Cross training with yoga:

Whether you bike/run/swim because it’s your preferred method of exercise or you’re training for a race, most days of your week probably feature you putting in some miles.  It is important to cross train to avoid overuse injuries, strengthen and stretch your body and move in new ways to stay challenged.  The latter is something to really think about as many forms of exercise are repetitive movements over and over again.  Yoga allows you to move your body in all different planes.  It takes your spine into flexion, extension, rotation, and side bending.  Yoga not only helps build strength as you hold your body weight in poses, but it gives you a chance to relax and improve your flexibility and can effect all muscle groups.

Cross training with massage:
FLEXIBILITY:
Lack of flexibility can lead to muscle soreness, and predispose athletes to injuries– especially muscle pulls and tears.  During high intensity exercise, lactic acid and general toxins from acidity increase in your muscles. Your body can naturally clear lactic acid and toxins with time and REST. However, massage can help expedite the process, especially when you are working out often.  A regular routine of massage therapy is very effective in combating the effects of heavily exercises muscles.

RECOVERY:
As well as being effective at helping improve flexibility and mobility, massage can play an integral part in promoting faster and more effective recovery from training. Everyone experiences muscle soreness at some point or another – massage can help combat many of these side effects.

RESULTS:
Do you feel excessive tightness in your neck/shoulders after a heavy overhead workout?  Don’t ignore these symptoms. Doing so will only lead to further issues and potentially serious injuries. When working out, muscles contract and shorten to produce force – if effective post-training recovery is not implemented, your muscles will cool down in a slightly shortened state and remain such until the next gym training. Over time, without muscle release, these same muscles become subject to higher risk of getting strained or, worse- torn. Massage can be implemented as a preventative measure to avoid these  occurrences – as it helps to restore the muscles to their normal (or beneficially extended) length between training.  A cure for a torn hamstring is not pleasant!

OTHER BENEFITS OF MASSAGE INCLUDE:

• Helps identifying where you body holds tension and the muscles that effect that tension.
• Lengthens fascia and muscle, easing it back into place.
• Increases blood flow and circulation getting more oxygen into your body.
• Decreases anxiety and stress.
• Helps reduce pain and inflammation in the joints, tendons, nerves and bones.
• Helps recovering quickly after a competition
• Promotes faster recovery post training
• Decreases muscle tension and helps improve flexibility
• Prevents delayed onset muscle soreness
• Improves circulation and lymphatic flow – beneficial following injury
• Improves overall performance

For a testimonial on cross training, please take a look at my client’s blog as she trains for the Boston marathon!  A lot of hard work on her part, and she also is an avid yoga practitioner and receives regular massages.  Below is her blog on receiving massages with me as she trains!
https://runningwithnicoleblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/its-nice-to-be-kneaded/