“Make sure to drink plenty of water after your massage today.”

If you’ve ever had a massage, even one before you have likely heard this from your Massage Therapist. It’s an important part of your healthcare regime to such a point that if you don’t drink plenty of water after your massage here at Elixir it could negate the healing effects of the massage!

Water makes up 75% of our bodies whether that’s in our systems, organs, or overall function and well-being of our bodies.

What happens to your body during a massage? Massage can relieve sore muscles and nerve pain, help with joint compression, increase range of motion, deliver the correct nutrients to their proper place and carry oxygen to any deprived areas in your body. Cell waste and toxins are released even faster than usual during your massage which can leave you feeling the symptoms of dehydration.

Your body has many great responses to a massage but it is also left with one response that can leave you feeling sick if you don’t do this one thing after your massage: drink water.

Why do we drink water after a massage?

• Water works its way through our whole body in every system we have
• It helps cleanse, detox, and relax our organs and muscles and for nourishment
• Give us nutrients while carrying away waste and toxins from our bodies released during the massage
• Regulates our blood, lymph, cells, and tissues and protects us from sickness.
• To offset the symptoms of dehydration which are fatigue, dizziness, anxiousness, headaches, and weakness.

How much water do we need?

According to the Mayo Clinic, adults need between 2.7 – 3. 7 liters of water a day or 91 – 125 ounces a day. That is between 4-6 bottles of water a day! This is typically half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 200lbs your body will need 100 ounces of water!

Drinking up to or even over 100 ounces of water a day can be exhausting and may even taste boring. Here are a few different ways to infuse your water by chopping up and adding the following ingredients to your water so that you can reap the long-lasting health benefits without the bore of plain old H2O!

Mood booster: Strawberry and Thyme

Regulate Metabolism: Grapefruit and Jalapeño

Muscle Recovery: Rosemary and Raspberry

Soft skin: Blueberry and Basil

Detox: Cucumber and Lemon

Immune support: Grapefruit, Lemon, and Lime

So next time your Massage Therapist tells you that classic one-liner: “Make sure to drink plenty of water after your massage today”, now you understand why.