It has been a long time coming, but gyms are starting to open back up and the glitz of falling back into your gym/fitness routine is in the works. However, before you cannon ball back into your routine, or even something new, consider the importance of bodywork and massage therapy when it comes to your recovery. If you want to stay active, avoid injuries and improve your performance, let me give you some reasons why I think massage and bodywork is so critical for the long haul.

Massage and Bodywork therapy has an endless list of benefits, but when looking at performance, these three will provide a noticeable boost:

1. Reducing the risk of soft-tissue injury: bodywork and massage can help prevent soft tissue injuries by way of relaxing tense muscles, reducing adhesions and scar tissue, and lengthening fascia.

2. Help maintaining flexibility and range of motion: by increasing temperature of soft tissue through bodywork, this helps increase tissue elasticity, reducing swelling and inflammation around the muscles and joints. With increased range of motion, this in turn helps to prevent injury and increase relaxation.

3. Reducing recovery time after exercise: Addressing your soft tissue after exercise can help ease inflammation, improve blood flow, and reduces muscle tightness. Now, I know it isn’t ideal to have a massage after each time you workout, this is why stretching and cool downs are so critical for longevity and injury prevention.

I believe to my bones, that if people focused more on moving well and getting into a self care routine, there would be far less injuries and much more longevity of life and in the sport. You may have to strip your ego a little and re-educate your movement, but trust me, it will pay off.