10 Slow-Cooker Breakfasts Under 350 Calories

The only thing better than sleeping in on the weekend is waking up to the smell of a warm meal straight from the slow cooker! Whether your favorite breakfast fare is a savory egg dish with veggies or comforting steel-cut oatmeal with toppings galore, the slow cooker is your morning routine’s best friend. Prep your morning meals for the entire week with these 10 simple yet satisfying slow-cooker breakfast recipes.

SAVORY BREAKFASTS

1. Bacon, Egg & Hash Brown Casserole | MyFitnessPal’s Original Recipes
If you think breakfast slow-cooker fare stops at oatmeal, think again! Imagine fluffy eggs, crispy hash browns, gooey cheddar cheese and smoky bacon all mixed to perfection. Watch your breakfast dreams come true right before your eyes with this super-simple crowd-pleaser. Recipe makes 8 servings of 1 cup each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 342; Total Fat: 22g; Saturated Fat: 10g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 357mg; Sodium: 648mg; Carbohydrate: 14g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 21g

2. Frittata with Kale, Roasted Red Pepper & Feta | Kayln’s Kitchen
Slow-cooking this frittata means oh-so-flavorful eggs packed with colorful veggies like roasted red peppers and our favorite nutrient powerhouse, kale. Feta adds a salty, tangy bite, but feel free to use whatever cheese you have on hand. For an extra nutrient punch, toss in a handful of mushrooms or tomatoes. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 189; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 299mg; Sodium: 279mg; Carbohydrate: 6g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 12g

3. Greek Eggs Breakfast Casserole | Whitney Bond
This versatile, comforting egg-and-veggie dish is perfect to have on hand not only for easy weekday breakfasts but also for company. Feeling like breakfast for dinner? Reheat it alongside a fresh fruit salad for a simple meal that the whole family will love. Recipe makes 5 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 244; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Monounsaturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 518mg; Sodium: 579mg; Carbohydrate: 7g; Dietary Fiber: 2g;  Sugar: 4g; Protein: 20g

4. Veggie Omelette | Diethood
No need to stand over the stove — throw your favorite omelet fixings in the slow cooker, and forget about it! This omelet features broccoli, peppers, onions and garlic, but feel free to use your favorite vegetables. A pinch of chili powder adds an extra kick! Recipe makes 5 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 139; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 226mg; Sodium: 226mg; Carbohydrate: 10g; Dietary Fiber: 2g;  Sugar: 5g; Protein: 10g

5. Quinoa Casserole with Tomato and Spinach | Crockpot Gourmet
Step aside, eggs and toast! Whole-grain quinoa adds a nutty flavor, plant-powered protein and energizing B vitamins to this tasty breakfast recipe. Make it your own by adding kale, Kalamata olives or peppers. Garnish with chives and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 213; Total Fat: 10g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 226 mg; Sodium: 430mg; Carbohydrate: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 2g;  Sugar: 5g; Protein: 14g

SWEET BREAKFASTS

6. Slow Cooker Breakfast Quinoa | My Whole Food Life
Creamy, comforting and chock-full of whole-grain goodness, quinoa makes an excellent alternative to oatmeal for breakfast. Slow-cooking the quinoa brings out the natural sweetness of the apples and dates. Cook it overnight, and say hello to perfect breakfast quinoa in the morning! Top with extra diced apples and cinnamon. Recipe makes 5 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 293; Total Fat: 8g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 224mg; Carbohydrate: 48g; Dietary Fiber: 5g;  Sugar: 20g; Protein: 9g

7. Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats | Around My Family Table
This delightfully seasonal steel-cut oats recipe is like pumpkin pie in a bowl! Fragrant pumpkin pie spice and sweet brown sugar will have everyone begging for seconds. The recipe calls for water but use milk instead if you prefer creamier oatmeal. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 260; Total Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 18mg; Carbohydrate: 50g; Dietary Fiber: 6g;  Sugar: 14g; Protein: 8g

8. Blueberry Pie Breakfast Quinoa | Hummusapien
Pie for breakfast? Yes, please! This no-fuss steel-cut oatmeal recipe makes breakfast a breeze. Granola and pure maple syrup add subtle sweetness. Top with fresh blueberries, sliced bananas and a drizzle of almond butter. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 240; Total Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 133mg; Carbohydrate: 45g; Dietary Fiber: 8g;  Sugar: 14g; Protein: 6g

9. Quinoa Energy Bars | Food, Faith, Fitness
Skip the oven, and whip up a batch of hearty granola bars in the slow cooker. Packed to the brim with healthy add-ins (think: chia seeds, almonds and dried apples), these tasty treats will please the belly and the waistline. Cooking for the kiddos? Add a handful of mini chocolate chips! Recipe makes 8 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 175; Total Fat: 8g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 53mg; Sodium: 77mg; Carbohydrate: 24g; Dietary Fiber: 3g;  Sugar: 13g; Protein: 6g

10. French Toast Casserole | Skinny Ms.
When you have no time for an elaborate breakfast but you don’t want to skimp on flavor, this scrumptious French toast casserole will do the trick. It’s made with whole-grain bread and low-fat milk, and it’s naturally sweetened with diced apples, honey and cinnamon for a warming weekend breakfast. Recipe makes 9 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 227; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 9mg; Sodium: 187mg; Carbohydrate: 34g; Dietary Fiber: 4g;  Sugar: 19g; Protein: 9g

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7 Workout Rules You Can Totally Ignore

There are few feelings better than the one you get after conquering a solid workout. And while you might feel great and have been slaying it in the gym even harder than Kylie Jenner on Instagram, there’s one teensy issue—you’re not seeing the rad results you were hoping for. It happens, and it sucks.

There are a few non-negotiables when it comes to making fitness gains: you have to do some sort of training (on a semi-regular basis) and you need to keep up a healthy, balanced diet. But if you’re looking to maximize your next training session, here are seven workout “rules” you can totally ignore:

Rule #1: You should never eat before a morning workout.

Fact: Your body needs fuel to function. “People think they’ll burn more fat in the morning if they don’t eat before a workout,” says Jessica King, head coach at Peloton Cycle. “If you’re going to wake up and do an intense workout, try eating Ezekiel toast (it’s made with sprouted grains) with almond butter, a hardboiled egg, or a smoothie.” Eating something with carbs and protein will make sure your body has enough energy to power through your routine. Here’s what a registered dietitian recommends eating before (and after) a workout.

Rule #2: You should only stick to one type of workout.

Fact: There’s always more than one way to get where you want to go. “If you’re looking to gain muscle, one of the best things you can do is change up your routine,” says wellness and fitness expert Adam Rosante, author of The 30 Second Body: Eat Clean, Train Dirty & Live Hard. “The body is incredibly proficient at adapting to stress. So, if you’ve been doing the standard 3 sets of 12 reps for a while, switching things up will lead to really impressive gains.”

Rule #3: You shouldn’t do anything that resembles a workout on your rest day.

Fact: Rest days are about giving your body time to recover and your muscles the opportunity to repair. Everyone defines rest differently. YOU DO YOU! So that doesn’t have to mean sitting on the couch all day (no judging if you want to though!). A rest day can involve some light walking, restorative yoga, and a whole lot of foam rolling.

Rule #4: Logging miles on the treadmill is the best way to burn calories.

Fact: First things first, typical cardio workouts are important, especially if you’re training for an endurance event. But, if you want to mix things up, circuit routines that involve lifting weights or moving through bodyweight exercises at a quick pace are also great for building strength and burning fat. And building muscle is important for calorie burn—while cardio burns more calories per minute, lifting weights can help you burn more calories after the workout ends. Read more about which is better for weight loss, strength or cardio, here.

Rule #5: You have to be sore after a workout.

Fact: If you’re not seeing progress you may think that you need to go harder—so hard you feel the burn for days after your workout. But soreness is not an indicator of results, explains Rosante. Your level of post-workout soreness can be a direct result of a slew of factors, ranging from the types of exercise you’re doing to your quality of recovery. Sure, you’ll want to step things up, but don’t feel like you need to push your body to an extreme in order to see gains.

Rule #6: When performing a squat, never let your knees go past your toes.

Fact: You’ve heard it time and time again. But according to Holly Perkins, CSCS, creator of The GLUTES Project, following this “golden rule” could actually be detrimental to your form and limiting your mobility for a perfect squat or lunge. And remember, proper form leads to better results. Some people are just built differently and the truth is, at the very bottom of a squat, your knees can go slightly beyond your toes, says Perkins. “The key here is not to let your knees extend so far forward that you put undo pressure on them, so there is a small range that is acceptable.” So while your knees are important, focus on really pushing your butt back and down and keeping your weight in your heels throughout the movement.

Rule #7: You should never exercise at night.

Fact: Many people think that exercising in the evening will make it difficult to fall asleep. While it does increase your energy levels, it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to turn off once your head hits the pillow. “I have clients that prefer to work out at night because it is their way to unwind after a stressful day. If anything, the workout will help him/her sleep better,” says Perkins. “And a yoga session at night could be exactly what an insomniac needs, or a long run might be the outlet of stress that you need in order to sleep well.” Ultimately, timing is important when it comes to seeing better results, because the best workout is the workout you actually get to (consistently). If you’re not a morning person, evening workouts are perfect.

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Tips for Surviving Family Gatherings & Beating Holiday Stress

The holidays are upon us. For most of us, that means heading home to spend time with our loved ones, which can either be a joyous or anxiety-inducing occasion depending on our family. As spiritual teacher Ram Dass once said, “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.”

I personally have a complicated relationship with the holidays. My mom died two weeks before Thanksgiving, and we held her funeral three days after Christmas, so this time of year always stirs up a healthy amount of grief for me. Beyond my grief, I also struggle with normal familial triggers that returning home during the holidays uniquely presents.

My mom always used to joke that our family put the “fun” in dysfunction. And it’s true that no matter how old we get and no matter how much we think we’ve evolved, our families have an uncanny ability to bring out our inner five-year old, complete with temper tantrums and all. In my daily life, I am relatively cool and composed. But as soon as I’m back home, all bets are off. One snarky comment from my sister can instantly reduce me to tears. Wounds that I thought were long-healed turn out to be fresh scabs that are easily picked off.

That’s the nature of family. They install our buttons, which means they know how to push them. So how can we make going home for the holidays a less stressful experience?

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“Wounds that I thought were long-healed turn out to be fresh scabs that are easily picked off.”

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PRACTICE COMPASSION
Remind yourself that everyone is doing the best they can with the tools they have. Rather than placing blame or judgment, use this as an opportunity to practice compassion. The things we judge most harshly about others are usually the things we like the least about ourselves. Do your best to understand what your family’s wounds are, so when they criticize or patronize, you don’t personalize their attack. What are they struggling with? What are they unhappy with in their own lives? What are their insecurities? What are their triggers? If you can recognize and hold compassionate space for their inner children, the chances of your inner child making its own dramatic entrance greatly diminishes.

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“Remind yourself that everyone is doing the best they can with the tools they have.”

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PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness is a state of present-time awareness that allows us to observe our thoughts, feelings, sensations and actions — without becoming overwhelmed and consumed by them. Mindfulness helps us develop the ability to respond rather than to react to triggering situations. You can practice mindfulness anytime, anywhere.

New to mindfulness? Try this simple body-scan technique. Close your eyes, and observe how you’re feeling in your body in this moment. Notice any physical sensations: accelerated heart rate, a rush of heat, tingling in your hands or feet, a flutter in your chest, a knot in your belly, tension in your shoulders, sweaty palms, etc. Observe yourself with curiosity but without any judgment.

Then notice if these sensations are tied to a particular emotion. Anticipation, nervousness, excitement, fear, expectation, anxiety. Welcome all feelings without labeling them as good or bad. There is no right or wrong. We are simply practicing being the observer without analyzing or trying to fix or change anything.

Begin to take a few long, slow, deep belly breaths. Feel your abdomen expanding as you inhale and your abdomen falling as you exhale. Continue breathing for a few moments, and then check back in with your body. Are the sensations still present? Has anything softened, released or shifted?

Mindfulness allows us to objectively track what’s present for us moment to moment and find acceptance and peace for whatever the moment holds.

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“Welcome all feelings without labeling them as good or bad. There is no right or wrong.”

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START A MEDITATION PRACTICE 
Meditation is a more formal practice than mindfulness. Like any discipline, it’s a skill that takes consistent practice to develop. Studies have shown that meditation actually changes your brain by increasing the brain’s gray matter. Meditation has also been shown to improve concentration and attention, reduce stress, significantly alleviate anxiety, be effective in treating depression and even reduce physical pain.

When I first started meditating, I would squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as I could, convinced this would somehow magically turn off my thoughts. When this inevitably failed, I would beat myself up for not being “good” at meditation and write it off as a waste of time. It took me a long time to realize that the goal was not to stop my thoughts, but rather to become the observer of the fluctuations of the mind and cultivate the ability to catch myself before my thoughts wandered off too far.

Never meditated before? Try this simple breath-count concentration exercise. Deeply inhale. At the bottom of your exhalation, mentally count one. Take another full inhalation. At the bottom of your next exhalation, mentally count two. Continue counting each full cycle of breath all the way up to ten. Then count backwards from 10 down to one.

When you first start, you may only count up a few numbers before your mind wanders off. The practice is to notice when your mind has drifted and bring it back to your breath count. The more you practice, the less your brain will pull you into distractions and the more concentration and clarity you will find in your daily life.

Meditation helps to improve your relationship with yourself, which will ultimately help improve your relationship with others. Your family might still squabble over the dinner table, but the less reactive and more calm and composed you are, the more space you create for peaceful and pleasant interactions.

CREATE BOUNDARIES

When all else fails, know when to create healthy boundaries. Sometimes the healthiest and most loving thing we can do for ourselves is not to go home at all. That might sound extreme at first, but if you know that home is a toxic or unsafe environment, have no guilt for choosing to create a relaxing sanctuary for yourself elsewhere during the holidays. As George Burns once said: “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”

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Why Muscles Shake During a Tough Workout

You’ve probably felt your muscles shake at some point during a hard workout. At first, it can be alarming — you’re literally vibrating like a bell that’s ringing for you to halt whatever it is that you’re doing.

You might wonder: Is it normal for my muscles to momentarily quiver out of control while holding this plank? Is my infrastructure in danger of collapse?

The short answer is no, you’re good.

While you may crumple to the mat, you’re likely not destroying your foundation but rather reinforcing it. That little muscle quake is generally a good sign that you’re pushing yourself and getting stronger for it.

NEW ACTIVITY
“If somebody is doing a challenging new activity — say a weighted split squat — it’s not uncommon to see them shake,” explains Trevor Rappa, a doctor of physical therapy and co-founder of Resilient Performance Physical Therapy in NYC. “The reason behind that is our brains have these motor patterns that execute on command, like walking. When we introduce something new, the brain needs to figure out how to do it. Some muscles may not know how to work in conjunction with others to perform something new, which can cause some of the shakeup.”

This doesn’t just apply to people who are upping the ante in their fitness routine. If you’ve taken a hiatus from the gym (long or short), reintroducing exercise to the body can be jarring. “For someone who hasn’t trained in a while, exercise really disturbs their homeostasis,” Rappa says. “Any disruption to that baseline is going to be a shock to the system, so it’s not abnormal to have that shaking response.”

FATIGUE
Another factor that may add an extra twitch (or 20) is fatigue. If you’re on your third set of minute-long planks, it makes sense that you’d be feeling wobbly. “When the muscles get really tired and heavy that’s often due to an accumulation of hydrogen ions, making muscles more acidic,” Rappa says. “That sends signals to the brain that the muscles are in pain or have a lot of discomfort, which then prompts the brain to tell the body to stop.”

The good news: Your body’s involuntary mid-exercise convulsions will eventually subside as you grow accustomed to the moves and develop your strength and conditioning, says trainer Noam Tamir, founder and program director of TS Fitness studio in Manhattan. In other words, getting in shape may delay the onset of this fatigue. “More conditioned people usually have better nerve recruitment so they don’t lose control as quickly,” Tamir says.

BUT KNOW WHEN TO BACK OFF
There is a balance, however, of knowing when to push through versus when to hold back, like when you feel the tremors rising. “Shaking isn’t dangerous, but it could be if you are holding weights that you can’t control and put force on muscles and joints that have lost their power,” Tamir warns.

Rappa agrees but emphasizes that context matters. For example, if you’re feeling unstable doing lunges, adding a light weight might help you feel more grounded and allow you to regain balance, he says. However, if the weight is too heavy, it could throw you off balance, which could lead to injury.

AND REMEMBER TO BREATHE
One way to safely work through muscle quakes is to keep breathing. Holding your breath while planking will only add stress to the body and make you shake more, Rappa says. Instead you want to encourage the body to relax, which you can do by exhaling and inhaling at somewhat of a normal rhythm. “Reset your breathing cycling, and you may stop shaking,” he says.

After your workout, make sure to replenish your glycogen stores with muscle-building foods (such as these tasty options) within the recovery window of 30 minutes after completing the activity. Adequate post-workout recovery will help you come back fresher and stronger next time.

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Split Pea Soup with Bacon

Nothing is more comforting than a hot bowl of soup on a chilly night — and this split pea soup from Healthy Nibbles and Bits certainly hits the spot! Crumbled bacon and miso lends their savory, umami flavors to chunky veggies and split peas for an undeniably belly-warming pot of fall flavors. Not only is this substantial meal rich in fiber and protein, it is bulked up with budget-friendly vegetables for added satisfaction to your dining experience and your wallet.

Split Pea Soup with Bacon

Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 cup diced onions
• 3 medium celery stalks, sliced
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 cups cubed)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoons white or yellow miso (certified gluten-free if necessary, optional)
• 1 pound green or yellow split peas, rinsed
• 4 cups chicken stock (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 2–3 cups water, divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a heavy-bottomed pot, fry bacon until edges start to brown, about 4–5 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels to absorb excess bacon fat. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon fat remaining.

Heat the same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sweet potatoes, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add garlic and miso paste, and stir for a minute. (Note: If you don’t have miso, add more salt to taste.) Throw in the peas, and mix everything, cooking for another minute. Pour in the broth and 1 cup of water.

Bring the soup to boil. Stir in thyme, and reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes, or until split peas are just tender. If all the liquids are nearly gone, add 1–2 cups of water, depending on how brothy you want your soup. If you want mushier split peas, cook for another 15–20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Crumble bacon, and mix them into the soup.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 5 |  Serving Size: 1 1/3 cups

Per serving: Calories: 473; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 14mg; Sodium: 408mg; Carbohydrate: 59g; Dietary Fiber: 16g; Sugar: 6g; Protein: 26g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 300mg; Iron: 13%; Vitamin A: 168%; Vitamin C: 31%; Calcium: 8%

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What’s a Weight Neutral Holiday (& Why You Should Aim for One)

For the last few years, my family has not had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, we all meet in Boston, get really dressed up, and go to a really fancy buffet. My brother loves this buffet and he believes his mission in life is to eat every single item on offer. He started texting me about it in August and as we get closer, he sends me updates with his “domination strategy.”

“The key is gonna be to start with the breakfast foods first, then lunch, then dinner. Treat it like standard day, just in a hour. Trick my stomach that way.”

“No, seafood first. Crab, shrimp, oysters. Like that.”

“No wait, dessert first. Sweet stuff makes me hungrier!”

This is a very big deal for him. We take notes for him so he can revisit his tactics and last year he ate servings of 24 different items. Two years in a row he’s eaten himself sick. He ate so much last year that he couldn’t do anything for the rest of the day but moan on the couch.

But when he got home to New York two days later he weighed the exact same amount as when he left. That’s a “weight neutral holiday.”

The whole idea behind this approach is to treat a holiday exactly like what it is: one day. In my brother’s case, a single meal (there’s no fridge full of leftovers when you go out to eat on Thanksgiving). This is counter to a lot of advice you see in fitness and health magazines which offer “low carb Thanksgiving” options and “low cal stuffing” recipes, but let’s get real:

Thanksgiving is special.

It’s about bringing family together to share a communal meal. A feast that celebrates being thankful for the bounty in our lives. And there is nothing bountiful about low cal stuffing or communal about bringing your own low carb turkey.

And if you treat Thanksgiving as special, if you think of it as a single meal event, then it’s a heck of a lot easier to get back to the lean habits that you are mastering on the other days of the year.

Here are some strategies that make that transition back to your healthy habits as quick and effortless as possible:

• My friend Josh Hillis gives his clients two rules for keeping Thanksgiving Weight Neutral: “The first rule of Thanksgiving is that it’s free. But the second is that it’s one day.”
• If you’re a planner (like my brother), dedicate all your planning energy to the days leading up to and the days after Thanksgiving. Circle the big day on your calendar and start thinking about how you’re gonna get back to the kale salads on Friday.
• Recruit co-conspirators. Pretty much everyone feels like crap the day after a big holiday feast. Announce to your friends and family, “Hey! Who else feels like crap?! Wanna go get salads?”
• Perform a big, healthy ritual the day after. Take a yoga class. Lift some weights. Go for a big ol’ hike with your sweetie. Anything that reminds you how good making healthy decisions feels. Use this as your line in the sand to say, “Thanksgiving is over. Now it’s back to being who I am: a healthy person.”
• Offer to cook the night after. Everyone puts their planning efforts into the Turkey Day, but you can save your cooking mojo for a healthy Friday dinner. Most people will appreciate a return to sanity, and it will give you control over one of those all important transition meals.
• Get out of there! My brother leaves and gets right back into his routine. My mother flies home and immediately joins her walking group. My clients all call me at the airport and tell me they’ll see me in class on Monday.

What are your strategies for having a “weight neutral holiday”? 

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Science Answers: Are Massages for Lazy Sundays or Real Recovery?

A massage is all about getting pampered and relaxing so much that you feel like you’re going to melt into the table — or so a lot of us think.

And, sure, a good massage should do all these things, but there’s so much more it can do for you, including working out tight muscles and knots of tension.

“Massage is such an amazing tool for wellness,” says Wil Lewis, a New York City-based massage therapist. “From both the psychological and physical aspects, there’s a lot there.”

From easing chronic pain to helping you sleep better, here are seven real benefits of massage — and the science behind them.

REDUCE BACK PAIN
Massage may help the 28% of Americans who reported having lower back pain in the last three months. In a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 400 people with lower back pain received either structural massage (using soft tissue techniques to reduce pain), relaxation massage or typical medical care once a week for 10 weeks. Those who got either type of massage reported improved function and less pain for up to six months after.

“Stimulating pressure receptors under the skin stimulates the vagus nerve,” says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. “This causes your body to increase production of serotonin, the body’s anti-pain chemical.”

LESSEN HEADACHES
Massage may also ease a whopper of a headache, according to several small studies.

One study by University of Colorado researchers followed people who experienced frequent, severe headaches (we’re talking four-plus hours of pain) as they got two massages a week for six weeks. Three weeks after the study wrapped, subjects said they experienced 1.5 more headache-free days per week. They also reported that when they did have headaches, they lasted an average of 1.2 hours less and were 30% less intense.

Massage may decrease the number of knots of tension you have and boost the pain threshold of those that don’t get kneaded out, researchers say.

SLASH STRESS
Thanks to modern life, we tend to be in fight-or-flight mode most of the time. It’s like we’re running away from predators, except, instead of wolves, we’re being chased by work and social pressures.

“Our stress is constant: We have deadlines, bills, traffic — all these tasks that our survival depends on, so we’re in fight or flight for days or weeks at time,” Lewis says. “That can make you irritable, reactive, prone to illness and think less clearly.”

“Massage creates a safe place that’s all about nurturing and self-care,” he says. “That puts you into rest-and-digest mode, where the body can heal.” This reduces adrenaline and cortisol so you can chill.

BOOST IMMUNITY
Massages might even fortify your immune system. “It kick-starts your lymphatic system,” says Laura Benge, national spa director for Exhale Spa. This system carries immune cells throughout your body, and, by stimulating it with massage, it appears to increase the production and activity of natural killer cells.

IMPROVE MOVEMENT (AT THE GYM AND IN EVERYDAY LIFE)
There’s a reason athletes invest in massage therapists: A massage can help optimize muscle, tendon and ligament function, so you can move at your best.

Healthy muscles are autonomous; each is well-defined from the other, Lewis explains. But unhealthy muscles are tight, there’s less circulation flowing through them and they kind of glue together.

“They become brittle, can get injured easily and reduce your ability to perform since they can’t fire as quickly or move as efficiently,” Lewis says.

During a massage, a therapist helps separate the muscles from one another again so blood flows more easily, making them more pliable. “Massage helps your muscles heal faster and increases flexibility and range of motion,” says Cynde Montilla, a massage therapist at The Sisley Spa.

And this benefits not only professional athletes and regular gym-goers but also desk jockeys.

ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION
The impact massage has on your body’s hormones is pretty impressive — and can positively affect how you feel. Research shows it can decrease the stress hormone cortisol by about 31%, boost dopamine (which controls the brain’s pleasure centers) by 31% and boost serotonin (which plays a role in mood and other things) by 28%.

That surge of feel-good chemicals may be why a meta-analysis of 17 studies concluded that massage may alleviate the symptoms of depression.

PROMOTE BETTER SLEEP 
A good massage may not only put you to sleep on the table, it could also help you sleep better in your own bed. Studies show that massage may improve sleep quality and reduce the severity of insomnia.

Authors of a 2015 study say the combined effects of massage — lowering heart rate, anxiety, stress, blood pressure and cortisol — may add up to better ZZZs. “If you’re less stressed and feeling better in general, it improves sleep quality,” Benge says.

For all of these benefits, the more often you go, the better the results.

“The benefits of massage are cumulative,” Lewis says. “It’s just like exercise and nutrition. If you were to work out once or eat one really healthy meal, it would feel good, but you wouldn’t get the long-term benefits of a regular exercise regimen or eating healthy all the time.”

So although massage may never become a weekly thing for you, try to get one as often as makes sense for your budget and your body.

The post Science Answers: Are Massages for Lazy Sundays or Real Recovery? appeared first on Hello Healthy.

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