The Care and Keeping of You: Thoughts from Aries Indenbaum
Ever wonder what to do between massages? We asked the wise team at Freed Bodyworks what thoughts they have for clients who want to take care of aches and pains between sessions. Here's what Aries Indenbaum had to say:
In an ideal world, massages would be daily, right? There’d always be a therapist at the end of a run, before a medical procedure and whenever work becomes hella stressful. Unfortunately, that is not our world, and I know that between bodywork sessions, things can get achy and painful. I have a few suggestions to clients to manage pain during the icky weeks in between.
The first, of course, is rest. For athletes and busy Washingtonians, rest is a naughty word, but the more you can sleep and avoid motions that aggravate old injuries, the faster you can heal.
At the same time, staying active is a great way to keep from stiffening up. Even small things – such as performing stretches that help your body move through a full range of motion, doing yoga, taking walking breaks, and light exercise - go a long way. I recommend using ice to decrease pain (just for 10-15 minutes at a time), and heat to ease achiness and stiffness.
My big self-care helper is my foam roller. I have a very loving relationship with Mr. Foam Stuff -- we have our “muscle chats” daily, generally in the morning. I use my foam roller on my entire lower body: quads, hamstrings, calves, and lower back. And while I make a variety of guttural, obscene noises, I’ve noticed an incredible decrease in tone and agony. I can run for longer, jump higher, and survive my physically stressful life with considerably joy between massages. I <3 you, Mr. Foam Stuff.
My final suggestion is to be kind to yourself. You only have one body; you only have one life. The happier you are in your body, the more you can enjoy and appreciate that one life.
