Tips for Self-Care Between Massages

I went to see my massage therapist for the first time this year. It's been too long since my last visit and my body always tells me when it's overdue. I try to get a full body massage at least once a month, especially when I am training hard. I see it as both a reward for my hard training efforts and a part of my recovery protocol. Although a massage can be expensive, I try to work in a 90 minute session once a month because I make it a priority to take care of myself. Runners and massages go together like peanut butter and ice-cream. What? Just me? (I'm not pregnant, I swear.)

One thing I have learned over the years is that we don't train in a bubble. You can exercise for an hour a day but if you are not taking care of nutrition, sleep, recovery and managing stress levels you may not see the results you desire. Everything is connected. Stress at work can affect your workout recovery. Poor sleep can inhibit fat loss. Poor nutrition can hurt your performance. You have to take care of your whole body, mind and spirit for true health and balance. 

You body is like a race car, it may be fun to take it for a few speedy laps around the track, but you need to keep up with the maintenance in order to continue to perform your best. Maintenance of your body includes exercise, nutrition, rest, recovery, mobility and stress management. Maybe when I was a younger my body was more forgiving, but as I am getting older I definitely feel my best when I spend the time to take care of myself and pay the consequences if I don't. 

Although massages are definitely not a requirement of a healthy lifestyle, I always enjoy my massage sessions. My massage therapist works to help release tight muscles so I can feel my best. It's a stress reliever and a way I pamper myself. He always gives me tips and advice on how I can maintain a healthy body outside of our sessions, especially since I visit just once a month. I love his ideas so I thought I would share some of his wisdom with you. I wish I could get a massage every week, but I follow these tips to extend the benefits and good feelings after a massage. Whether you are able to get a regular massage or not, this advice applies to maintain a healthy body. 

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"AIR IS FREE"

It doesn't cost a penny to take in a deep belly breath and exhale. You don't need to skimp or save on those deep breaths. When he is working a particularly tight muscle he will say, "Air is Free" to remind me to take breathe deeply during the massage, but a deep breathing practice can serve us well all day long. You don't have to commit to a long term meditation practice, just stop and take a few deep breaths to relax your body and mind at any time. There are apps that can guide you, FitBit has a "Relax" setting that walks you through two minutes of deep breathing or just stop and breathe once in awhile. Air is free. 

FOAM ROLLING/STRETCHING

A great way to encourage healthy mobility is with a foam rolling and stretching practice. It's always a good idea to move through a full body stretching session after your workouts, and it may be helpful to set some time aside for foam rolling as well. A lot of people have rounded shoulders and tight hip flexors due to our modern lifestyle of sitting and looking down at our phone screens most of the day. Some daily simple stretches and foam rolling techniques can help us counteract these disadvantages of our lifestyle. 

DRINK WATER

After you get a massage they always encourage you to drink water. It's usually under the pretense of "flushing toxins" or some nonsense, but the truth is that muscles feel and perform their best when hydrated so this is generally good advice, whether you're getting a massage or not. You'll feel your best when fully hydrated. 

SLEEP ON YOUR BACK

This is a tough one for me and something I am working on. He says sleeping on your back is the best sleeping position since it helps relax tight shoulders, chest muscles and hip flexors. It allows your head, neck and spine to rest in neutral position. Since I am recovering from an injured shoulder, he says it's especially important that I'm not adding pressure by sleeping on my shoulder. I often start on my back, but fall asleep and roll over. Hubby says I snore when on my back, but he is clearly lying. Sweet dainty girls like me don't snore, obviously. 

Like anything else sleeping on my back is a habit that has to be developed and cultivated. I set the intention to sleep on my back when I go to bed at night and on those nights that I don't succeed, I try again. 

Even if you don't get regular massages, these tips for self-care to maintain a healthy body between massages applies to everyone. 

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5 WAYS YOU MAY BE SABOTAGING YOUR RESULTS

It can be frustrating if you feel like you are working hard but still not seeing the results you desire. Human metabolism is complicated and it is not always as simple as the common advice to eat less and move more. Here are five common, easy-to-miss ways you may be sabotaging your fat loss results. 

5 ways you may be sabotaging your results. save to Pinterest for later.

Not getting enough quality sleep

It's sometimes seen as a badge of honor to function well on a little sleep, but sleep is an often overlooked factor for fat loss. Most of our body's recovery processes happen during sleep. Sleep plays a role in stress levels, recovery and regulation of hormones. Aim for 7-8 hours of high quality sleep each night for best results. If you are currently getting considerably less, start by adding 30 minutes to an hour each night. Create and follow a sleep ritual to help develop the habit of a good night's sleep. People are often looking for the supplement or diet that will help them reach their goal while completely overlooking the basics, like sleep, that can have a much bigger impact. 

Not managing stress

High stress can cause you to hold on unwanted weight, can inhibit recovery from workouts, can cause you feel hungrier and potentially overeat. Everything is connected. During high stress times make an effort to spend at least 15-30 minutes a day in stress-relieving activities. Read a book, take a bubble bath, meditate, pray, walk, stretch, foam roll, get a massage, listen to music or anything other healthy activity that puts you in a relaxed state. 

Not eating enough

You may be tempted to severely limit your calories in order to get faster results, but the body doesn't usually respond well to drastic changes. You don't turn up the temperature in the oven to cook your turkey faster and your body doesn't work that way either. If you eat too little for long periods your metabolism may slow down to compensate. With limited food intake you may not be getting the necessary vitamins and minerals, which can cause you to feel tired and foggy-brained. Lastly, if you are severely limiting your calorie intake, you're more likely to overindulge later which will eventually sabotage your efforts.

A better strategy is to eat about 500 calories under maintenance level for a moderate calorie deficit. 

Eating "Diet" foods

Food marketing is tricky. Foods are often marketed with misleading labels to make people think they are making a healthier choice. Labels like fat-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, fresh, natural and organic are often slapped on unhealthy, high calorie, processed foods. If you don't pay attention to the nutrition label and read the ingredient list you may be eating foods that aren't healthy at all. Flavored yogurt cups are one of the worst offenders of a junk food disguised as a health food. They are usually loaded with processed ingredients and can have as much sugar as a cup of ice cream. Read the labels and ignore the marketing to make sure you are eating mostly whole foods from nature for best results. 

Focusing on weight loss and not fat loss

It can be detrimental to get too attached to the number on the scale. The scale only tells a part of the story: your body weight. However if you are trying to lose weight, you should focus on losing fat, not weight. When the number goes down on the scale it could mean you lost fat (good outcome), it could mean you lost water (neutral outcome, neither good or bad) or it could mean you lost muscle (bad outcome). A lower number on the scale is not always a good result. In order to maintain muscle as we lose weight we need to consume adequate amounts of protein and perform some sort of resistance training on a regular basis. Losing muscle can hurt your ability to keep the weight off, which can sabotage your long term results. Focus on non-scale victories like body measurements, sleep quality, performance and how your clothes fit. When we are training properly, we sometimes shrink in size while maintaining the same scale weight. 

Losing weight usually requires a lifestyle changes. Take it slow, be patient and learn to enjoy the journey. Focus on developing the healthy habits that will help you reach your goals. Here are 10 daily healthy habits that can change your life. Need help? My nutrition habits coaching program has three openings. See if you are a good fit. 

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Coach Lea