How Massage Can Help With Weight Control

I just got back from receiving a massage this afternoon….yes, even massage therapists need to get massaged too!  I came home feeling so good, both inside and out.  It’s funny how you want to keep that good feeling going for quite a while longer,  so you end up doing more good things for your body like drinking water and eating fruit.  It dawned on me that a positive feedback loop starts when you get a massage, which can be supremely beneficial for weight control.  Take a look at what’s happening on a biological level with massage therapy:

• Massage increases the serotonin in your body, also known as the “feel good chemical”, which makes you less likely to turn to food to feel better emotionally.

• Massage gets you in touch with your body (we call it the “mind-body connection”) so you are better able to acknowledge and follow your body’s hunger/satiety cues, thereby preventing overeating.  Studies have shown that yoga has this effect as well.

• Massage decreases the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, which are known to promote fat storage in chronically stressed individuals.   Hence why some people gain weight when working at a stressful job or  going through a major life change… isn’t it nice to know that a simple massage every now and then will help break that stress/weight cycle?