Give Your Heart Some Valentine's Day Love This February

It may be a few days shorter than any other month of the year, but February has a lot to offer. Not only is February officially known as Heart Month, but it also contains Valentine's Day. With so much focus and emphasis on the heart, it is time to take a look at what you can do to treat your heart right. With the hectic pace of the holiday season behind us, and the promise of warmer weather and more sunshine ahead, now is the perfect time to indulge in some heart-healthy tips and tricks.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it is useful to find a heart-healthy activity that you and your loved one can enjoy. Many couples enjoy massages, but did you know that a couple's massage can do more than just alleviate sore muscles and stiffness throughout the body? Research has shown that massages benefit the heart as well. The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine found that a good, thorough massage can help the heart by allowing blood to circulate more efficiently throughout the body. You will also benefit from a drop in blood pressure and a lower heart rate. If you want your partner to give you a massage more frequently, simply explain that regular massages play a role in reducing stress and associated problems such as cardiac arrhythmias.

If you want to treat your heart right, try eating well. Even small changes in your diet can have lasting impacts on your heart health. Fresh produce is great for maintaining a healthy heart because it clears out potentially harmful free radicals within the bloodstream while protecting blood vessels in the process. Other heart-healthy foods include whole grains, legumes, nuts, teas, and fatty fish. Treat your partner to a heart-healthy meal on Valentine's Day that both of you can enjoy.

Your heart is a muscle, and it needs to be exercised just like any other muscle in your body. If you already have a workout routine, invite your partner along for a 10 minute walk around the neighborhood after Valentine's Day dinner to get the blood flowing. Just a short walk can increase metabolism and will make you feel good all-around. Regular cardiovascular exercise has been shown to increase the strength of the heart. A stronger heart will work more efficiently, and it will pump more blood each time it beats, leading to an increased blood flow that carries more oxygen throughout the body.

The phrase "death by chocolate" is less frightening once you know that chocolate can be good for the heart. The Harvard Unive rsity School of Public Health concluded that chocolate has been linked to heart benefits such as increased blood flow, less frequent amounts of blood platelets sticking and clotting, and lower levels of bad cholesterol. Therefore, you should buy your sweetheart some chocolate this Valentine's Day - make sure you make an appointment for a couple's massage as well.

Taking small steps in the right direction can have very positive results. Reward your heart this month with some heart-healthy tips and tricks. Bring your partner along for Valentine's Day fun; you will have an enjoyable time with lasting health benefits.

Make Time for Monthly Maintenance

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You've heard it all before; if you want to improve your overall health you have to drink more water, get more sleep, eat more vegetables, exercise every day and reduce your stress load.  It stands to reason that each of these things is great for your health; they also seem to be easier said than done. 

Study after study has proven stress reduction is an integral part of improving your health and should be a goal for every individual.  Regularly scheduled massage therapy sessions can easily help you achieve this!  They are a great way to relax, relieve stress and are excellent for monthly health maintenance.  If one of your resolutions this year was to place more value on your health massage is a great place to start!

Detox with a Massage and Start the New Year off the Healthy Way

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With various holiday celebrations just past, many people start having more on their minds, other than where to find the best end of the year sales. Perhaps you start to think about the overindulgences you might have made throughout the year; or maybe you do not feel as good as you should - or could. The beginning of the New Year is classically a time for lifestyle changes to be made and embraced. Those changes can be for a new commitment, or it could be renewing your drive toward making healthy lifestyle decisions.

For this New Year, your body will thank you if your resolution revolves around getting regular restorative massages. You should know that a massage is more than just a pleasant and relaxing experience. There are various forms of a massage, and when it is applied correctly, a massage can have a wealth of benefits, including the reduction of various internal toxins.

Even the concept of your body containing anything referred to as a toxin might make you panic just a little. It is essentially the term for anything that can have ill effects on your body. This can range from various forms of toxins. Remember that some of these inorganic elements are essential for proper nutrition, while other compounds and elements can cause disconcerting levels of toxicity. Toxicity can cause a plethora of afflictions, and if left unchecked, it can spread and affect the functioning of several vital organs, including the kidneys, liver, and respiratory systems.

Some of the diseases that have been linked to toxicity issues include the following:

·         Depression/Anxiety

·         Headaches

·         Dermatological issues

·         Fevers

·         Autoimmune disease and more

Avoiding these complications can be achieved through the implementation of regular massage sessions. Massages serve to regulate circulation; this can improve the overall function of essential organs such as the liver and kidneys. A massage can even help to clear out pores, which are often underestimated areas of the body that germs can easily seep through, and eventually wreak havoc both inside the body and on its surface. Once the body feels revitalized, you will likely feel greater amounts of energy than before the first massage session. This is certainly a healthful alternative if you wish to find other methods for dealing with various maladies. Medication is not for everyone, and when you approach a detoxifying massage with a positive attitude and commitment - viewing the procedure as a treatment method - it can provide you with great benefits.

While regular massage treatments have the ability to detoxify the body, it is important in the coming year to begin a health maintenance routine. Diet and exercise are critical if you want to help keep your toxicity levels low. Remember that a diet can cause a great amount of damage when an organ, such as the liver, is not able to function properly due to unprocessed toxins.

Make sure that the New Year serves as a new start toward creating the best version of you that is possible. Take steps to maintain your body, and the next 365 days will be vibrant, and filled with an overall sense of wellness.

Happy Holidays!

The team at Academy Massage would like to slow things down for just a moment to thank our friends, family, clients and followers for all your support in the past year.  It is you who have made it possible for us to continue to do what we love day in and day out; it’s better than any gift we could ask to receive this holiday season!  We wish for a happy, healthy holiday for you and yours and we look forward to working with you in the New Year!     

From all of us at Academy Massage,

Happy Holidays!

Give the Gift of Massage

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The holidays are upon us!  Most people have now booked up their weekends with a multitude of parties and dinners to attend and gift shopping is underway. People can be seen rushing through store after store searching for that much sought after gift while holiday music plays cheerily in the background.

At Academy Massage we know how stressful the hustle and bustle of the season can get and we want to help relieve some of that stress.  We have the gift no one will want to re-gift, but you wouldn't mind being on the receiving end if they did!

No matter the time of year, anyone would be happy to receive the opportunity to take some time out of their busy day and be pampered.  Massage is especially appreciated as a gift during the holiday season; dancing the night away at a holiday party can take its toll not only on your feet, but your low back as well.  There are a variety of techniques and services that a massage therapist can use to ease your aches and pains.

• Deep tissue massage is a form of massage therapy that focuses on realigning the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue.  Some of the strokes used in deep tissue massage are similar to those used during a Swedish massage, but with slower movement and deeper pressure.  This is most beneficial to tight or overworked muscles, like the low back and legs or the neck and shoulders – the areas you feel it most after a night of revelry!
• Reflexology is a form of massage that specializes in the application of pressure, stretch and movement to the feet, hands and ears.  Its practice is known to affect corresponding parts of the body through the nervous system, which gives a reflexologist the ability to break up stress found in other parts of the body without making any physical contact with them.  This can be especially beneficial if you are feeling sluggish or are suffering from poor circulation.

We know how much pressure there can be to get someone the perfect gift, and who doesn't wish they had a little more time to pamper themselves?  Gift certificates are a pleasant gift to give or receive year round but are especially great for the holidays.  By giving the gift of massage you enable your loved one the opportunity to take time to relax and get a treatment tailored to their needs, without the guilt of spending the money on themselves!

Academy Massage gift certificates can be used for any product or service we offer and can be used at a time that is convenient for the recipient as they do not expire.  They are available for purchase online, over the phone or in person (pick one up after your next treatment!) and can be made out in the denomination of your choice; rather than writing the cost of the massage, we will note the length of time the gift certificate is for.