“The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and a scented massage every day.” Hippocrates.
While daily might be a stretch for most budgets, I’ve definitely found regular remedial massage to have had an incredible impact on my overall health this year.
Early this year, I committed to fortnightly visits as my main form of out-of-pocket self-care (there’s plenty of self-care you can do at home that doesn’t cost a cent) and gosh has it paid dividends!
After five years of various treatments including physio, strengthening exercises, needling, various creams and pharmaceuticals, I had no real relief and was staring down the barrel of bilateral ankle surgery and decided to give one last “natural therapy” a shot. Turns out it was just what was needed to avert surgery, at least for now, and release many other areas of tension that build up over time.
I’m lucky enough to have the most phenomenal remedial massage therapist just a few minutes from home and she happily incorporates my oils into the massage, meaning the benefits are even further enhanced. Plus she’s super knowledgeable about many areas of wellness and I always come away knowing something I didn’t know prior.
If you’d suggested it 10 years ago, I would have told you that a fortnightly massage was extravagant and unnecessary. Heck, I even had trouble accepting the annual one my husband bought me for Mother’s Day!
But the older I get, the more I realise how important it is to make time for what helps us maintain wellness.
From a financial perspective, this is something I specifically make allowances for and I’d sooner go without any number of things in favour of investing in this area of health. I’ve noticed a direct correlation between remedial massage and my energy levels/ability to walk without pain. While I can’t do the big hikes I used to do, I can enjoy paced walks or a short game of soccer with my kids… something I would have suffered heavily for this time last year.
What’s something that you can do next year to regularly work on and improve your health so that you can feel better, work better and play better?
