| Do you play sports? Whether it is a professional | | | | exercise routine. This could result from various |
| basketball game, college baseball game, or | | | | factors, such as muscle spasms, minor muscle |
| neighborhood pick-up game of football, sports are | | | | tissue damage, or waste product buildup. Thus, |
| a key part of our everyday lives. We watch | | | | we should always GRADUALLY increase how |
| sports. We listen to sports. And when we have | | | | much exercising we do. |
| time, we play sports. Sports are not only fun to | | | | 4. Over-exercised muscles may over-tighten |
| play, but they provide us with many benefits, and | | | | When we exercise our muscles too much, such |
| even some potential drawbacks: | | | | as through sports, they become tight and are |
| 1. Sports improve your overall health | | | | unable to relax. This loss of suppleness causes our |
| Whether you enjoy football, soccer, tennis, | | | | muscles to become sore, and makes us more |
| hockey, basketball, badminton, or cheese-chasing, | | | | vulnerable to injuries. |
| sports provide many health benefits. They can | | | | 5. Sports massages can reduce the effects of |
| boost our endurance, make our muscles meatier, | | | | the Tearing-Down Phase |
| improve our lungs' and heart's operation, and | | | | Fortunately, sports massages, such as hot stone |
| increase our flexibility. Our bodies are amazingly | | | | therapy, can help to reduce the negative effects |
| adaptable things. However, even when we | | | | of exercising Tearing-Down Phase. It is important |
| gradually increase our exercise regimen, our | | | | for therapists to focus on the particular muscle |
| bodies will need some time to make adjustments. | | | | groups that certain movements in various sports, |
| 2. Stress points can cause less flexibility | | | | influence. For instance, some sports focus on the |
| Stress points are located in muscles and tendons. | | | | upper body, others focus on the lower body, and |
| After becoming pushed, the stress points cause | | | | still others focus on the whole body! Hot stone |
| pain, which could expand to a bigger region. They | | | | massages can deliver. The kits include stones of |
| can result from overusing a certain muscle, a | | | | various sizes, which fit nicely onto the back, |
| quick impact, or from heavy physical force. It is | | | | shoulders, fingers, etc. Furthermore, the stones' |
| important to note that stress points are not | | | | being heated provides soothing relief for aching |
| actually bruises. | | | | muscles. |
| 3. The Tearing-Down Phase of exercise can be a | | | | Another benefit of hot stone massages is that |
| real pain | | | | therapists can use a wide variety of massage |
| When we start playing sports or doing other | | | | types to treat the patient, ranging from Swedish |
| types of rigorous exercising, our bodies undergo | | | | massage to Shiatsu massage. |
| three phases: 1) Tearing-Down Phase, 2) | | | | If you are starting to play sports or exercise, |
| Recovery Phase, and 3) Buildup Phase. The first | | | | then muscle soreness and stiffness are simply |
| phase can be a pain in the neck-literally! As our | | | | part of the process. Fortunately, a sports |
| bodies start to adjust to exercising, we start to | | | | massage and hot stone combination, can give you |
| feel soreness and stiffness. You know that | | | | a sporting chance to recover quickly! |
| "morning after" feeling the day after you start an | | | | |