Losing weight isn’t just about diet and exercise; it’s about creating a sustainable routine that supports your body’s needs. Many people wonder: Can body massage help in weight loss? While massage alone won’t directly cause fat loss, it plays a valuable role in weight management by improving lymphatic drainage, reducing stress hormones, and enhancing muscle recovery.
Curious how? Keep reading to learn the science of weight loss through body massage, effective body massage techniques that work, and expert advice on how to incorporate massage into your life.
Can Body Massage Help in Weight Loss? Explore With Details
While body massage itself does not result in weight loss, it may help regulate weight through enhanced circulation, stress reduction, and muscle recovery. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that massage therapy, in combination with lifestyle interventions, decreased body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels significantly.
How Can Body Massage Help in Weight Loss?
Massage provides relaxation and plays a role in various physiological processes that can aid in maintaining a healthy weight. Let’s explore the ways massage contributes to weight management in detail:
1. Enhancing Lymphatic Drainage
Massage techniques like lymphatic massage stimulate the lymphatic system, promoting the removal of toxins and reducing water retention. This process can help decrease bloating and improve the body’s metabolic efficiency, aiding in your weight loss journey.
2. Reducing Stress and Cortisol Levels
Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which can lead to increased fat accumulation, particularly in the abdominal area. Regular massage therapy helps reduce stress, thereby lowering cortisol levels and supporting weight management.
3. Improving Post-Workout Recovery
Including massage in your exercise routine can improve recovery from a workout and decrease muscle soreness. This enables you to maintain a consistent workout routine, which is critical for effective weight loss.
4. Reducing Fat Depositions
Certain massage techniques, such as deep tissue massage, may assist in breaking down subcutaneous fat by improving circulation and targeting fat cells. This can lead to a reduction in the appearance of cellulite and support overall fat loss.
5. Enhancing Digestive Health
Stomach massages can facilitate better digestion, reduce bloating, and enhance the efficiency of the digestive system. An efficient digestive system can assist in healthy weight management.
6. Stimulating Blood Circulation
Massage improves blood circulation, which enables better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body. Circulation allows for a good metabolism, enabling the breakdown of fats and the utilization of energy.
7. Boosting Metabolism
Does massage increase metabolism? Yes, massage can help boost metabolism by improving circulation, reducing cortisol levels, and stimulating the lymphatic system. By promoting relaxation and enhancing oxygen flow to muscles, massage supports the body’s natural metabolic processes, aiding in weight management over time.
8. Supporting Detoxification
Certain types of massages, such as Ayurvedic or lymphatic drainage, assist the body in detoxifying. Combined with a balanced diet and proper hydration, this exercise can be beneficial in maintaining weight.
What Types of Massage Are Best for Weight Loss?
Weight loss involves multiple factors, including metabolism, digestion, and muscle recovery. Fortunately, massage can positively impact all of these areas. Whether it’s a stomach massage for weight loss or a full-body approach, the right massage technique can provide noticeable benefits. Here’s a closer look at the best options to consider.
Lymphatic Massage for Weight Loss
This relaxing massage technique stimulates the lymphatic system, helping to remove toxins and surplus water. By improving circulation and detoxification, it ensures metabolic efficiency and supports body massage in weight reduction.
Abdominal Massage for Weight Loss
Also known as stomach massage for weight loss, this technique focuses on stimulating digestion, improving gut motility, and reducing bloating. Regular belly massage for weight loss can improve nutrient absorption and promote a flatter stomach.
Deep Tissue Massage For Weight Loss
This intensive massage targets deeper layers of the muscles to ease tension and melt away fatty deposits. It helps to complement the benefits of full-body massage for weight loss by promoting circulation and reducing muscle soreness, allowing for better recovery after exercise.
Thai Massage For Weight Loss
A blend of stretching, acupressure, and energy work, Thai massage increases flexibility and boosts circulation. It supports metabolism, making it an excellent body massage for weight loss options when combined with an active lifestyle.
Cupping Massage For Weight Loss
This traditional therapy involves placing heated cups on the skin to create suction, promoting blood flow and breaking down fat cells. It’s often used for tummy massage for weight loss to reduce cellulite and improve body contouring.
Hot Stone Massage For Weight Loss
By using heated stones, this massage increases circulation and promotes relaxation. The warmth helps in muscle relaxation, making it beneficial for those seeking the benefits of massage for weight loss while relieving tension and stress.
Does a Massage Burn Calories?
Yes, but not in the way you might expect. While massage isn’t a high-intensity workout, your body is still using energy even when you’re at rest. Almost everything you do, sitting, sleeping, and even digesting food, burns calories.
Massage is a passive activity, meaning that you’re lying still and relaxed while the therapist works on your muscles. According to research, sleep burns approximately 0.42 calories per pound of body weight per hour. If we apply this to a massage session, an average person (around 160 pounds) would burn roughly 67 calories during a one-hour massage, comparable to a nap.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Massage for Weight Loss Success
Massage is a great addition to weight loss in terms of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But you have to do it right if you are going to achieve results. With these tips, you can maximize it:
Stay healthy with massage
Though massage is very helpful in loosening up muscles and enhancing lymphatic drainage, it is most effective when complemented by a good diet and regular exercise. Aside from aiding circulation, it helps recover muscles, so it’s an excellent addition to your workout routine.
Choose The Right Type of Massage
Not all massages are created equal when it comes to weight loss support. Some are more beneficial than others at promoting circulation, reducing water retention, and even tightening up muscle tone.
Hydrate Before and After Your Massage
It is especially important to be hydrated after a massage. Because massage stimulates the lymphatic system, it eliminates toxins and water surplus from your body. However, if you are not hydrated, the process will not be as effective.
Be Consistent With Your Sessions
Massage is best when done regularly. It may feel wonderful after a single session, but for long-term results, consistency is the key. It is best to schedule sessions weekly or biweekly to aid in stress relief, circulation, and muscle recovery. If this is not, at least get a massage once a month to keep yourself healthy.
Improve Your Weight Loss Results by Decreasing Stress
It is not unusual to see the connection between stress and weight gain since high cortisol levels can lead to cravings, insomnia, and resistant belly fat. Having a massage will lower stress hormones and promote relaxation, which will aid in weight loss indirectly.
Choose the Right Massage Therapist
Not all massage therapists are the same. Besides, it can be really important to get the right one for you. A quality therapist will not just use the proper techniques but will also adjust sessions to meet your specific needs.
Are There Any Risks of Trying Body Massage for Weight Loss?
If you are applying massage for weight loss, there are some potential risks. Here are some potential risks and limitations:
False Expectations
There is no such thing as a massage that burns fat or leads to extreme weight loss on its own. In most cases, people believe it would replace exercise and proper nutrition if they harbor unrealistic expectations.
Bruising or Soreness
There are a few types of massage that are forceful, such as deep tissue and lymphatic drainage. If used too forcefully, they can cause bruising, soreness, or pain, especially in people who have sensitive skin.
Allergic Reactions
There are some massage oils, lotions, or essential oils that can irritate the skin or cause allergic reactions. For individuals with sensitive skin, it is always best to make sure the ingredients are safe.
Not Suitable for Certain Health Conditions
People with varicose veins, blood clotting diseases, or recent surgery should consult their doctor before they get a massage. Certain techniques can create more circulation in a way that is not suitable for certain medical conditions.
Final Thoughts
For those who are curious, can body massage help in weight loss? The answer is yes, by stimulating circulation, supporting digestion, and minimizing stress-related weight gain. Through its encouragement of recovery and better metabolism, it assists in achieving a more toned look over a period. If you add regular massage therapy to your regimen, your health can be naturally improved.
You may have expert massage therapy at Lucky Love Thai Spa, wherein you can obtain skilled weight reduction and relaxation treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which massage is best for weight loss?
Lymphatic drainage massage, deep tissue massage, and slimming massages are best for weight loss. These techniques decrease water retention, improve circulation, and stimulate the lymphatic system, which helps in detoxification and metabolism for efficient weight management.
Can body massage help with belly fat?
Massage doesn’t burn the stomach fat by itself, but it increases circulation, relieves the bloating and activates the lymphatic system. Combined with healthy living, belly massage can relieve digestion and reduce fat storage.
How often should I get a massage for weight loss?
It is recommended to have a weight loss massage 2-3 times weekly for maximum effect. What you benefit from regular sessions are improved circulation, reduced water retention, and quicker muscle recovery. However, weight loss is most effective if you persist at it regularly.
Can a body massage machine for weight loss be effective?
Weight loss body massage machines can really improve circulation, help reduce fat, and even tone muscle. But they will be most effective if combined with diet and exercise.
Where to find the best body massage for weight loss in Dhaka?
Visit Lucky Love Thai Spa in Gulshan if you are looking for a body massage for weight loss near me in Dhaka. You can take customized weight loss massages that activate circulation, and detox and are good for your health.
Resources:
- https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/massage-therapy-what-you-need-to-know
- Cooper CB, Neufeld EV, Dolezal BA, Martin JL. Sleep deprivation and obesity in adults: a brief narrative review. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2018 Oct 4;4(1):e000392. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000392. PMID: 30364557; PMCID: PMC6196958.
- Dehghan M, Malakoutikhah A, Ghaedi Heidari F, Zakeri MA. The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Gastrointestinal Functions: a Systematic Review. Complement Ther Med. 2020 Nov;54:102553. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102553. Epub 2020 Sep 12. PMID: 33183670.
- Dakić M, Toskić L, Ilić V, Đurić S, Dopsaj M, Šimenko J. The Effects of Massage Therapy on Sport and Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review. Sports (Basel). 2023 May 29;11(6):110. doi: 10.3390/sports11060110. PMID: 37368560; PMCID: PMC10302181.
