Staying in Touch®
Hello, and welcome to the December 2024 newsletter. Holiday Greetings! It’s time to close the books on another year and welcome in a new one—are you ready?
As you make plans for the coming year, keep this in mind: One of the best benefits for you is that you can set goals for areas of your life where you can be in total control.
It’s all too easy to put your attention on things that you wish were different, but you have little chance of changing. Policies at work, things in the news—there are many aspects of life beyond our control.
So as you consider what improvements you want to see in the coming months, set your sights on things that really matter to you and can make a positive impact on your life—and choose areas you feel you will commit to adopting as a part of your lifestyle.
Putting your attention on things you can control and embracing them in your life can bring the greatest rewards!
When it comes to your overall health, your regular massages can give you the most bang for your buck, so keep them a priority.
Enjoy the rest of your holidays, spending time with friends, family, and loved ones. See you soon!
Doing some last-minute holiday shopping?
How about a massage gift certificate?
Nothing offers a greater reward than the gift of health and well-being.
Holiday shopping made easy — Purchase one today!
Top 5 health benefits of regular massage therapy
The health experts at National University of Health Sciences want you to know the top five health benefits of adding regular massage therapy to your health and wellness strategy.
Massage therapy from a licensed practitioner can:
Lower stress— The long-term effects of stress can take emotional and physical tolls. Massage therapy may relieve stress and conditions associated with it, such as tension headaches.
Increase immune function— Medical research indicates that massage therapy can help boost immune system strength by increasing the activity level of the body’s natural “killer T cells,” which fight off viruses.
Boost mental health and wellness— Research suggests that symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression (all associated with mental health) may be directly affected with massage therapy.
Manage pain— Pain can negatively affect a person’s quality of life and impede recovery from illness or injury. Recent findings highlight the role of massage in pain management.
Improve physical fitness— Elite and recreational athletes alike can benefit from massage therapy — massage can reduce muscle tension, improve exercise performance and prevent injuries.
Source: nuhs.edu
Add 11 years to your life? Science says it’s as simple as a daily walk
In what might be the best return on investment since Bitcoin’s early days, scientists have discovered that every hour of walking could yield up to six hours of additional life. Unlike cryptocurrency, however, this investment is guaranteed by the laws of human biology. An exciting modeling study reveals that if every American over the age of 40 was as physically active as the most active quarter of the population, they could expect to live an extra five years on average.
While scientists have long known that physical inactivity increases the risk of diseases like heart disease and stroke, this study is the first to quantify exactly how many years of life Americans might be losing due to insufficient physical activity. The findings suggest that the impact of physical inactivity on life expectancy may be substantially larger than previously estimated.
The study, led by researchers from Griffith University in Australia and various institutions worldwide, challenges previous estimates of physical activity’s benefits, which were largely based on self-reported data. By using more accurate device-based measurements, the researchers found that the relationship between physical activity and mortality is about twice as strong as earlier studies suggested.
Consider this: The most active 25% of Americans over age 40 engage in physical activity equivalent to about 160 minutes of normal-paced walking (at 3 miles per hour) every day. If all Americans over 40 matched this level of activity, it would boost the national life expectancy at birth from 78.6 years to nearly 84 years. ...
Not All Talk: How Scientists Walked The Walk
Study authors analyzed data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on Americans aged 40 and older who wore activity monitors for at least four days. Unlike previous studies that relied on participants’ memory and honesty about their activity levels, these monitors provided objective measurements of every movement throughout the day.
The results showed a striking “diminishing returns” effect in the relationship between physical activity and longevity. The greatest benefits were seen among the least active individuals: moving from the lowest activity quarter to the second-lowest required just 28.5 minutes of additional walking per day but could add 6.3 years to life expectancy. That means every hour of walking for this group translated to an extra 6.3 hours of life — an impressive return on investment.
As people became more active, the additional benefits per hour of activity decreased but remained significant. For those in the second-lowest activity quarter, reaching the activity level of the most active group would require about 83 additional minutes of walking per day and could add 4.6 years to their life expectancy.
Never Too Late... For individuals, the message is clear: it’s never too late to start moving more, and even small increases in physical activity can have substantial benefits. The greatest gains come from getting off the couch and taking those first steps toward a more active lifestyle. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther from your destination, or taking a short walk during lunch breaks, every bit of movement counts toward a longer, healthier life.
As we face declining smoking rates and other traditional health challenges, physical inactivity has emerged as one of the most significant threats to public health. The good news is that, unlike many health risks, this one comes with a simple, accessible, and free solution: walking. No special equipment, expensive gym memberships, or intense training regimens are required — just a pair of comfortable shoes and the willingness to take that first step. ...
Source: studyfinds.org
You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.
— Joyce Meyer
The content of this article is not designed to replace professional medical advice.
If you’re ill, consult a physician.
© 2024 Massage Marketing. Used with permission; all rights reserved.