Aftercare

Get the most out of your session by following the aftercare advice below.

HYDRATE

Massage is dehydrating; it gets the fluids pumping out of your soft tissue and into your circulatory system. Increase the benefits of the bodywork by maintaining hydration after your treatment. Hydration is key for optimal body function. It will help your muscles recover from the massage and reduce post-treatment soreness.

Avoid alcohol after your treatment.

LET IT GO

Be gentle with yourself following a treatment. It’s natural to feel emotional during and after a bodywork session/massage. Emotion is stored in the body; massage is a healing touch that encourages release and relaxation. This release might express itself as an audible sigh, crying, or laughing. Welcome the release! Accept it as your body’s way of letting go and finding balance.

REST

It’s normal to feel tired and “spacey” after your treatment. Avoid vigorous exercise, including weight training, for 12 hours following your session. Exercising too soon after a treatment can impair recovery from the treatment, increase soreness and inhibit the effectiveness of the soft tissue work performed during your massage.

If you don’t want to skip that class, try to schedule your massage post-workout. Massage aids muscle recovery!

YOGA

I’m going to lay a blanket statement down here: you all need to be stretching more! Whether they’re stuck at a desk for most of the day or regularly working out, the vast majority of the people I see in the treatment room are not focusing on maintaining their flexibility or range of motion.

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight.

Yoga is a mindful movement practice that not only increases your flexibility and range of motion, but also lowers cortisol (stress), stimulates your lymphatic system (immunity), encourages body awareness, and builds strong and supple muscles.

I recommend Donna at Red Yoga Tunbridge Wells for regular classes and one-to-one sessions, including remedial yoga therapy.

For a free, beginner-friendly online practice, I recommend Yoga with Adriene.

If you have any questions about how you’re feeling following your treatment, you’re always welcome to get in touch:

rebecca@zendenmassage.co.uk