Five reasons massage would benefit your working day!
Massage anyone?
Over the last decade, more and more companies are adopting an attitude to look after their staff and are trying out different ideas with regards to the health and wellbeing of the people that make their business tick. There are a variety of wellbeing ideas floating around but one of the most popular ones seems to be workplace massage. After all, who wouldn’t love a cheeky massage whilst in the office?
We all love telling our friends that our companies offer cool rewards, incentives and wellbeing services. Other than bragging rights and novelty reasons, we’re going to give you just five reasons why massage in the office would benefit you, your staff or your colleagues.
1. Reduce muscular related pain
Working long hours in the office often takes its toll on our bodies. Through poor working practice and commitment to our computer screens, many of us start to get aches, pains and discomforts. Muscular related pain and neck and shoulder pain can be reduced by massage in as little as ten minutes. It can help to break down muscular tension which can often cause us pain or restrictions.
2. Increase blood flow and circulation
Increasing blood flow and circulation has many benefits to the human body. It can help to promote cell growth and organ function, can aid in the transport of nutrients around the body and can increase oxygen rich blood to our extremities. Poor blood flow and circulation can lead to many health risks, such as: tingling, numbness, pain, muscle cramps etc. There are many other reasons as to why some individuals have poor blood flow (We won’t go into that now), but what we do know, is that massage helps with increasing blood flow and can aid in the reduction of the discomforts mentioned.
3. Reduce stress and anxiety
With stress being responsible for approximately 45% of work related illnesses last year in the UK, this reason alone may be a great excuse to convince your boss that massage may be a good idea in your office. Massage has been shown to relax the body’s autonomic nervous system. When we are stressed or anxious our bodies tend to stiffen up and this is something we have no direct control over. Massage can help to relax the body which in turn reduces some of the stress and anxiety that our jobs may cause us on a daily basis. Some studies have found that cortisol levels (A hormone linked directly to stress) have been decreased after an individual has received massage and most clients immediately report the feeling of being more relaxed after their session.
4. Increase flexibility
This reason may not feel directly relevant in the office but have no doubt, this can play a major part of an employee’s health. Increased flexibility helps to reset muscle lengths and allow optimal movement at our joints. This is fantastic in preventing injuries. If our bodies aren’t flexible enough to perform a regular movement we tend to compensate by putting strain on other parts of our body. For example, if we damage our right foot and struggle to walk, we will compensate when walking to avoid pressure on the damaged area. This then increases the load across the rest of our body and can lead to further injuries. Keeping our muscles and joints flexible helps to reduce the chance of injuries and reduce the chance on compensating throughout movement. Massage has been shown to improve and increase flexibility!
5. Feel good factor
After a massage we generally leave feeling good and positive. Massage releases endorphins which can help us to feel happy, productive and optimistic. Massage can be mutually beneficial to both employee and employer. It not only leaves employees feeling great, but helps to show them that you’re a business that cares. Regular massage days also help to show potential employees just what type of company you are. From experience, massage days always tend to create a buzz around the office and a feel good environment.
So there we have it!
Although there are many more benefits, there are five that will help give you an idea of how workplace massage can benefit your company!