The article will talk about foot massage. This is a particularly interesting topic for people who care about their health and want to feel great. Many completely unreasonably underestimate the importance of massage and its effect on the general condition. Some people believe that massage brings pleasure and benefit only when someone else does it, and you relax at that moment. However, this is not at all true. It’s enough to just try to massage yourself once, and you will feel incredible relief, and you will not be able to stop doing it.
Introduction to the topic
To begin with, foot massage is necessary for every person, but not everyone understands this and recognizes it. After you return home after a hard tiring day, it is very important to relax. Relaxation does not consist in reading a book, drinking tea or watching TV. This is psychological relaxation, but physical relaxation is necessary for your body. And rest should be active, because otherwise there is no change in activity, and the body cannot relieve stress.
It is very important to be able to perform a simple massage for the whole body, especially for the legs. This will allow you to relieve stress and fatigue, as well as improve the work of internal organs. Remember that proper stimulation of nerve endings always has a very positive effect on a person. In addition, foot massage can improve blood circulation, which also has a positive effect on health. At the same time, there is a category of people who, in principle, is against massage, because it brings them an unpleasant sensation. In this case, the problem can be solved by independently performing manipulations, because you will learn to understand yourself and your feelings.
Basic Rules
So how to do foot massage? The first rule to follow is relaxation. Then you need to pay special attention to the structure of the foot and study it. The fact is that in each area of the foot, the skin is more or less thin, or dense, more or less sensitive. That is why it is necessary to understand where which zones, in order to proceed from this, use certain techniques.
So, the middle part of the foot requires very careful and gentle movements, because this area does not come into contact with the ground when walking and remains very tender. At the same time, the heel and toe zone requires active movements, because during movement the main emphasis falls on these parts of the foot. A large number of nerve endings are located here.
Methodology
In order to understand how to properly massage the feet, it is necessary, in principle, to have some understanding of massage and relaxation. In principle, everyone knows this, because before any physical exercise it is necessary to stretch. Massage also needs to start with a warm-up, which can be done by rotating the feet.
You need to start the massage with slow and gentle movements, making them clockwise and against it. Each manipulation must be performed from 3 to 5 times. Gradually, the pace and intensity should increase. After you have worked with the main part of the foot, you should go to the toes. Each of them must be massaged separately.
This will achieve the maximum effect and positively affect the work of internal organs. Movement should include elements such as rubbing, pressure, point impact. Everything must be done very carefully so as not to damage the joints.
Recommendations
Let's talk about how to do foot massage in more detail. Follow these guidelines:
- Act on the skin throughout the area with varying strengths.
- When working with the heel, make the most active and strong movements, because it is quite difficult to influence.
- Even if you are not a massage specialist, trust your senses. Where the skin is softer and more pleasant to the touch, act more carefully.
- Make mostly longitudinal and circular movements with your thumbs or the side of your palm. Also use your fingers and the back of your hand.
- Try to alternate movements so that the pressure and type of manipulation change.
- Work not only with the sole, but also with the upper and side of the foot.
- Stretching your fingers, move from the nail to the base.
- Finishing the massage, twist the foot in different directions, gently bending and tilting it.
Remember that if you did everything right, you will feel cheerfulness and a surge of strength. You will also feel that the fatigue receded, and you seemed to sleep an extra hour. We recommend that you carefully choose a massage master, because your well-being will depend on this person.
Experts still recommend to master this method of relaxation on their own, because you can fully control the process, and act more actively or gently, depending on your mood, condition and ultimate goal.
Now you know how to properly massage your feet, and you can safely start. At the same time, dwell on the described simple technique before mastering any complex exercises. You should get used to such daily relaxation and accustom your feet to regular exposure.
The benefits of foot massage
This procedure is not only very pleasant, but also useful. If you perform it regularly, then you can get rid of insomnia, improve sleep quality, learn to relax, get rid of fatigue, activate the immune system, adjust your body, improve blood circulation in the legs. Also, the great advantage is that you will not only relax, but also help your body as a whole, even if you perform the movements not quite right. The main criterion is your feelings.
If you have work that restricts leg movement, then you may suffer from physical inactivity. As a result, this can lead to stagnant blood events. To avoid this, regularly massage your feet, and you will not only avoid problems, but also feel an extraordinary burst of energy. Also, foot massage can reduce swelling and prevent varicose veins, flat feet and other diseases.
Contraindications
There are several points to remember before the procedure. Even if you know how to massage your feet, do not rush to proceed, because there are some contraindications.
So, it is impossible to massage with infectious diseases that are accompanied by fever, with varicose veins, tumors, inflammation in the joints, the threat of metastases. It is also undesirable to work if the skin is affected by a fungus, birthmarks, warts and other neoplasms.
As you can see, the list of contraindications is quite short, so you can easily follow them. Remember that proper foot massage involves an overall healthy state. Therefore, do not be zealous if you feel any kind of ailment or become ill. The main condition is that the massage should bring you pleasure. If the nerve ending refuses to respond with pleasure, then something has gone wrong, and you should refrain.
Gymnastics
In addition to foot massage, you can do gymnastics. This is a good option if you are already tired of massage and want to try something new. Perform the following exercises:
- With your toes, write some words in the air and draw simple geometric shapes.
- Place small objects on the mat and lift them with your toes.
- Place small identical balls between your toes and squeeze them dynamically.
- Stretch your fingers with an elastic band and try to open them to maximize the elastic.
- Take a towel whose ends you hold with your toes. Try to roll it only with your fingers, without resorting to the help of the feet.
- Place a small elastic ball on the floor and roll it with your foot to engage all areas of the foot.
If you are interested in this topic, then you can buy yourself special simulators for feet. There are quite a lot of them and they are very diverse, so you definitely will not get bored while doing the exercises.
Remember that massage is not only useful and enjoyable, but also exciting.
Memo
In order to achieve maximum results, all manipulations must be carried out regularly. Of course, even if you occasionally relax so, it will be your great advantage, but if you do everything every day, you can improve your overall health. Do not forget that on the feet there are a huge number of acupuncture points, the impact on which stimulates the work of all internal organs in our body.
If you do this yourself, but want to attract your loved ones, then try to arrange a foot massage for a man as a romantic gift. Specialists guarantee that he will like it, and he will be carried away, and you will be able to give him a wonderful good habit.
Varieties
There are two main types of massage, namely acupressure and Thai massage. The spot technique is considered one of the oldest, it was used in the East. This article was considered precisely this technique, because it is very simple, but incredibly effective. According to the Thai method, certain points that are problematic are massaged. Thus, this massage is aimed not at relaxation, but at solving specific problems in the body.