Massage At Home: 8 Top Reasons to Try it Out Today!

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We get it: massage can be expensive. But does it really have to be? The secret is that massage at home isn’t that difficult to do, but you can get a ton of benefits from it.

At the end of the day after a tiring shift at work, or an especially intensive beasting session at the gym, having to go somewhere else and then come back home can be tiring.

Not to mention it’ll put you back around $100 a session with a registered massage therapist – yikes!

Your foam roller is a great massage tool and is beneficial in so many ways to your muscle health.

Foam rolling is also known as ‘self-myofascial release’ and has been used in alternative medicinal therapy for a long time to soothe pain by relaxing contracted muscles and improving blood circulation.

Home Massage with a Foam Roller

Home massage is a great alternative to this and has so many benefits outside of the obvious financial one. Want to find out what those benefits are? Read on to find out our top 8 reasons to give yourself a massage at home!

1. Soothe those sore muscles!

This may seem obvious, but it’s been proven!

In a study by the National Athletic Trainers Association, it was shown that over 4 weeks, subjects who performed up to 20 minutes of foam rolling 24-48 hours post-exercise saw improvement in muscle performance.

The study also showed that foam rolling effectively reduced and alleviated muscle fatigue and soreness.

Basically, you get all the perks of a massage from the comfort of your own home! Speaking of which…

2. Convenience!

Massage at home is super convenient. The great thing about foam rollers is that you can do it wherever, at the gym or at home.

When you give yourself a massage from home, there’s no need to worry about traffic or parking. Hell, you don’t even need to worry about getting dressed to go out!

Once you’re done, you can go have a much-needed nap or even a hot bubble bath with added essential oils for extra pampering. Peppermint, eucalyptus, black pepper, and rosemary are great for muscle and joint discomfort!

In fact, foam rolling after a hot shower or bath when your muscles are warmed up can even enhance the effects of the massage.

So stick on some soothing music, light some relaxing candles and set your own ambient mood while you give your body the TLC it deserves.

If you want to know more about the optimal time, check this out: When is the Best Time for Foam Rolling?

Massage at Home: Relieve Tight Shoulders

3. Greater flexibility with Foam Rolling

Want to get more flexible? Alongside regular stretching, daily use of your foam roller to massage your muscles from home will definitely help with flexibility!

Many people see foam rolling as motivation to stretch more, as it naturally loosens muscles so stretching becomes more advantageous when combined with foam rolling.

If you’re specifically interested in using foam rolling to improve flexibility, here are 6 foam roller moves you just might want to try out during your home massage session.

If you want to find out more about the benefits of foam rolling on flexibility, Muscle Health has a great piece you can check out on it for extra reading.

Foam rolling will help you get ROM and flexibility, but only when combined with stretching. I personally look at foam rolling as a “catalyst” for stretching – it makes my muscle naturally looser, so my stretches become more beneficial.

4. Injury Prevention and Muscle Recovery with Massage from Home

Researchers at McMaster University found that a brief 10-minute massage can reduce muscle inflammation

Justin Crane, a student in McMaster’s Department of Kinesiology said “The muscle senses that it is being stretched and this appears to reduce the cells’ inflammatory response. As a consequence, massage may be beneficial for recovery from injury.”

Ten minutes really isn’t any great amount of time to take out of your day, so why not dedicate a small portion to scientifically proven self-care?

As with exercise, you don’t want to overdo it. Achieving balance is key. If a 10-20 minute massage at home can have such huge benefits for your body, it’s definitely worth it.

Go slowly and steadily. Once you find the ‘sweet spot’, hold it for about 30 seconds, and breathe out.

DIY Massages at Home

5. Self-care = Self-love

Practicing self-care in the form of home massage helps bring awareness to your body and its needs. Massage helps you re-engage with your body.

Whether you’re using a foam roller, gently massaging your temples or using your fingers to apply light pressure to your lower neck – you’re re-engaging with your body, and that’s important.

Massage can even be used to kick emotional eating habits. It fulfills certain mental and physical needs known as commonly associated causes of emotional eating, but in a much healthier way.

6. Stress Relief with a Foam Roller

This may seem like the obvious reason, but it has scientific evidence backing it too. A peer-reviewed scientific journal on massage therapy and stress concluded that massage has a positive effect on diastolic blood pressure.

Various studies sing the praise of massage as scientifically proven, non-invasive stress-reliever.

In fact, in 2008, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry concluded that “Massage therapy had immediate beneficial effects on anxiety-related measures.”

So not only is massage great for your body but your mental wellbeing too. It’s known to lessen feelings of aggression, and even have a positive impact on stress disorders.

Give Yourself a Massage and Relieve your Sore Neck

7. Improved Sleep with Massage at Home

If you’re someone that struggles to get a good night’s sleep, then this is excellent news! A consistent sleeping pattern has positive knock-on effects to productivity levels and mood.

People turn to all kinds of remedies to improve their sleep, such is its importance in our daily lives.

Massage promotes the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain. It’s said that the part of your brain that assists the body in inducing sleep communicates with serotonin.

Melatonin is a hormone that helps the body relax, and get ready for sleep. So a massage at home before bedtime can really help you wind down at the end of the day. You may even wake up feeling more rested.

8. Boost Your Immune System

In a research study by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, a group of people who had each been given 45-minute massages were found to have an increased number of white blood cells.

More and more hospitals are including massage in standard therapy for many conditions now.

If none of this has convinced you to start implementing home massage as part of your daily fitness and health routine, we don’t know what will!

If you want to find out where the best places are to get your own foam roller, click here to read our very own tips and advice!

Are There Alternatives to a Foam Roller?

If you don’t have a foam roller, but still want to give yourself a massage at home, you may want to know what your options are. There are a number of things you might want to consider doing.

First of all, you can use your own hands to quite effectively massage your head, neck and shoulders, or legs. Check out some of the videos above for ideas on how to do that. However, it’s quite difficult to give yourself a deep tissue massage. Instead, you should use a roller, or try out a massage therapist.

The second option is a ball or stick. You can buy them (see below), or you can use anything you might have laying around your house already. Experiment and see if one of these foam roller alternatives will work well for you.

Comparison Chart

Idson Muscle Roller Stick for Athletes- Body Massage Sticks Tools-Muscle Roller Massager for Relief Muscle Soreness,Cramping and Tightness,Help Legs and Back Recovery,Black Green
31g8f98+J0L. SL500
RumbleRoller X-Firm Beastie Ball x2-2 Extra Firm Massage Roller Balls – Spiky Massage Ball Excellent for Working on Troublesome Muscles
51qt3yfddNL. SL500
HEALTHYMODELLIFE Premium Grade Spiky Massage Ball – Highly Recommended for Plantar Fasciitis, Muscle Soreness & Pain Relief – Deep Tissue Rehab Reflexology & Acupressure Portable Roller Ball – Silver

Have your Say about Giving Yourself a Massage at Home

What are your thoughts about massage from home? Is this something you do, or do you prefer to see a massage therapist? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other fitness buffs, like yourself find this useful resource.

6 thoughts on “Massage At Home: 8 Top Reasons to Try it Out Today!”

  1. Massage can be an amazing, rejuvenating, all-natural pick me up. Who needs another cup of coffee or energy drinks when you can have a massage?

  2. I’ve always long for a massage after a long tiring day. Whenever I get massages, I feel like my body gets lighter and can be more productive for the next day. However, I can’t afford to have massages at a spa every day. I have a few massage tools that are controlled manually like those massage sticks and rollers. I am now saving to buy myself a massage tool that I can enjoy when I plug it or charge it.

  3. It was really good to give yourself a massage at home. Sure, I like to get a professional one done every once in a while, but this is a good fix for when I’m really sore from working out.

    1. I certainly get professional massages too, but it’s too expensive for this to happen all the time. That’s where my foam roller and rolling stick come in.

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