The famous comedian and actor Bob Hope had a massage every day for 63 years.
Bob Hope said that a “good massage is one of the greatest pleasures in life with many therapeutic benefits.”
When asked as they turned 100, “What is the secret to your longevity?” both Bob Hope and Rose Kennedy (The matriarch of the Kennedy family), without hesitation exclaimed,
“Deep tissue massage daily!”
For thousands of years, massage has been practiced across multiple cultures and societies and has been associated with good health and longevity. In recent decades scientists have uncovered what the ancients have known all along, that massage is phenomenally good for you and may well improve longevity and quality of life.
We know emphatically that regular massage improves circulation, reduces inflammation, improves mood and sleep, is effective in reducing acute and chronic pain and stress along with a multitude of other benefits too numerous to list here.
We may contend that people like Bob Hope could afford to have a regular massage, but the real question to ask is, can you afford not to have a regular massage? If the health benefits of a regular massage are so real and tangible, what chronic symptoms could you be avoiding or reducing if you were to make massage a regular part of your overall wellbeing routine?
The cost of poor health in many ways is incalculable as chronic pain and illness can also take its toll on our mental wellbeing, longevity and the quality of our lives on top of the monetary costs of medical intervention.
For instance anxiety and depression are also on the list of conditions that are greatly improved with regular massage. These conditions can be debilitating not only to the suffer but to loved ones and friends as well. When we suffer we impact others around us.
The onset of dementia begins 20 years before noticeable symptoms occur and is associated with poor blood flow to the brain. Again massage with its ability to improve circulation, has been shown to be an effective treatment for dementia suffers. Massage is most likely able to reduce the risk of dementia when combined with other healthy lifestyle choices if employed early and regularly.
Healthy lifestyle choices that include massage are not one offs or occasional treats. Rather those who ‘practice’ eating well, relaxation through practices such as meditation, exercise and have massage, receive the most profound benefits to their overall wellbeing if practiced regularly and consistently. If you eat junk food most days and a healthy meal every now and then, you wouldn’t expect to remain healthy for very long. If the things you know are beneficial to you are a low priority, then ultimately degeneration and poor ageing will set in.
The good news is, it’s never too late to make healthy, wise choices. The benefits far out way the costs and you owe it to yourself, your family and friends to live the healthiest, happiest life you can. But It’s your choice!
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