5 Benefits of Massage for Runners

Running is a great hobby that can help you maintain healthy weight, feel great and make friends. But consistent running, while toning your body, can leave it sore or pained. It’s often recommended to stretch before and after to alleviate these symptoms. However, sometimes that’s not enough. Our bodies can benefit from different kinds of stress and pain relievers. When people are stressed, spas are a great choice for relaxation. Runners can also benefit from getting some of the services they offer. Here are five benefits for runners when they get a massage.

1. Improved Flexibility

Running is a repetitious movement that puts a serious strain on our muscles and joints. Massages help relieve some of this tension. But, they can also help improve your overall flexibility. The sustained muscle contractions caused by running can lead to you feel sore and still and might even cause you to lose some of your mobility. Massages will help elongate your muscles, making your range of motion better.

2. Better Circulation

When you do an aerobic or cardio activity, your heart rate increases and so does your blood circulation. Runners are familiar with these conditions. When they stop running, however, their blood flow can slow as the body tries to recover. Massages will improve the oxygen capacity of the blood cells, making them better at moving oxygen throughout the body. The improved circulation will also assist in keeping the muscles free from soreness. It’s also known that better circulation can trigger your immune system to begin making repairs.

3. Marathon Runners

There are different types of runners but all can benefit from massages. Marathon runners also need to keep their muscles loose and remove any stiffness. Because marathon running involves longer stress, it’s necessary to have massages as part of your training program. Massages will aid in speeding up recovery and also making it easier to recover from the next one. You can also use them before a run to balance your muscles or overworking them so they don’t get tired too quickly.

4. Relaxation

Life is stressful. Even without the addition of exercising regularly and the strain placed on your body from running, you can be tense and sore. Relaxation on its own has great mental, emotional and physical health benefits. When combined with massage therapy, runners can achieve greater levels of physical relief. Massages will help unlock energy in your body that you can use before your next event or even just a workout. Another great thing about using massages for relaxation is that you can actually do some at home without professional assistance. Using something as simple as a tennis ball or foam roller, you can give yourself mini-treatments between professional visits. If you want to relieve one specific area, pause and press those sore spots for no more than 10 seconds before releasing. Be mindful of stretching out any particularly tender areas as you massage them as this will increase blood flow and feelings of stress alleviating

5. Variety of Styles

There are different types of massages. Just like each runner is different, there are different massage options that will best suit each runner. The most commonly known massage type is deep tissue. This involves working the entire muscles and focusing on specific areas of tightness or knots. This is best for when a runner needs all-over relief and does not have a targeted injury. There are also Swedish and ART massages to consider. The Swedish massage is more for simple stress relief without any deep tissue work. Active Release Technique (ART) massages focus on breaking up internal scar tissue from one particular injury. By doing so, it helps regain some mobility in the area and increases the tissue’s flexibility.

Massages are fantastic because they have benefits that cover your entire body. Whether it’s working out tension knots or just helping you feel relaxed, massages are beneficial. Runners especially can enjoy these benefits because massages will help keep their circulation normal and their limbs free of pain. They also help remove the excess wastes, like lactic acid, that build up in their legs over time. Massages will help limit the development of scar tissue and make sure you have the most complete range of motion.

Sources:

https://www.ten.co.uk/why-massage-is-essential-for-marathon-runners-with-desk-jobs

http://body-motion.co.uk/therapies/sports-massage-running/

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sarah1.htm

Sasha Brown is an avid health nut with a zeal for the natural things in life. To live and promote a healthier lifestyle, she has injected pure naturalism into her diet by eating purely organic foods. She loves to garden and is a mother to one child. Sasha is also the co-founder of Affordable Blogging. For tips on healthy living and alternative lifestyle, please visit her website.

5 Benefits of Massage for Runners