Happy New Year’s 2015

I have it on good authority that it is indeed 2015. Hard as it is to believe another year starts new today. One of the common questions I’m asked this time of year is, “What are your New Year’s Resolutions?” One of mine is the same every year, “Get more massage!” Regular massage helps reduce my muscle aches, pain, stress levels and generally makes me feel better day to day. Last year massage therapy was also instrumental in recovering from a shoulder injury and enabled me to continue my massage therapy career. For me, as well as many of our clients here at Ralston Massage Center, regular and consistent massage therapy is a valuable tool for wellness.

Massage Therapy A Tool For Wellness

In addition to my own, there are many stories of massage and how it helps people live a better life. During a session recently one of our happy clients shared this story.

“I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions but my goal was to stay healthy. I am very active and have had a few injuries in the past. I decided to get a massage once a month for the year of 2014. I thought about a membership massage place but the idea of the pressure to sign a contract and agree to get a massage once a month caused me stress. I was referred here by a friend and have been happy with my experience. Although I don’t know if the massage is responsible, I can say that I have had no injuries this year.” -S Dayton

How To Use Massage Therapy For Wellness

While I believe any massage is good massage, I mean who would argue that an occasional relaxing or deep tissue massage isn’t a good thing, there are ways to use massage that will enhance your ongoing benefits. Here are some ideas to get your started.

Make The Commitment To Your Self-Care

Deciding to get regular massage takes commitment; there are many demands on your time and finances. Self-care is something we do every day, adding regular massage therapy is an investment in yourself in a new way. It distinguishes the fact that you can get massage before you are hurting and desperate. In fact by doing so, you may avoid the hurt. Once you made the decision to get regular massage, the next question may be, “How often do I need to get a massage?”

How Often Do I Need to Get a Massage?

If you are not dealing with an injury or a chronic medical condition, once a month massage may be enough to achieve your wellness goal. However, depending on your situation, you may find that more often is needed such as every other week. It is helpful to know that massage for wellness can be delivered to target problem areas and in shorter time lengths such as 30 or 45 minutes. We also offer chair massage and have many regular clients who use those even shorter sessions (10, 15 or 20 minutes) to reach their wellness goals. The key to any massage used for wellness is consistency.

How Does Consistency Help?

Imagine if you decided to run a marathon and although you weren’t currently a runner and hadn’t been training, you decided to go out and run five miles for training. How would you feel? I am guessing pretty sore. Perhaps sore enough to not run for a while. Then you know the big day is coming so you head back out and run another five miles and you are back to soreness that sidetracks your attempts at training. It is start and stop with no gains. You do not benefit from the endurance and muscle strength that would be built with a consistent and gradual training program.

Massage Therapy can be like that. Get one massage and return several months later and it is unlikely you’ll feel the cumulative benefits of massage therapy. These benefits can be increased range of motion, flexibility and strength. Making movement easier for you in your daily life and activities, this may also reduce risk of injury and allow reduction in pain. Consistent massage is the key to feeling the progressive and positive changes in your body.

Are You Ready to Make Regular Massage one of Your New Year’s Resolutions?

We can assist you with that goal. When re-booking your appointments we can set you up for a reoccurring appointment time. Set aside just for you with your favorite therapist. Some work and family schedules do not allow for that type of structure and a call back by you may be necessary. We are always happy to take your calls. We also offer online booking too. Super convenient and easy to use, it is available 24/7. Just click the Book An Appointment button at the top or bottom of the page and reserve your time.

A year from now you could be as happy as our client who shared that after making a commitment to get a massage a month for a year she had no new injuries and felt massage had served her goal to stay healthy.

Wishing you a Happy New Year’s from all of us at Ralston Massage Center.
-Debra Rilea