Enjoy Life with Fitness and Massage Therapy

Hello, everyone and Happy Spring!

With the weather turning warmer you are likely getting out and enjoying yourself, or perhaps you are busy with spring cleaning, tending to your garden or yard, or maybe you are starting up walking/running, golf or softball. Have you found any new Springtime aches or pains? Odds are you have and that’s one of the many reasons we, at Cudly Massage & Wellness, are here.

We don’t want those pains to stop you from enjoying life. We can work with you on prevention of injuries and pain. We offer a variety of massage therapy techniques, small group fitness classes, and 1-on-1 fitness consultations. We have a unique approach on wellness. We use massage to help decrease activity in the sympathetic nervous system, increases circulation, and decrease swelling which all lead to detoxifying and keeping your muscles pliable and moving to their greatest potential. We use small groups to keep you moving with good friends, and we utilize 1-on-1 sessions to give you a personal program that helps stretch tight areas and strengthen weak ones to prevent injuries.

Why do massage therapy and exercise work so well together? Let’s start with what our daily stress does to our body. Whether you work for a fortune 500 company or are a stay-at-home parent, you still have stress; physically, mentally and emotionally brought on by deadlines, kids practice, bills etc. No matter the stress, our body chemically produces the same hormones as a response and if we are not paying attention and giving our body what it needs - good nutrition, physical activity, sleep, to name a few - then we build up oxidative stress in our body. Oxidative Stress is a natural byproduct of normal metabolism of oxygen and it plays an important role in the way our body’s cells communicate with one another as well as the cells homeostasis (aka the body’s balanced and happy place). Elevated levels of oxidative stress damages cell DNA and RNA.

What does it mean to you if your oxidative stress levels are elevated? It means your cells are breaking down and they are not getting the nutrition they need to rebuild. It also means the cells have no way of getting rid of the “cellular waste”. This creates pain, inflammation and tight muscles.

With localized inflammation - pain or discomfort in only one area of the body: i.e. a shoulder or a knee -  the pain usually dissipates if we allow it to rest (this can be the hardest part for some of us!) and heal.

Systemic pain - widespread throughout the body - is more cause for concern. Chronic inflammation is associated with an increased risk of disease, poor body function, and mortality.

Diseases associated with chronic inflammation are the most common health problems we face here in America. Examples: diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease (including heart disease), disease of blood vessels, heart attacks, stroke, elevated blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart disease.

Other health issues associated with chronic inflammation include weight gain, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer are linked to elevated levels of oxidative stress in the body.

Does this have you overwhelmed and wondering, "What can I do?" Well, never fear, we have some empowering news… you can change your oxidative stress levels. Physical activity is the answer! When we exercise, we increase our heart rate strengthening our cardiovascular system. The heart pumps oxygenated blood quicker to our muscles and organs and stagnant cellular waste is removed. As we gain strength, we not only tone and increase muscle mass, we grow new capillaries. That means new and better blood supply to our body!

Well how does massage work in this equation? Massage, as mentioned above, helps keep muscles pliable, decreasing inflammation, and increases circulation so your body can easily get rid of more "cellular wastes." Want to know more about how this works? Check out this blog post. People who receive massage therapy regularly (every three to five weeks) receive the greatest benefits and have a stronger immune system.

So, let us at Cudly Massage & Wellness help keep you on the right road to health.

Sources: dictonary.com,  IDEA Fitness Journal Exercise to the Rescue Feb. 2017