The Addictive Benefits of Self-Massage
Whew, the holidays are over! Hours of shopping for the perfect gift. Lugging heavy bags and tired children through malls and stores, searching for gifts for loved ones. Hours and hours in the kitchen, cooking and preparing family recipes for family and friends. Then, there is the decorating. Hours and even days to put up the tree and all of those beautiful decorations. It takes me an entire weekend to stage our home. It takes nearly the same amount of time for me to take everything back down and return it to its boxes for next year. My feet felt every extra activity so I was more than happy to treat them to a well-deserved foot massage.
I am addicted to self-massage. I know, addictive is a pretty strong word, yet it a perfect fit when we discuss massaging your feet. The effects are immediate and it can take as little as five minutes. Even a 60 second foot massage makes a difference. Super easy and refreshing, that refreshed feeling moves throughout your body. Massaging your feet provides an instant stress relief and rejuvenates your feet any time, day or night.
Rubbing and manipulating your feet back and forth, stretching, twisting and bending your toes, running your knuckles along the underside of your feet are fool proof techniques. You can even add simple items like a tennis ball, a golf ball or a bona fide ‘foot roller’ to your massage and you’ll treat your feet to a cool tingly feeling they will enjoy.
If you have never massaged your own feet before, you are in for a treat. There is no wrong way to massage your feet. Take ‘five’ and give it a whirl. One of the best ways to get started is after a bath, shower or foot soak. Grab some lotion or light oil and rub it on your feet. As your rub the oil into your skin, apply pressure with your hands to your feet. Rub and apply pressure in different spots on your feet and remember to press the soft spots around your ankle. Put your fingers under your feet and walk them very slowly, one at a time, up to your toes. Pull your toes back and hold them. Curl them forward or hold them backwards as you continue rubbing. Pull each toe, rub them and twist them slightly. Rub the top of your foot in different directions and continue applying pressure in different spots. Twist your foot in different directions. Do what makes you feel good. If you press a spot too hard, twist or pull too hard, lighten up.
One of the great things about self-massage is that it can be done anywhere you can find a seat to sit in. If you’re having a tough day at work, sit down, pull your shoes off and massage your feet. Need a break from the kids, take a time out and massage your feet. I finish off my massage by rolling my feet over a small ball because I like the tingly feeling it gives me. An added benefit about learning self-massage is that it makes it easier to massage another person’s feet .
One of the main characters in the 2015 blockbuster movie, War Room, massages her feet each day in the movie. Although War Room is a movie that focuses on prayer, it also provides various good foot care tips. You can also Google articles about self-massage or you can learn how to do it by watching Youtube videos. My granddaughters watched me massaging my feet and they were anxious to learn how to do it. Now it’s part of their nightly routine. I included a few links below that will help you get started but remember, I warned you. Self-massage is addictive.
http://stress-free-mama.com/massage-foot-techniques/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-103998/How-foot-massage.html
http://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/index.php/article_id/1841/5-Self-Massage-Foot-Rubs
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