to properly disconnect from the outside world. Most, if not all therapists encourage clients to turn off mobile devices and remove smart watches, so that they can fully engage in the treatment.

In last week’s blog about relaxation massage, I discussed the mental and physical benefits of relaxation massage, such as improved blood flow, reduced muscle tension, reduced stress, and improved mood, just to name a few. These benefits impact many different areas of overall wellbeing, as the body, mind, and emotions are intricately interconnected. Therefore, when something affects the physical body, it also affects the mind and feelings as well. Anyone who has been in pain for an extended period of time will know and understand this well. It works the other way, too! When your physical body has a chance to relax, the mind and emotions do as well. This is why I think the mental disconnect from the world whilst receiving a massage actually impacts the benefits of a massage, as the mind affects the body. 

I also believe the physical benefits of massage, such as increased circulation, affect the mental wellbeing of your body. Stress and anxiety produce a hormone called cortisol that activates your fight-or-flight response. However, when you’re overly stressed or anxious for an extended period, your body produces too much cortisol. This causes your blood pressure to rise, as well as affect your sleeping pattern and energy levels. Massage combats the effects of cortisol in your bloodstream by helping to clear out the cortisol from your system. This combined with a relaxing environment of a massage treatment room, reduces physical and mental stress at the same time. 

So spring into wellness this spring time, with all these amazing, interconnected benefits of massage and book yourself in for some pampering and relaxation. 

Now, I want to hear from you. What are your goals for this spring? Are you going to spring clean your body and mind, as well as your house? Tell me in the comments below!

Source: What is Cortisol, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol#1