6 Amazing Health Benefits of Massages to Tone up and Lose Body Fat

Reviewed by: | Author: Manoja Kalakanti

Are you someone who cannot resist a spa visit at least once a month? Caught amidst a flurry of activities, burdened with work and worry, an invigorating massage certainly does the trick of rejuvenating you. A massage does wonderful things to your over- fatigued self, kicking you back to work mode, put new heart into your scheme of things, and make you ready for fresh new challenges. But do you know that there is a certain body massage for fat loss as well? That sounds very improbable, we know that, but there are certainly proponents of this theory that a massage can enhance your weight loss efforts.

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Benefits of a Massage

What is a massage? Let’s get this clear first, so that we can then explore the fact whether there really is a weight loss massage. Massage is applying pressure on specific areas of the body, with a certain degree of uniformity. You may target various muscle groups, tendons, ligaments, various organs, joints and so on. You can use your hands for a good massage but in some cases elbows, forearms are also used. Now, even mechanical methods of massaging are also used like chairs, recliners, giving you the benefits of massaging minus the human touch, of course. Massage can provide innumerable benefits besides the most obvious ones!

Improves Blood Circulation

The blood circulatory system or cardiovascular system carries nutrients and oxygen to all the cells in the body. It consists of the heart and the blood vessels crisscrossing through the entire body. The arteries transport blood away from the heart; the veins, on the other hand, carry it back to the heart. Massage helps activate your blood vessels and ensures that the blood reaches every vital organ, in order to function optimally. Massages also amplify the interchange of substances between tissue cells and blood which helps maintain the functioning of tissue metabolism. Thus if the blood flow is enhanced, more nutrients reach the vital organs of the body, ensuring that they function well.

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Muscle Strength is improved

If you are into hardcore exercises, a massage can revitalize your tired sore muscles in the best way possible. Whether it’s a tough bout of boxing in the ring or some really vigorous strength –training exercises, a massage can optimize you and bring you back to your resilient self. A regular workout helps you build the strength of muscle, while massages help you relax after a vigorous workout at the gym. This helps maintain the elasticity and strength of the muscles and also avoid muscle related injuries. Athletes swear by massages, as it shields them from niggling injuries.

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Fat Reduction

Our bodies store fat in tiny appendages which are known as fat cells. Research has substantiated the fact that if you regularly massage the area, which has an excessive accumulation of fat, the fat cells can be reduced. But you have to use massage techniques in conjunction with exercises and a nutritious diet.

Improves Body Metabolism

With the rigmarole of work and worry, your metabolism can suffer a serious nose-dive. And if you do not take the right steps to do something about your weight gain, things can go rapidly downhill as far as your health is concerned. So, if your aim is to drop those excess pounds, make sure you include massaging to aid weight loss. Targeted massage techniques can boost your metabolism. Then you can burn up nutrients at a quicker pace leading to continuous fat burn.

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Reduce Cellulite

If there is too much of fat accumulation, you would also have cellulite. Cellulite is found more around the areas of thighs and the buttocks. An invigorating massage can help you get rid of ugly cellulite marks. With proper massaging, the fat gets distributed, and it gets ready to be absorbed by the body. The increase in metabolism also helps in cutting down the cellulite levels of the body.

Get rid of toxins from the body

Your circulatory system helps get rid of toxins from the body through the urinary tract and kidneys. If your blood-flow gets a boost, then you will be able to get rid of the toxins from your body with the help of massage and exercise. You can get rid of toxins by massaging fat to lose weight and experience an increase in stamina and overall feeling of well-being. The accumulation of toxins is one reason for the increased levels of fat in the body. So, if you increase your efforts to get rid of the toxins, you will be able to lose weight too with ease. Toxic accumulation can also prove to be the precursor of various lifestyle disorders.

Once you are able to get rid of toxins, you will be able to remove lactic acid from the body. Massaging also ensures that a greater amount of oxygen is transferred to the different parts of the body. An extremely strenuous workout can mow you down considerably, but as soon as you take a massage, your sore muscles feel revived and reanimated. A masseuse can work magic with his or her hands, and you definitely will feel the lasting benefits of it.

Massage Techniques

There are many techniques employed by massage therapists, to cater to your specific condition. One of the most common and popular massages is the deep tissue massage, which is absolutely perfect to heal your muscles from injuries and also reach out to deeper muscle layers. Another massage technique which is quickly climbing the popularity charts is the Swedish massage. This kind of massage is usually offered in spas, where masseurs use vibration and different kneading techniques to provide relief. Another massage technique is called trigger point massage. It focuses on sensitive muscle points.

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Massage Strokes

Complementing regular exercise with diet and therapeutic massages is a good way to get rid of subcutaneous fat; it gives greater results than mere exercises. Particularly, subcutaneous fat, the layer of fat which is nearest to your skin, is greatly impacted when swift strokes of massage are applied on it.

Many women suffer from swelling edema or water retention in the legs. This swelling impacts your metabolism negatively, thus making it difficult to lose weight. Losing the extra bit of fat which sometimes even diet and exercise cannot get rid of, makes the weight loss struggle real and enduring. These kinds of massages can help you get rid of the fat to a large extent.

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Manual lymphatic drainage massage – this is a very gentle form of massage and is particularly effective in the case of severe fluid retention. The impact of manual lymphatic drainage can be quite telling, especially over the arms and legs.

Self-massage over the abdominal area – if you are suffering from constipation or irregular bowel movements, then regular massage over the abdominal area can make a very big difference. This should not take terribly long – simply knead your abdomen in a clockwise motion to do wonders. Just three minutes of this twice a day can help you get great relief from constipation, improve abdominal muscle tone and you might finally be even able to see the back of your pot belly.

To get effective results, practice this at least twice a day, before breakfast and just before bed. To perform Chinese medicine abdominal massage:

  • Lie down flat on your back on a firm surface.
  • Warm up your hands by rubbing them together until they are warm.
  • Place one hand flat on your belly button.
  • Begin rubbing in small circles around your belly button, gradually widening the circles using firm pressure. Each circle should take 1-2 seconds.
  • Focus on building up the heat, which builds up in your abdominal region as you knead.
  • Perform for two minutes, about 40-50 circles. Be sure to keep your stomach warm during the exercise.

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Aromatherapy massage- Aromatherapy massage is another type of weight loss massage that helps bring about relaxation and curb your cravings very effectively. This type of massage incites the senses by employing the use of essential oils during the massage. The oils are extracts from flowers, leaves, fruits and seeds.

People who undergo aromatherapy massage often find their mood greatly improved, sleeping issues solved and a great reduction in muscular pain. A massage therapist will know which oils are most suited to the specific issue. Aromatherapy massage will leave you feeling more relaxed, less stressed and with a renewed energy to stick to both your fitness and dietary regime.

Vigorous massage for cellulite prone areas – A practicing massage therapist will definitely recommend this one. You can ask your massage therapist for a half hour treatment which focuses only on the legs, hips, and thighs. If the treatment is pretty intense and includes lots of movements, with pressure you will soon see a noticeable change.

If you are wondering when is the best time of the day for massaging the different areas of the body, you can do it when your skin is most pliant after a bath for best results.

Employ these techniques to lose fat from your thighs.

  • Put your hands on your thigh in the adjoining part closest to your knees. You can also use the opposite hand to apply a little pressure while continuing with the massage.
  • Hold your leg inching toward the middle of the thigh, performing a massaging motion loosening up your legs. Make sure you cover all areas of your thighs including the top and the sides.
  • Squeeze out in a motion resembling removing water from a wash cloth, massaging through fluids in your thighs, moving the front, sides, and back for a full thigh massage.
  • Knead your thighs from bottom to top (where your thighs meet your waist) softly. Do this section of the massage trying to the toxin deposits out, detox your thighs. Start with the calf and end at the top of your thighs for a detoxifying leg massage to aid in more effective fat loss.

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Massage techniques are all about reconnecting to your body, so the more in tune you are with different changes the body undergoes, the more aware you will be, and do your best to cater to the changing dynamics of your body.

Massage has existed since ancient civilizations as a means for healing and relaxation. Owing to the changing patterns in modern lifestyle, obesity is rearing its ugly head, causing wide-spread harm to both adults and children. It has also contributed to rising mortality rates in different developed nations Weight loss has become a major issue in the world and excess fat has become one of the major causes of mortality in developed nations. Weight loss is not only about dropping a few pounds, but it is also a way of living a balanced and healthy life and showing the door to diseases. So, we should do our best, and when it comes to fat reducing oil massaging, consider the near immediate improvements it brings to our appearance.

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Losing weight is tough, especially when you haven’t bothered to track your weight gain and the kilos have kept on piling. And one fine day, you are shocked to see the weighing machine telling you a different story altogether. Your “lose weight” mission starts with a vengeance, but when you are including diet and exercise, make sure you add massage techniques to your weight loss efforts as well.

Stress is a part and parcel of our lives and the correct technique of massaging can drive some of your blues away with ease. Stress also leads to weight gain, and massaging not only helps mitigate stress but as soon as you reduce stress, you will be surprised to see that you are losing weight as well.
Like any goal in life, losing weight is really about sticking to your goal and tracking your progress with consistency, but here you must give more emphasis to consistency. Once you have chosen the path you want to tread, it is all about discipline, your diet, exercise and weight loss massage, then weight loss then will be a distinct possibility.

Health Benefits of a Massage – Lose the Extra Body Fat – PDF

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