Why Should I get a Massage?

Back in my younger years, those halcyon blue days of immortality, I had held a number of labor intensive jobs that centered mostly around warehousing. Whether it was driving a forklift, manually loading or unloading trucks, managing inventory or delivering automotive parts (more loading and unloading), the work took a toll on my body. As I approached my mid-thirties, I began having chronic discomfort throughout my upper and lower back, neck, and shoulders. It was only a matter of time, I suppose, before “things” started to catch up, which wasn’t surprising, considering my unhealthy habits. Habits like poor eating, poor posture (sitting at a desk video gaming or watching TV on a couch), and lack of regular exercise. Add in the physical wear and tear of work and I reached the point where my body was fighting back.

Then one day in the Spring (over 12 years ago) a friend and his wife invited me to attend an Earth Day event at a local university. There were many vendors promoting and selling their wares like organic food, energy efficient tech, healthy living, and lastly (as it pertains to me), chiropractic care.

Spinal health had become a front and center issue with me, so I signed up for a free evaluation and office visit. Thus, began my journey of taking my self-care more seriously, which would, in the following year, have me practicing yoga. Practicing Yoga opened my world up to the benefits of holistic self-care. This steered me towards becoming a massage therapist. It’s kind of funny, looking back, how my own health problems drove me into a profession and industry geared towards helping others on their own paths to healing.

I have found massage therapy to be a very rewarding experience. Both as a provider and as a recipient. It involves utilizing my intelligence, knowledge, skill, and creativity to implement the treatment needed in that moment. Another aspect I enjoy about the massage profession, is that there is always something to learn, be it a modality, technique, or treatment strategy. You can become good at the things you know, yet still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface. It’s humbling at times to remember this, but, ultimately it’s a good thing.

After 10+ years of practicing, I had grown to realize that massage is more than just physically relaxing the body. During massage, there is a mind and body connection being re-established much like when engaging in yoga. The body heals itself, from both physical and emotional stress. Massage facilitates this process in a way that is unique unto itself. As I have told many of my clients, life is a road. Your body is like a car taking you on this journey. For some there can be a lot of off-roading (especially these past few years). For others it can be a steep climb or the path littered with obstacles (injury, depression, anxiety). In any case we rack up miles on our chassis. No different than our car maintenance, we should bring ourselves in for regular maintenance to help ensure we get to our destination. Don’t let the journey be any more difficult than it has to be. Go book a massage today!