Guest Post: Fit, Savvy & Haute [The Benefits Of Massage!]

Hey guys! Hope you’re having a good weekend. Today’s guest post comes from another one of my BLEND ladies, Vanessa! Her post is all about something that I am a firm believer of doing regularly: massage. As you may (or may not) know, I get a deep-tissue massage every other week. Some people view massage as a luxury, but it’s definitely essential in my life for muscle recovery. I’m also lucky to have found an amazing massage therapist that I’ve been seeing for years- who happens to give me a great deal on the price.

Take it away, Vanessa!

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Thanks, Lauren for the opportunity to write a guest blog. I’m Vanessa Yanez, a fledgling blogger with two kids who changed the way I thought about food starting with joining Weight Watchers three years ago. Since then I’ve broadened my love for fitness, travel and adventure too.

Adventures: it started with exercise in 2009 when I started taking hip hop dance class again after a decade hiatus. I took a ton of classes growing up and loved it. I do something every day, but I found that running, biking, the gym and their classes can all get boring. I tell my girls who are four and six years old that variety is the spice of life. It’s a mantra in our house. But that’s not what I want to talk about.

So over the last year, I’ve been exploring Yelp. I make recommendations for my day job and respect those that are educated and informed. Of course I would apply that to my research for massage, right? It’s pretty cool these days, you can find Swedish, Thai, Swedish/Thai, Chinese, Hot Rocks from Indian Springs in Calistoga, CA to my city in Northern California.

I’ve found inconsistency in quality and high prices, but when you exercise a lot or worse, get injured and you find yourself taking pain killers, the research and trials are worth it. Massage is an excellent drug-free alternative.

Extreme example: My husband and I ran a race in March of this year in Long Beach, CA. About a third of the way in he got a charley horse (muscle spasm). He finished the race but immediately afterward we Yelped best massage. We found Chiro Spa, less than a mile from us with excellent reviews.

Since then I’ve learned a massage post-race is actually is NOT what you are supposed to do. Ideally, like this recommendation, it’s three to five days before and also again three to five days after a race.

Live and learn.

That said, massage, especially Thai massage, is the right thing to do if you are an exercise adventurer. Note: This is not your regular spa massage. Most reviews on Thai start like this “Ow, ow, ow, OW!”

Check out what this reviewer said after having the ‘not so hard massage’:

“My masseuse started of course by walking on my legs and back. I will forever be amazed at how strong these tiny Thai women are! Do they do hand strengthening exercises by breaking walnuts open with their bare hands? After walking on me, my masseuse brought out the oil and started breaking up all the knots on my back.  It hurt like hell, but there was no way I was going to tell her that. I am just too damn macho for that… ”

The massage ended with the stretching. I felt all the spine cracking noises I have come to love.  Whenever a masseuse cracks my back, I love it. But if I crack one knuckle accidentally at home, I think I’m going to get arthritis. Go figure…

This is not a massage for the faint of heart, but if you want to feel better, it will work.

How do I know?

Two weeks ago when on vacation, I fell off my bike while at a stop light. (Stop laughing.) From Lauren: I’m not laughing- I’ve done that, too (if front of a bunch of people!). My shoulder was (and is) sore and I kept working out like normal, bruises and all. Last week, I went to my local Thai massage salon, went through the pain. I hated the next day, I’m not going to lie, but while I have a little soreness, it’s 1000 times better.

The lesson: Don’t think you need to wait until you ‘deserve’ a massage. If you work out, it’s a necessity, especially when you find yourself popping ibuprofen . Happy adventures!