The sunshine and the warmth feel so good, doesn’t it? I’m sure you’re enjoying the nice weather and doing much more outside now than during the past few months.
This issue is about the increased activity level most of us take on at this time of the year, and how to prepare for it. I hope it helps you.
What Makes Muscles Ache?
There are more than 650 muscles in your body. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown, so smile more. Your gluteal muscles being the biggest muscles of your body, and the smallest is hiding in the middle of your ears. Muscles make up 30% of your body. It’s closer to 40% for men. It takes 200 muscles to take a single step. No wonder we feel soreness as an effect after exercise. What is your muscle care for routine?
Those painful, burning sensations of sourness you’re feeling are the effects of the lactic acid. Lactic acid is produced in your muscles and it builds up when you exercise properly. Lactic acid is formed as a result of the incomplete breakdown of sugar by the muscle. Here are some tonics for your muscles to address lactic acid build-up:
- Assisted stretching
- Self-stretching
- Self-massage
- Clinical massage therapy
- Swinish and sports massage
Being sore and achy a day or two after your workouts is normal. But it is painful, and it is why soreness is one of the biggest reasons why people avoid exercising. The soreness comes from the muscle fibers in the exercised region of the body getting broken down and somewhat strained. If you get too active too quickly, this will create overexertion in on the muscles that were used heavily and can exacerbate any preexisting conditions and injuries.
It is wise to practice assisted stretching, self-stretching, yoga, using soft tissue/massage tools, using foam rollers, giving self-massages and getting massages. It can be a game changer for people who are serious about their overall health, fitness, and performance. It can help with a higher rate of circulation to properly supply the muscles with a sufficient amount of blood necessary to facilitate more growth. The thing is that the new muscle fibers are capable of growing more rapidly if only blood supply in a particular area was enough.
The good news is that if you add all your physical activities slowly with moderation and use stretching and massage as a support measure you’ll allow your body to have the time needed to build strength, stamina, maintain and gradually grow muscle. A little soreness when you increase your muscle usage is to be expected based on the intensity of workouts.
Regular workouts, when done properly, are great assets to building your overall health. Your efforts do more than just tone your muscles. Regular exercises, when done properly benefit your cardiovascular system, your joints, lymphatic system, digestive systems, the nervous system, etc.
To achieve the best results make sure you give your body some time to recover after activities. Give your muscles time to repair and regenerate between sessions of strenuous physical activity. A day or two for the exercised area to regenerate and prepare for the next round makes quite a difference.
Massage sessions can help you to shorten recovery time. For instance, through the light squeeze and release of muscles, circulation is improved. This increased blood flow brings nutrients like oxygen to your cells and carries toxins away for disposal. Muscle elasticity and function can be improved significantly with manual modalities.
If you want more information on exercise, warm-ups, stretching, or other related areas of health, please ask at your next session.
Take it Easy!
When the weather starts to warm up and it gets nicer outside, many of us increase our outdoor activity level and all too often push ourselves a little too much, little too soon. The result is often a few days of a painful recovery or a new unwanted injury. As you pursue your favorite pastimes this season, consider the following suggestions:
Increase your activity level gradually— Pay attention to your body’s signals so you don’t have to pay the painful price of overindulgence. Start slowly and do a little more each day and you’ll be up to speed in no time.
Warm up— Plunging into activity before you get your body warmed and ready is inviting potential trouble. Avoid possible sprains, torn ligaments, etc. by taking a few minutes to get the blood and oxygen flowing with a higher rate. Just as your car needs a few minutes to get warmed up to prevent mechanical problems, so do you!
Drink plenty of water— Water helps to regulate body temperature, keeps fluid levels up, and helps to remove toxins from your system.
Schedule your next massage!— Nothing feels quite as nice as working out the kinks and sore spots after a day of sports or gardening. Your massage session can help relax your muscles and relieve soreness, as well as flushing out the chemical by-products of exercise.
You just can’t beat massage for helping you to function at your best. So be strategic, have fun, and have a massage appointment after! So you can have more fun. See you then.
Creating wonderful memories! A gift certificate for a massage therapy session is a gift of health and happiness.
Massage gift certificates are ideal gifts for any special occasions — birthdays, anniversaries, or just to let someone know how much you care about them.
A gift certificate story . . .
“I was surprised and touched by the thoughtfulness of my sister’s gift. It seemed a very personal gift, she knew what I needed, I needed to be pampered and distressed. It’s been very tough taking care of our parents. I enjoyed the massage, the personal attention and left the clinic very relaxed. I think it was one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received. Now, when I get a massage, I think of my sister Elaine. She got me into getting massages.” —Susan L.