Displaying items by tag: health
5 Reasons To Try Massage Therapy In Denver
Many people seek out massage therapy in Denver to alleviate and treat their chronic pains. This is the main purpose of massage therapy, but it’s certainly not the only health benefit. Even if they don't experience any chronic pain, many people still take advantage of massage therapy to improve other aspects of their life. From personal wellness to bodily efficiencies, there are plenty of health benefits you might be missing out on.
Why You Need To Try Massage Therapy In Denver
There are hundreds of reasons to try massage therapy, but let’s just examine 5 of the most impactful health benefits.
1. Improve Your Sleep
There’s nothing quite like a good night’s sleep. The next morning you’re more alert, attentive, and productive at work. But, sleep doesn’t come easily for everyone. It’s estimated that roughly 50 to 70 million Americans are affected by sleep-related problems. Insufficient sleep can actually lead to some serious health problems, such as weight gain, cognitive issues, and more.
Fortunately, you can ease your slumber with some massage therapy in Denver. Numerous studies have confirmed that massage therapy can actually improve your sleep. Why does this happen? It’s mainly because massage therapy promotes relaxation. A more relaxed body has an easier time falling asleep. Massage also reduces muscle pains that may have interfered with or prevented sleep before. Regardless of the technique that’s used, it’s clear that massage therapy can positively impact your sleep patterns.
2. Get More Out Of Your Weekend
The end of summer is right around the corner! The fast approaching fall season means it’s time to get in those last minute camping trips and weekend hikes. If you’re biking through Morrison one day and summiting a 14er the next, it’s tough to give each activity your all. It’s even tougher to find the time to give your body a break to rest and recover. That’s where massage therapy in Denver comes in handy.
Regardless of your activity, sports massage therapy can actually improve your athletic performance. This massage technique focuses on relieving tension while also increasing range of motion and improving soft tissue function. It’s been shown to not only improve athleticism, but to also reduce the risk of injury. So, if you’re looking to summit quicker or bike faster, get an afternoon massage on Friday. By caring for your body before the strenuous physical activity, you’ll be able to lap your friends throughout the whole weekend.
3. Give Your Immune System A Boost
The end of summer means it’s time to go back to school. Any parent knows exactly what that means: a greater risk of getting sick. Schools are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria, which your kids will bring back home. With flu season on the horizon, it can only get worse. Massage therapy in Denver can prepare you for the impending germ epidemic.
Believe it or not, massage therapy has actually been shown to improve the immune system. Specifically, it can increase the number of white blood cells within your body. These cells are the first line of defense against diseases and infections that enter the body. So, if you’re want to avoid getting sick this fall, get some massage therapy in Denver.
4. Destress And Detoxify Your Body
It’s a stressful world out there. From the never-ending news cycle to the chaos of work, stress builds up in the body. As it builds, your stress can even manifest in muscular pains and knots throughout your body. Fortunately, the best antidote for stress is relaxation. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as a session of massage therapy in Denver. Massage has actually been proven to reduce the levels of stress and anxiety hormones.
We also encounter a great number of toxins everyday. Similar to stress, these toxins can build and build within the body. While massage therapy may not directly detoxify your body, it supports detoxification in a number of ways. It’s been proven that massage therapy improves your blood circulation and organ function. This only amplifies the detoxifying effects of your liver, thus contributing to a healthier toxin-free body.
5. Boost Your Mood
No one is in a good mood every single day. Some days are just better than others and, occasionally, we’ll all feel down in the dumps. You cannot ignore the importance of your emotional health and it can easily be improved with a little massage therapy in Denver.
This mood boost can be accomplished thanks to the resulting shift in hormones. Even just 15 minutes of massage therapy can dramatically increase the serotonin levels in our brain. When you also consider how massage reduces stress and relieves pain, it’s no wonder why massage therapy improves your mood!
Realize These Benefits With The Best Massage Therapy In Denver
Even if you don’t suffer from chronic pain, you still have a lot to gain from massage therapy. The practice offers tons of other health benefits that we didn’t even touch on here! Take advantage of massage therapy and start improving your health today.
Book your first appointment with Wayfare Wellness, a leading provider of massage therapy in Denver, today!
What’s A Swedish Massage? Is It Right For Me?
It’s always one of the first questions we get from new clients: “what’s a Swedish massage?” Many people come to massage therapy for pain relief, but aren’t certain which approach will work best for them. From deep tissue to neuromuscular, it can be tough for newcomers to understand the differences. Let’s clear the air and examine the ins-and-outs of Swedish massage and how it can benefit you.
So, What’s A Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage is a light pressure massage technique that alleviates superficial muscle tension and problem areas. This technique is rooted in physiological and anatomical science. Swedish massage is arguably the most well known and widely used massage therapy technique.
The common strokes of the technique involves the use of fingers, knuckles, and palms to create circular pressure. Swedish massage is often used to warm-up and prepare the body for more intense massage therapy, like deep tissue or sports massage.
What’s A Swedish Massage Feel Like?
Usually after we define what’s a Swedish massage, most patients want to learn more about this unique technique. Many describe it as a soothing and relaxing sensation. You may experience sensations of stretching, kneading, and/or tapping on your body. These feelings can be amplified by any essential oils that your massage therapist may use.
Afterwards, you’ll leave the session with reduced muscle pain, a clear mind, and a relaxed body. You’ll also have a very clear sense of what’s a swedish massage like. If you are new to massage therapy, you may experience some muscle soreness in the days following your massage.
How Can It Benefit Me?
It’s easy enough to define what’s a Swedish massage. But, most people are more interested in how it benefits them. Aside from the obvious benefit of relaxation, there are many other health benefits to Swedish massage therapy. Here are a few of the most common benefits that patients experience:
Reduced Pain - This flexible approach effectively alleviates and treats pain points throughout the body.
Lower Blood Pressure - Studies have shown that regular Swedish massage therapy can improve circulatory issues and reduce their severity.
Improve Immune System Function - Research has also shown that just one session can positively impact your hormone levels and your immune system.
Additional research is currently being conducted on the health benefits of Swedish massage. Which means we’ve only begun to uncover the hidden benefits of this form of massage. So, instead of asking “what’s a Swedish massage,” people should be asking, “what can’t a Swedish massage do for me?”
Is Swedish Massage Right For Me?
Swedish massage is the perfect introductory technique for anyone new to massage therapy. There’s a reason why it’s so widely practiced. It’s the most adaptable form of massage therapy out there. Depending on your needs, this technique can be easily integrated into any other form of massage therapy. So, even if you benefit the most from deep tissue massage therapy, you can still reap the benefits of Swedish massage.
If you suffer from recurring pain issues, Swedish massage could be the missing piece to your self-care strategy.
Where Can I Book My First Appointment?
Now that we’ve answered the frequently asked question, “what’s a Swedish massage,” the most common follow-up question is: “where do I sign up?” With our online booking system, you can find the best time slot in your day to meet with our experienced massage therapist. Book your first Swedish massage appointment with Wayfare Wellness today!
How Pregnancy Massage In Denver Can Benefit You
The journey of pregnancy can often be an arduous one. Everything you do is impacted by your baby for 9 months, including how you do your work, what you eat, and how your take care of yourself. You’re doing all that you can to ensure the health of your future child, but you’re most likely missing out on the huge health benefits of prenatal massage. Pregnancy massage in Denver can improve the well-being of your fetus and, within a few sessions, you can experience great impacts on your health as well.
If you experience discomfort, recurring pains, excessive anxiety, or have an over-active baby throughout your pregnancy, prenatal massage may be exactly what you need to improve the overall experience of being pregnant.
Improving Your Life with Pregnancy Massage In Denver
Benefits of Prenatal Massage
Therapeutic massage techniques have been shown, time and time again, to improve health, reduce stress, and relieve muscle tension. Pregnancy massage is no exception. The benefits of prenatal massage have been well documented for many years, thanks to thorough research studies. And these benefits are not just limited to the mother or the baby; pregnancy massage in Denver can benefit the health of both parties.
Here are just a few benefits of prenatal massage:
Decreased anxiety - Studies have shown massage therapy lowers cortisol levels in mothers, which, in turn, decreases excessive fetal activity and lowers the rate of premature births.
Improved mood and reduced depression - A research study of 84 depressed women in their second trimester reported that the women experienced higher levels of dopamine and serotonin from a few 20-minute massage therapy sessions per week, along with better neonatal outcomes (i.e., premature births, low birth-weights, etc.).
Reduced pain - Aside from those studies already mentioned above, others have documented how pregnant women have experienced less back pains and leg pains from prenatal massage therapy sessions.
To put it more clearly: prenatal massage improves your physical and psychological well-being, and reduces birthing complications, which makes for an easier pregnancy. And who doesn’t want an easier pregnancy?
Learn more about the benefits of prenatal massage from our previous blog post.
What Would A Pregnancy Massage in Denver Look Like?
First and foremost, your health is the priority. Before booking a prenatal massage session, you should speak to both your doctor and your massage therapist to fully understand the precautions you may need to take. As we’ve covered, the benefits of prenatal massage are many and growing, but the safety/health of you and your baby come first.
While each individual is different and each pregnancy is unique, a typical prenatal massage session could last between 30-60 minutes. For the majority of the session, you will lay on your side (alternating sides halfway through) while resting your body on a pillow, adjusted to your body type and point in the pregnancy. We can adjust your body position throughout the session, to semi-reclined supported positions or other prone positions, if needed.
Massage therapists can use a variety of techniques to address your pain areas. So, if you suffer from neck pains and migraines while pregnant, massage therapists could take a cranial-sacral approach. Or if you have consistently swollen and sensitive feet, perhaps a swedish massage technique would work best. It all depends on your pain points and your comfort level.
Of course, the pacing of the massage, the body positions, and massage pressure will vary from person to person. Comfort is of paramount importance for pregnancy massages in Denver and your massage therapist should be putting your comfort first throughout your massage.
The Best Pregnancy Massage in Denver
At Wayfare Wellness, our certified massage therapist, Sarah, has been thoroughly trained in a wide variety of massage therapy approaches and has practiced them with many clients. One of our specialties is prenatal massage, so Sarah knows the ins-and-outs of prenatal massage and understands exactly how to provide the best pain relief for you.
Whether you’ve just found out you are pregnant or you’re counting down the days in the third trimester, we can develop a personalized massage therapy plan to give you the best results. Wayfare Wellness is a leader in pregnancy massage in Denver, so let us show you how we can benefit you.
Experience the benefits of prenatal massage first hand and book your first massage therapy session with Wayfare Wellness today. Or contact us to learn more about what we can offer.
What Is Sitting All Day Doing To Your Body?
As technology become more and more popular, we find ourselves spending the majority of our days sitting. If you work at a desk job, you spend 8 to 10 hours sitting while at work, then you likely sit in your car on your way home where you sit in your living room to watch television, browse the internet or read. You may workout after work or squeeze in 60 to 90 minutes of activity on a day-to-day basis. This type of lifestyle is growing increasingly more common and is referred to as “actively sedentary.”
How Sitting All Day Hurts You and How to Break Your Habits
The body was designed to move and move often. This recent shift towards constant sitting can have a serious impact on not only your posture but also your body as a whole. Here is what is happening when your body is sedentary for extended periods of time.
Pancreas
Your body’s ability to respond to insulin is effected almost immediately from an overly sedentary lifestyle. Insulin is the hormone that allows your body to use sugar from carbohydrates as energy. When your body is excessively sedentary, even for just a day, your pancreas begins producing more insulin.
Digestion
When you are in a seated position, your intestines compress, making the digestion process harder, thus moving slower. This can lead to weight gain, as well as digestion issues like heartburn.
In addition to a number of other health problems, an excessively sedentary lifestyle has a tremendous impact on your musculoskeletal system.
Muscles
When your muscles remain inactive, your blood flow slows down. With the decrease in blood flow, your muscles burn less fat. This can have an impact on your weight, your muscle tone and the health of your heart.
It is common for those who sit at a desk in front of a computer or on the phone to lean forwards. This puts a strain on your shoulders, neck and upper back. A seated position also puts more pressure on your spine, causing discomfort even when you are no longer sitting.
This sedentary lifestyle can be a difficult habit to break, so we have some tips to help you get active and break up the long hours of sitting.
Stop Sitting So Much
Set a timer each hour to remind yourself to get up and walk around. Intermittent movement throughout the day gives your health a much needed boost and it gives your mind a break, too, which can increase your productivity.
Spread things out in your office. We tend to put everything we need within an arm’s reach. You can easily add to your daily activity by putting your phone somewhere you have to stand up to reach. Additionally, instead of sending a text or email, get up and take a lap around the office to ask your colleague that question you have.
Set a goal for yourself. Whether you uses wearable technology or a step counter on your smartphone, when you have a daily goal to reach, you are instinctively challenged to reach it.
Take the long way, no matter where you go. Instead of using the elevator, take the stairs. Instead of taking three trips through the parking lot waiting for a closer spot to open up, park in the back. Any chance you have to take some extra steps, take it!
Do some stretches at your desk every few hours. Stand up and stretch your neck, shoulders and hamstrings to keep the blood flowing through your body. It is a quick and easy way to re-energize and it is good for your health to boot.
Long intervals of sitting can have a serious impact on your overall health. With these quick tips, you’ll increase your daily movement and your health will benefit from it.
How Can I Alleviate My Sitting Pains?
If you follow all of these suggestions, you should see some improvements in your overall health. But, if you want to take it to the next level and further alleviate your sitting pains, switch up your workday with a session of massage therapy. Learn more about massage therapy today and see if you can benefit from a session or two.