As the days get colder and shorter, and the nights get longer and darker it can be a huge effort to leave the house for anything, let alone to take all your clothes off and lie still on a treatment couch…
The arrival of the winter months can lead to people staying indoors more, seeing less daylight, exercising less and becoming more sedentary. If you plan in some massage to your winter schedule, it can help boost your body and your mind. Here are a few ways massage therapy can help get you through the tough winter months.
1. Boost Your Immune System
Winter means more colds & flu, but massage can help your body fight these by boosting your immune system. Massage techniques can increase the lymph flow around the body, which is loaded with lots of white blood cells which then go and fight off infections.
2. Helps Dry Skin
As the humidity drops in winter the cold, dry air makes the water in your skin evaporate quicker, leaving your skin drier. The oils and lotions used in massage can nourish & hydrate your skin – making you feel better on the inside & out!
3. Improve Circulation
Your circulation may need a little help if your hands and feet are always chilly or if you’re having some aches and pains in the colder weather. Regular massage can help by enhancing blood flow and body warmth, which in turn increases the flow of oxygen around the body.
4. Banish The Winter Blues
Massage encourages positive changes in the endocrine system where hormones are created. These changes decrease cortisol levels (stress related hormone) & increase oxytocin levels (happy hormone) leading to the release of serotonin and endorphins, relieving the stress and enhancing your mood. Bye, bye winter blues!
5. De-Stress
The build up to the holidays can add extra stress in to our lives with the endless personal obligations, last minute Christmas present shopping & the list goes on! Taking some time out for a massage can really help boost your well-being & help to reset the balance in your life by aiding the release of stress. It will also help to improve your sleep to give you more energy during the busy winter months.