Supporting Your Body Beyond the Treatment Room

Essential Self-Care: An Important Part of Your Treatment

If you’re receiving regular massage treatments, knowing how to care for your body afterwards can help you get the most out of each treatment. Here are some simple self-care practices to consider.

Just like going to the gym, massage can leave your muscles and body feeling as though they’ve had a workout. You may feel energised, tired, sore, sleepy, or even a little disoriented afterwards. Everyone responds differently, and these sensations can be part of the body’s process of adapting to the changes brought about by treatment. This is where self-care comes in.

Too often after a massage we return straight back into the stressors and demands of everyday life putting aside the body’s need for rest and recovery. This can lead us to unintentionally switch off the body’s natural recovery processes initiated during treatment, When we care for ourselves after treatment, we make the most of the experience received while giving our body the time and space it needs to recover, while reducing the risk of further injury.

Here are a few key practices to consider after your next treatment.

🌿Keep the rest of your day gentle

Where possible, avoid rushing straight into a busy schedule or strenuous activity. A gentle walk, a nourishing meal or an early night can help extend the sense of ease your body may be experiencing.

🌿Listen to your body

You may feel deeply relaxed, energised, lighter in your movement or notice some mild tenderness in areas that received focused work. These are all common responses and usually settle over the next day or two.

🌿 Bring relaxation into your home

Creating an environment conducive for rest, reflection and deep sleep can have long lasting effects on your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. This might mean reducing stimulation, limiting screen time, or simply setting aside some uninterrupted time for yourself.

Massage supports this by creating a foundation of relaxation that can be felt long after treatment. It further contributes by supporting the release of hormones serotonin and oxytocin to help aid in sleep, while helping to lighten things up in your system by detoxifying metabolic waste stored in the tissues.

🌿 Take it easy

Keeping things light for a few days following your treatment allows time for the body to repair the microscopic tears in muscle tissue that are created,, just like duringa workout. This is crucial for optimum tissue health. It also helps to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and speeds up the muscle repair and rebuilding process. Consider putting off projects at home that require lifting or over exertion for a few days until your body is ready to tackle them with more ease.

🌿 Keep the body nourished & hydrated

Nutrition and hydration play a key role in supporting the body with the resources it needs to complete the deeper restorative work through absorption and elimination processes. Being well hydrated also supports healthy muscle and connective tissue, helps you feel comfortable during treatment and supports your body's normal physiological processes.

🌿 Let your body adapt to changes in its own time

Some will feel tired for days, others energised and rejuvenated. This is because we are all at different places on our health journey. In any case, be mindful of your energy levels and discern what is right for you, whether that be more rest or light exercise. Keep in mind, massage is likely to increase the range of motion of joints which can also take time for the body to adjust to. Awareness of the body’s signals of fatigue may become easier after treatment, so listening to your body is vital in deciding which steps you take next and when.

🌿 Light exercise, when ready

It may be several days before you feel ready to exercise. directly after a massage, gentle movement such as walking is recommended as it reduces stagnation in the body and helps further provide blood flow to the areas that were worked on. On average a day or two after treatment, gentle aerobic exercise is recommended for optimum recovery. Return to a more intensive exercise when you feel you have the strength to do so without fatigue, pain or injury. Too soon and you can damage what is in repair!

🌿 Continue your care

Depending on what has been uncovered during treatment, the therapist may offer some instruction on how to prevent the same problems from reoccurring. These offerings may not only help your condition, but show insight as to how your body functions and what may work for you and your lifestyle.

If we've suggested stretches, movement or other self-care practices, we invite you to weave them gently into your day when you can. They are intended to support the work we've done together and encourage lasting change over time.