If you are like us, you have your car serviced regularly because you need to be able to rely on it to work when you need it most.  Also, it’s really inconvenient when it breaks down.

It’s the same with our bodies isn’t it.

When they work fine, we tend to not think about them at all, it’s only when problems occur that we take notice and wonder what we can do.  Regular massage will help keep your body in good condition and will reduce the chances of problems occurring.

So what does regular massage actually do?  Here’s my list of 4 benefits:

• Massage is an hour of complete physical and mental rest – a chance for you to replenish yourself and your energy
• Massage has been proven to reduce your blood pressure and also levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood.  This helps your whole system to be less on edge and improves your resilience when the tricky times do come along
• Massage teaches you to be more aware of your body.  While you are on the table, you will feel areas that are tight or tense and you’ll learn to recognise them.  This means you are better able to notice when you are getting tight and can relax those muscles for yourself.
• Finally, massage keeps your body looser and more flexible.  It adjusts all the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments and enables the body to realign itself properly. This is great because many injuries and niggles are caused because the muscles and tendons are too tight for too long and then something seemingly trivial comes along and tips you over the edge into an injury.  The times I’ve heard people say their back went when they stooped to pick something up from the floor – this was literally the straw that broke the camel’s back.

So there you have it – 4 really good reasons to have regular massage when you feel well.