What is Sports Massage? Sports Massage is a special form of massage and is typically used before, during, and after athletic events. It can also be used by non-athletic people to reduce stress and tension. The purpose of the massage is to prepare the client for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. Purpose of Sports Massage? The main purpose of sports massage therapy is to help alleviate the stress and tension which builds up in the body’s soft tissues. Where minor injuries and lesions occur, due to overexertion and/or overuse, massage can break them down quickly and effectively. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger. Massage Techniques. There are three main categories of massage which are predominantly used in sport, namely effleurage, petrissage and frictions. Almost all massage techniques are carried out with the main pressure being directed towards the heart. This helps increase venous and lymphatic flow and ensures that no undue pressure of blood being pushed against closed valves causes any damage to blood vessels. The only exception to this is where short strokes are aimed at stretching muscle fibres. Because the strokes are limited, there is no risk of pressure building up. Benefits of Sports Massage? Sports massage has many benefits. In addition to FEELING GOOD, it reduces the heart rate and blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, reduces muscle tension, improves flexibility, and relieves pain. Each sport and athletic event uses muscle groups in a different way. Sports Massage can also include pre-event, post-event and maintenance techniques that promote greater athletic endurance and performance, lessen chances of injury and reduce recovery time. Relaxation Massage. Massage is known to improve blood circulation, muscle flexibility and the oxygen supply to the muscles and connective tissues. A relaxation massage is exactly what the name implies: a massage strictly for the purposes of rest and relaxation, helping to improve circulation and range of movement, and relieves muscular tension.   More Health Facts • Daily exercise of 100 calories per year is the equivalent of 5kg (11 pounds) of fat per year burned. • In the last 50 years we have reduced our calories per day by 850 kcals BUT our activity levels are 800 kcals less! • It has been proven that you need 15% less calories per day AFTER weight loss compared to someone who has not lost the weight to keep that same weight off. • To lose 1 lb of body fat per week you need to either expend an extra 500 kcals more in exercise, eat 500 kcals less or expend 250 kcals extra exercising and eat 250 kcals less per day! • Obesity accounted for 18 million sick days and 30,000 premature deaths in 1998. • Obesity rates have DOUBLED in the last 10 years, and TREBLED in the UK in the last 20 years! • Almost 66% of men and over 50% of women in UK are overweight. • Men overestimate how much exercise they have done, women underestimate how much food they have eaten. • The average person watches 27 hours of television per week. • When diet is combined with exercise effective weight management can be achieved. • Walking up and down two flights of stairs per day would account for approx 6 lbs of weight loss per year in an average weight man. • A ¼ pound cheeseburger, chips and chocolate shake contain approx 1100 kcals. Equivalent to about 11 miles of exercise. • Smoking, alcohol and fizzy drinks increase risk of osteoporosis.