Showing posts with label Massage Oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massage Oil. Show all posts

Weight Loss Benefits of Massage

There is no question that having a massage makes you feel great. Even having a deep-tissue, sports massage makes you feel wonderful afterwards. Massage can relieve stress, help you recover from hard physical activity or injury and even reduce anxiety, but can it help you to achieve your weight loss goals?
Research shows that massage can have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness levels, which in turn increases your capacity to control or loose weight.
Healthy strong muscles burn calories and give you the freedom to participate in all sorts of sports and activities that can help you burn excess calories and improve your overall fitness and wellbeing.
Massage has the following benefits that can directly influence your ability to control or loose weight:
1. Massage has been shown to improve circulation and the supply of nutrition to the muscles. Massage increases the interchange of vital substances between the blood and tissue cells, which increases tissue metabolism. After muscles are exercised, vital nutrients must be supplied to them so that they can recover and rebuild themselves. Massage maximizes the supply of these nutrients and oxygen though increased blood flow, which helps the muscles to grow and burn more calories as a result.
2. Massage improves your muscles' range of motion and their flexibility. This allows them to maintain maximum power and performance while active, and burn the maximum number of calories in the process.
Improved range of motion and flexibility also reduces muscle soreness during periods of recovery and muscle repair.
Having a wide range of motion and maximum muscle flexibility also reduces the danger of experiencing injuries during exercise which can severely limit activity, exercise and weight loss progress.
3. Massage helps to shorten the recovery time needed between your workouts. Waste products such as lactic and carbonic acid build up in muscles during and after exercise. Increased circulation to these muscles helps to eliminate toxic debris buildup caused by these waste products and in doing so shorten recovery time.
Shortened recovery time means you can safely have more workouts over a given period of time, which in turn means that you have the opportunity to burn more total calories in your effort to achieve your individual weight loss goals.
4. Massage can also help reduce the chance of you over-training. Massage has a relaxing effect on the muscles and a sedative effect on the nervous system. By helping you to rest, which is a very important element of any exercise program, massage can reduce the likelihood of you experiencing over-training syndrome, which is known to limit your ability to build strong healthy muscles and therefore loose weight with maximum efficiency.
5. In addition to all of the above, massage may directly aid in fat loss. According to some research studies, massage is thought to be able to burst the fat capsule in subcutaneous tissue so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way, combined with proper nutrition and exercise, massage may actually help in weight loss.
6. As we have already touched upon, massage helps prevent and heal injuries. By stretching connective tissue, massage improves circulation to help prevent or break down adhesions and scar tissue that result from muscle tears and other common muscle injuries. Massage also influences the excretion of certain fluids (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur) that aid in tissue repair. Fast and effective recovery from injuries means that you can begin exercising sooner after suffering an injury and getting your weight loss progress back on track.
So there you have it. Massage has a lot of benefits that can indirectly and possibly even directly aid you in achieving your weight loss goals.
Regular massage is just as important a component as regular workouts and correct nutrition in any comprehensive fitness and weight loss program, which is great news for those of us who thought that exercising and losing weight was all hard work! Remember, weight loss is all about leading a balanced lifestyle and massage is an essential part of any balanced lifestyle.
If you haven't had a massage lately, what are you waiting for? Get on the phone and make yourself a booking. If you haven't had a massage before, just remember to have your massage done by a qualified massage therapist.
If you are unsure about a massage practitioners qualifications and experience, ask for referrals, professional training information, and make sure they are certified by reputable agency or institution.
And remember, have fun!
Weight Loss Benefits of Massage

25 Uses For Essential Oils In Your Daily Life

Aromatherapy continues to be a growing area of interest as North America continues its search for alternative and complimentary applications of natural medicines. The use of herbal supplements in our daily lives is one excellent example of this. Aromatherapy, however, is still in the realm of uncertainty. People are familiar with the term, most have heard of essential oils, but few know how to use them in practical, daily applications. Here's a short list of some examples of ways to enhance your daily life with essential oils.
1. Diffuse in air with a ceramic or electric diffuser to clean or fragrance the air.
2. Facial steam - add a few drops of oils to boiling water, place your face over the bowl and drape your head with a towel and breathe deeply.
3. Bath water - add 4-10 drops to your bath or jacuzzi.
4. Skin spray - add 4-10 drops of oil to 60 mls (2 oz) distilled water in a misting bottle then spray skin for a fresh uplift to the day.
5. Linen spray to freshen sheets & towels - same as the skin spray but mix 20-30 drops to 60 ml (2 oz) and spray your sheets.
6. Remove the cap from the oil bottle and breathe deeply.
7. Room spray - same as linen spray but the concentration is 50-75 drops to 60 ml (2 oz) of distilled water.
8. Hand or foot bath - add 4-6 drops of oil to warm water and soak your hands or feet in it. For tired feet, also add 2 tablespoons of epsom salts to the water.
9. Massage oil is easily made by adding 10-20 drops of oil to 30 ml (1 oz) of carrier oil, such as grapeseed, olive, sweet almond, jojoba, etc. Cut the amount of essential oil in half for children.
10. After your shower, put a few drops of oil on a washcloth and rub vigorously over your body.
11. Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil on a cloth by your pillow at night to help breathing when struck by a cold or flu.
12. Hot compresses are wonderful on sore, tired muscles. Add 5-10 drops of oil to hot (not boiling) water. Soak a cloth in the water, wring it out and place on the affected area. Repeat as needed.
13. Cold compresses - for headaches and swelling. Same as hot compresses but use cool to cold water.
14. Sniff lavender for headaches.
15. Dab tea tree on acne pimples to help clear up the infections.
16. Revive old potpourri mixes by adding 10-20 drops to the mix and stirring.
17. Create your own perfumes by blending favourite oils in beeswax or oil bases and apply.
18. Sniff peppermint oil for nausea, including morning sickness, motion sickness and carnival rides.
19. For infant colic, apply a warm compress with roman chamomile.
20. Massage menstrual cramps with clary sage diluted in a vegetable carrier oil like grapeseed or jojoba.
21. Gently massage varicose veins with a massage oil containing cypress.
22. Add a few drops of eucalyptus to your shampoo to help dandruff problems.
23. Help smooth wrinkles by massaging nightly with a few drops of frankincense diluted in sweet almond oil.
24. For depression diffuse jasmine or rose in the air.
25. After a long night on the town, add juniper to your bath to help detoxify your body.
Remember, that essential oils are generally too concentrated to use directly on your skin. They need to be diluted for application. As with anything, there are exceptions. Lavender and tea tree are the most commonly used oils that can be applied directly on the skin (neat). There are many excellent resources on essential oils and their effects on body, spirit and mind. Some oils have contra-indications so it is important that you learn about any oil before using it.
Essential oils are great companions to enhancing your daily life, when used appropriately. Break out a bottle of oil and sniff it today!
Essential Oils