Have you ever started a fitness plan and never saw it through the finish line?  You are not alone as many of us struggle to stick with a plan we are excited about in the beginning.  As with any fitness plan, a key to success is following through to you see the results desired.  What gets in our way?  Is it work, family obligations or are we not seeing the results we hoped for right away?  These are all barriers to achieving our goals and believe you me I have experienced them.  Another barrier that rears itself especially as we get older is the effects exercise can have on our body.

Have you experienced the following scenario: You go to the gym or fitness class and the following days you feel extreme soreness forcing you to put off returning to the gym or class right away.  Missing a day or two because we are listening to our bodies is not the issue.  The issue becomes when the soreness or achy muscles give us a reason to skip the workout.  Being strategic with how you schedule your massage can be a tactic that allows you to return to the gym or an activity that is helping you achieve your fitness goals.

You might be thinking “How can picking the time to schedule a massage impact my performance?” Scheduling a massage after a workout can decrease the amount of time you feel symptoms of soreness.  A 2014 report in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation studied the effects of massage therapy on relieving muscle soreness after exercise.

Each participant experienced soreness, however, symptoms lasted for 24 hours in the massage group as opposed to up to 72 hours in the group that only completed the exercises.  Another interesting fact was the massage group showed increased blood flow and the exercise group had characteristics of reduced blood flow. Research has shown massage therapy increases blood flow and circulation which aids muscle recovery and decreases the chance of muscle related injuries.

Another aspect of fitness that can derail our plan is when we experience low back pain. A 2011 study examined how massage compares with medication in relieving chronic back pain.  The study involved 400 people ranging from the age of 20 to 65. The study placed participants in two groups where one group received hour-long massages weekly for 10 weeks and the other group was given anti-inflammatory medication. Afterward, nearly 40% of the massage group reported their pain was better or gone.  This was compared with only 4% of a control group who were treated with anti-inflammatory medication.

If you have experienced low back pain or muscle soreness from exercise and would like to try another way to alleviate these issues give your local massage therapist a call.  While I will never guarantee results I will guarantee I will try to help you feel better.

 

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Disclaimer

As a reminder, I do recommend you discuss any exercise or fitness plan with your physician.