Massage Aftercare
Here at HI Therapies, we focus on the mind, body and soul – a 360 degree approach to your wellbeing. As well as creating a bespoke massage around your needs, we also offer tailored aftercare just for you to help you continue to unwind and relax.
Here are a few tips to help you relax:
Deep breaths
Learning to breathe better is great way to calm the body, reduce anxiety, reduce pain and increase your energy. The better you breathe, the better your body functions! There are a few ways to practice breathwork and they only take a few minutes – using apps like Youtube, Headspace, Calm or Spotify have great tools to help you learn how to focus on your breath.
Stretches
Stretches are essential for helping keep the muscles relaxed and supple after a massage. It also helps to increase your circulation, improve range of motion and flexibility to the joints. This can be paired well with breathwork to allow you to stretch deeper when more oxygen is flowing. Ask your therapist what stretches they would recommend to make this more suitable to your needs.
Chiropractic treatment
Seeing a chiropractor alongside having your massages can massively help to improve your overall posture and nervous system. When your body is responding well to the massage, this can make it easier for your chiropractor to adjust your body well, relieving any pains if you’re out of alignment. If you’re in need of finding a chiropractor we can certainly point you in the right direction to a great chiropractor.
Tools
Massage balls, massage guns, gua sha, resistance bands and foam rollers are great for maintaining tension build up/preventing further tension. These can be used for trigger points (for more tender areas), stretching aids or lymphatic drainage/lactic acid build up. It can be a bit tender to start with – but so worth it in the end! These are easily accessible on Amazon and will always come in handy.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Hydrating your body after a massage is vital to help your body flush out the toxins that you have just released and helps to avoid dehydration. It also transports oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, flushes out carbon dioxide, and prevents muscle cramps and spasms. We recommend drinking at least 1-2 glasses of water after your massage to support these benefits.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol for 24 hours
After a massage, alcohol and caffeine may not be processed properly in the body. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol for at least 24 hours after a massage helps to avoid further dehydration and can prevent an increase in muscle soreness and fatigue.
