8 Things to do After a Massage

8 Things to Do After Massage

1. Stay Hydrated- A lot of us simply aren’t drinking enough water, our muscles are made up of 70% water and our brain is 85% water. We need water not only to survive but to thrive. When you don’t drink enough water your body struggles to filter out toxins and begins to shut down starting with non-essential functions. During a massage therapy session, your body releases toxins from the muscles into the bloodstream and through the lymphatic system to be removed from the body. Drinking water helps to aid in this process.

2. Don’t Eat a Heavy Meal- Eating a heavy meal will slow you down and leave you feeling bloated and sluggish. To help the body feel re-energized and healthy go for a light meal or snack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Skip the loaded pasta dish and keep it light, your body will thank you.

3. Keep Moving- As tempting as it is to throw yourself on your bed and nap after your massage it’s not what your muscles and body need. Instead, go for a small walk or hit up a low impact Vinyasa Flow yoga class. Just like after doing an intense workout you do a cool-down, your muscles need the cool-down time after a massage, this keeps the muscles from tightening and blood from pooling in the muscle.

4. Epsom Soak- Now that you’ve cooled down and you're ready to continue the relaxing feeling of your massage it’s a great time to run yourself a hot bath with soothing Epsom salts. Add essential oils to further enhance the relaxing vibe. The Epsom salts assist in the increase of blood flow circulation and help to relax the muscles. Allow your mind to relax as well, close your eyes and enjoy the warmth of the water and the feeling of peace and serenity at the moment.

5. Use your Home-care Tools- If you are a person who regularly receives massage and/or deals with chronic muscle pain and tension you likely have been advised to purchase some tools to help you at home. These may be a tennis ball, foam roller, or another device that aids in muscle relief at home. After your massage and in between sessions is the time to put these tools to use. They will offer you relief from pain and discomfort and will significantly stretch the results of your massage therapy appointment.

6. Stay Away from Intense Exercise- Engaging in intense exercise is great before a massage as it warms up the muscles nicely, contrarily, engaging in intense exercise after your massage can cause stress and strain in the muscles that were just relaxed. It is best to wait 12-24 hours before hitting your next boot camp class.

7. Leave the Caffeine- You are going to want to skip the post-massage latte. Caffeine can tense up the muscles your therapist just spent all that time and effort working to relax. Stick with water and if you must indulge in a non-H2O beverage grab a soothing cup of decaffeinated tea.

8. Do your Stretches- Why is stretching important after a massage? Massage helps bring circulation and relaxes the tissue from the built-up tension that accumulates over time. Doing stretches after a massage helps keeps the tissues relaxed and prolongs the benefits of massage. When muscle tissue is stretched it helps keep tissue healthier, and circulation brings nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and takes out waste products and toxins.

Now you have the 8 things to do after receiving a massage, doing these will help prolong the benefits you receive from your massage as well as helping them to go further in healing the body, the muscles, and tissues.

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