You don’t have to be an athlete to be active

Most people I talk to really downplay their level of activity. I LOVE that Colorado really supports such an active lifestyle, but sometimes I feel that there is a lot of stress and competition out there to define what an active lifestyle really is. You don’t have to be riding Rist Canyon every week to say that you have an active lifestyle.

Are you giving yourself enough credit for the active lifestyle that you life?

More importantly are you giving yourself the tools that you need to continue that lifestyle for years to come?

Let’s first clarify what an active lifestyle looks like. If it’s not riding your bike 120 miles a week or hiking a 14er what is it?

• Commuting by bike or by foot to and from work 3-5 times a week
• Actively playing with your kids or grandkids; getting down on the floor with them, picking them up, etc.
• Tending to your garden and lawn (can be a year round activity in Colorado!!)
• Shoveling your driveway and sidewalks (also sometimes a year round activity in Colorado!!)
• Walking for exercise or meditation on a regular basis
• Hiking local trails
• Working at a job that requires lifting, bending or any repetitive motion
• The desire to move through life pain free, feeling as young as you can as long as you can!

Okay, so now we all know that you don’t have to be an athlete to say that you are active.

Massage is one of the most important tools you can have in your bag of tricks. It is just as essential for those living an active lifestyle as it is for athletes. Regular massage can help to address areas that could potentially turn into an injury before it happens. Your therapist is able to feel for areas that are holding tension that you may not be aware of. Working through this tension before it becomes a problem can help you avoid injury, pain and fatigue.

Regular massage can also help you to recover from activity quicker, eliminating soreness that can slow you down after a day of work or play! This soreness, when left untreated can lead to more serious chronic pain. Massage is designed to increase circulation, increasing oxygen and nutrient deliver to an area of soreness. Speeding up the healing process so that you can avoid long term pain and potential injury.

It is what you do on a daily basis that leads to your overall long term health. Just like eating well, exercising, seeing your chiropractor; regular massage should be a part of your long term health plan.

5 Reasons Massage should be a necessary part of your training

As an athlete you stay well hydrated, drink electrolytes when necessary, (hopefully) stretch before and after training and events, alter your diet to give you the most beneficial calories available, buy all the right gear, have it fitted and sized to your unique needs, plan your training to give you the best advantage for each event. Did you know that massage can improve your athletic performance just as much, if not more that everything you are already doing?

Let’s look at five ways that regular massage can really boost your performance and bring you to the next level.

More Oxygen

Massage to targeted muscle groups can greatly increase circulation to the area. This increase in circulation carries with it increased oxygen and beneficial nutrients. This is what feeds your muscles so that they can perform. Increased oxygen can help you reach your peak performance quicker and maintain it longer. How’s that for a boost in performance?

Reduce waste

Increase in circulation not only improves nutrient delivery but also increases removal of metabolic waste.

Waste builds up when you move from aerobic exercise to anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise allows your body to bring in enough oxygen to support the demands of your muscle. In anaerobic exercise there is not enough oxygen to keep up with the muscle demand and you end up with a build up of lactic acid and other types of metabolic waste. This is what makes you sore after a workout or training session.

Over time, buildup of lactic acid and metabolic waste can lead to injury and chronic soreness when left untreated. Massage helps to remove this waste from the muscle tissue. This will speed up your recovery time and keep muscles healthy.

Avoid Injury

Your massage therapist is able to find areas of tension that you may not be aware of. Injuries don’t just happen; they build up over a period of time. Addressing areas of tension in their early stages can help to avoid injury as well as maintain or increase range of motion.

Recover Faster

With an increase of nutrients to the area and quicker removal of waste muscles will recover faster even as you push yourself harder. This means training more frequently for longer periods of time will less soreness and pain.

Improve Performance

Regular massage will increase circulation, improve nutrient delivery, remove waste and improve recovery time. If this wasn’t enough you can see improvement in your performance as well. Endurance, speed and strength are all common results of regular massage.


Your therapist can help you plan how to strategically incorporate massage into your training sessions. Massage is beneficial both pre-event and post-event. It’s never too late to start, but it’s important to begin receiving massage 8-12 weeks in advance to a big event to really see the results and know how your body reacts to therapeutic sports massage.

How often should I get a massage?

If you ask a massage therapist this, most of them will say “As much as you can!” This is because they know the amazing benefits of massage. Our goal today is to help you clarify and decide how often you need a massage based on your needs. Because every-body is different the answer to this question is going to be a bit different for everyone.

We look at each client we come in contact with as an individual before answering this question. Today we will look at a few important factors to take into consideration when answering this question.

Chronic Pain

Massage is very beneficial for chronic pain. By relaxing spastic muscles massage helps the structure of the body return to a neutral position. Massage addresses stress points in the body that affect structure and cause chronic pain.

In general, if you are dealing with chronic pain, shorter sessions more frequently render the best results. A 30-minute massage once a week can be more effective, and overall less expensive, than a 60 minute massage every other week. Often with chronic pain too much massage can make things worse. Shorter sessions allow the body to adapt slowly, greatly reducing the chance of a flare up.

Injury Rehab & Post-Surgery

Massage can be applied to an injury or surgery site as soon as swelling has begun to receded and any open wounds have healed. Typically about 24-48 hours after the injury occurred. You will want to wait 6-8 weeks after surgery to schedule your massage and always wait until you have clearance from your doctor post-surgery before getting bodywork.

Massage can speed up the healing process almost twice as fast as healing without massage.

Treatment varies depending on the injury. A low back injury that began two weeks ago will respond much quicker to massage than a low back injury that happened 2 years ago. Typically your therapist will want to see you for 30 minutes for 3-4 treatments and then reassess your symptoms. The goal always being getting you to preventative/maintenance care as soon as possible.

Athletic Training

Sports Massage can be tremendously beneficial both pre and post event as well as during training. If you are competing massage can give you an advantage over your competitors by helping to recover from challenging workouts quicker, improve muscle performance, increase oxygen delivery to tissue as well as prevent injury.

If being active is more of a hobby for you massage delivers all of these same benefits, but also allows you to do the things you love to do by maintaining flexibility, addressing potential areas at risk for injury and reducing soreness after activity.

Athletic Massage, or sports massage, has four major components: pre-event, post-event, restorative and rehabilitative. Pre and post event can be applied during training as well as immediately before or after an event.

During training, massage applied after 12-24 hours after your big training day will help you recover faster, building muscle and endurance more efficiently. During this period, as you are building strength and endurance, a 30 or 60 minute massage once a week is ideal.

In the off-season, a 60-minute restorative massage is generally good every 4-6 weeks. *See Injury Rehab for massage suggestions for rehabilitative massage.

Preventative Care

Preventative or maintenance care is possible the most important type of massage. People that wait until they are injured or in pain before getting a massage often spend twice as much annually as those that commit to a maintenance care plan regardless of pain or injury.

Just like working out, eating well or visiting your chiropractor it is regular care that really makes the difference. Every 4 weeks is optimal for the body. Some bodies prefer to come in every 2 weeks; some can wait 6 or 8 weeks. It is the regular care that keeps your body healthy and functioning at its optimum levels. Your therapist can help you decide what works best for you body and your wallet.

Regardless of if you are an athlete, desk jockey, busy parent or retire massage should be an essential component of your health care plan. Therapeutic massage, when applied correctly is more than just an hour of relaxation. It is necessary to move through life with ease and free from pain.