I Love Massage But How Can I Make It Last?

Most of us remember how good we can feel after a great massage. Muscles are softer, movements easier, we feel and look rejuvenated, younger (often pinker), and taller.

But is there more to it than just lying down waiting to be fixed? And how can we drip-feed it back into our busy lives so that it’s not slowly wasted until we are so creaky, bent and stressed out that we can’t live another moment until we’ve justified it again?

If you have neck and shoulder pain, it's likely to be caused by poor posture at work, carrying children or the chores of daily life. It may have gone on to cause sciatica, RSI or migraines. This is by no means something you need to accept, and can absolutely be reversed.

How does it work?

In the first session we will go through your lifestyle and check your posture. We explore key problem areas and you will also think about the goals you want to achieve, whether it's being able to move without pain, get back to an activity you love or reducing stress so you can actually sleep..when you get the chance.

I begin designing a plan to start addressing existing problems, and supporting you to reach your long-term goals. We do this through massage, small lifestyle changes and key supportive stretches or activities that work for you.

After every treatment you will get a summary emailed to you with tailored advice and links to short clips or routines to practice in-between treatments. We review how it’s going every 3 sessions. It's not boot camp- but if you are committed to making a long-term change in the way you feel, your input outside of massage and into your daily life is key.

So how long does it take?

It takes between 1-3 weekly/fortnightly sessions to reduce pain and imbalances that have built up over months or years and to begin realising your goals. If the need is greater there may be up to 6 more spread-out sessions to continue rehabilitation and help prevent more serious problems in the long-term.

For most people however, up to 3 is enough and thereafter they move onto ‘maintenance’ treatments every 4-6 weeks. Your body has a memory and will recall, connect and build on treatments so this is a brilliant and effective way to sustain your new level of health, fitness and wellbeing going forward.

Whatever is most manageable for you.

From the first session your self-awareness and how you use and sit within your body each day will start to shift. You’ll start to notice automatic but ingrained habits and learn how to adapt these to feel straighter and stronger going forward.

My role is to treat and guide to help you get to the level you want, and support you to sustain these changes going forward. Massage is not just about lying down waiting to be fixed. But that's not to say you can't love that part as well..

Jenny Holliday is the founder of Hackney Wellbeing, using massage, mindset and movement to enhance health.