WATER, EH, WHO NEEDS IT?

YOU DO!!!

When a person comes to my office for a massage and complains how tight and sore their muscles are, one of the first questions I ask is “do you drink water?” Usually the reply is “not enough” or “I drink a lot of tea” or “does coffee count?” The answer is “NO”. You should be drinking plain water on a daily basis. Coffee is a diuretic:  therefore, more water is eliminated from your body.

So how much water should you drink? A person whose body is healthy with no severe illness should drink about half their body weight in ounces. The old myth, 8 glasses of water a day,  is not true for everyone. The larger you are, the more water you need. For example: a woman weighing 100 lbs. should drink approximately 50 ounces of water a day. A man weighing 200 lbs. should be drinking 100 ounces of water a day.  Always drink more if you’re active with sports, in a very warm or dry climate, or sweating profusely .

Some people will  contend that water is bland and boring, and insist they can’t possibly drink 8 or more glasses per day.  Others may contend  that they are too busy to drink water or that running to the bathroom is a waste of time or inconvenient. However you view water, once you realize how essential it is to losing weight, building muscle, and keeping healthy you will glady increase your daily water intake.

Drinking water after a massage is often recommended by massage therapists and other health care practitioners for a variety of reasons. In fact, drinking water in general is a good idea, as the body benefits from proper hydration, and consuming water will help the kidneys and other organs process the various substances which move through the human body on a regular basis. Drinking water before a massage is also highly recommended, as it will make it easier for the massage therapist to perform deep work by hydrating the muscles so that they are easier to manipulate.

There are two  primary reasons for people to drink water after a massage. The first has to do with substances released by the muscles as the massage therapist manipulates them, and the second has to do with ensuring that the muscles of the body are properly hydrated.

In the first case, water after a massage helps the body flush out any accumulated materials in the muscles which were released during the massage. Especially in the case of deep tissue work, massage stimulates circulation in the body while expressing water, salt, and other minerals from the muscles.  Circulation is designed to carry away waste materials generated by cells. By providing the body with plenty of water, massage clients can help sweep away these waste materials; otherwise, they might build up, causing muscle aches and soreness after a massage

So bottoms up, cheers to your health.

Wishing you, Peace, Harmony and Balance.