Sports injuries can be an unfortunate reality of exercise or athletic performance. They are commonly caused by overusing muscles or joints, or receiving more force to a body part than it can withstand. This article will provide various approaches to prevention or healing of injuries that one can experience at Carisma spa, ranging from targeted massages to the benefits of using spa facilities. The Science Behind Sports InjuriesSports injuries can range from cuts and scrapes, to swelling, muscle damage, pain and stiffness, amongst other symptoms. These injuries can be grouped into two categories, chronic and acute, depending on how they occurred. Chronic injuries happen when you repeatedly overuse muscles or joints, especially if you have poor technique while exercising. These injuries can remain hidden for some time until they get worse, or may even seem to be less severe than they actually are, so it's important to take them seriously and consult a doctor instead of ignoring them. Acute injuries occur suddenly when you use too much force, like landing improperly on a joint or sprain a muscle. Your risks of sustaining an injury are highest if you haven’t exercised in some time or don’t warm up properly before beginning your workout, so take the time to prepare yourself. Prevention is always better! Preventing Sports InjuriesWarm Up and Cool Off Regardless of how often you exercise or how experienced you are, never skip stretching and warming up. This will warm up your muscles and make them more flexible, preparing them for the routine ahead. Cold muscles will be more likely to overstretch and tear, while warm muscles can absorb more impact, movements and bending. You may also try a session in a hot tub for 10 to 20 minutes, as this helps loosen up your muscles as well. Be attentive to your body as you work out, and know when it’s time to stop. It’s important not to keep pushing once muscle fatigue sets in as you will have an increased risk of injury if you push your body further. However, don’t quit exercising abruptly. After each workout, wind down with gentle stretches. Gradually Increase Exercise Intensity If you haven’t exercised in a while, are coming back after an injury or this is your first time exercising, be sure to start off with gentle exercises before you increase the intensity of your workouts. Your body needs time to adapt after all! If you’re just starting out, have joint pain/damage or are getting older, you can opt for swimming as your exercise routine. Swimming in a pool allows you to exercise most of the muscles in your body while being gentler on your joints. Stay Hydrated Staying hydrated is always important for your health, and this is especially the case during exercise routines. Hydration will support your body while sweating, and will also be exceptionally important if you use the hot tub warming up method mentioned above. Injury-Preventing Massages Since sport & deep tissue massages increase circulation and apply expert pressure movements to your muscles and connective tissues, muscle tension is eased and waste is removed from your tissues, making it less likely that you will sustain an injury. While specialised sports massages are specifically designed for the prevention and treatment of injuries, other massages can also ease muscle tension and boost circulation, in addition to their own special treatment goals. For example, you can enjoy a bamboo massage that eases muscle tension through the use of a bamboo rod. Healing Sports InjuriesLuckily, most sports injuries are minor strains or damage, and these are far easier to treat. You should always follow a medical professional’s advice on how to treat your injury, but the following are viable ways to help your injury heal unless a professional recommends otherwise. It is always recommended to inform the spa therapist who will be performing any massages on you about your injury. They will take special care not to use certain movements or levels of pressure. Massages Various massages can be useful in healing your injury, depending on what your specific needs are. Sports massages, for instance, are good at breaking down scar tissue that forms after an injury heals. This scar tissue is inflexible which makes it more likely that you will injure yourself again, so it’s important to restore your muscles flexibility. The Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage will also be very helpful in improving your lymphatic drainage, clearing away waste from your muscles that will aid in the healing process. Meanwhile, a Balinese massage relaxes your body and will restore your energy after the potentially tiring experience of healing from an injury or having an intense workout. Spa Facilities Sports injuries often come with swelling, pain and stiffness, and a spa day can allow you to remedy these symptoms through the use of various spa facilities. Saunas and jacuzzis, for example, have been proven to aid the healing process thanks to the increase in body temperature. The same can be said for a session in the heated marble room of the Turkish Hammam. The heat will also ease soreness and calm down inflammation, making it a good option if you want to ease your aches and pains for a while. Your joint pain and muscle tension will also be released, leaving you relaxed and relieved. ConcludingThough accidents happen and not all injuries are preventable, keeping the advice provided here in mind can help you prevent needless damage to your body. When an injury does happen, you should now have some tips in mind that can hopefully be helpful! Other blogs you may find helpfulStaying healthy doesn’t have to involve boring meals or unpleasant protein shakes. We at Carisma want you to enjoy your journey to wellness, so here are 5 amazing smoothies that support your health goals while tasting amazing! 1. Get a Burst of Antioxidants: Raspberry Green tea SmoothieAdd to a Blender:
Consuming foods containing antioxidants has been suggested as a way to counter cell damage, reducing the chances of diseases like cancer, eye diseases, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes. Antioxidants can be found in a lot of fruits and veggies, and this first smoothie is full of them. The Green tea is packed with antioxidants and boosts your heart’s health. 2. Boost Your Energy Levels: Cherry Super-SmoothieBlend Together:
Blend until smooth and you have a smoothie that will supercharge your energy! This is a great smoothie to start the day with, or use as a pick-me-up. The cherries and the kiwi will add a lot of vitamins and antioxidants to your diet, while almond milk is a low-fat way to improve your calcium intake. Chia seeds are loaded with nutrients and even contain Omega-3 fatty acids! 3. Make Your Diet Fun: Berry Keto SmoothieBlend Together:
Blend together, and you have a low carb snack. This smoothie is also a great light breakfast, if you aren’t a fan of cereals. Berries improve your blood sugar, are great for your skin and help fight inflammation. Just like the spinach in this smoothie, the berries are also packed with vitamins but have a very low amount of calories. Coconut milk helps with your energy levels, improves your digestion and helps your heart health. 4. Get a Workout Treat: Healthy Apple Pie SmoothieBlend Together:
This smoothie tastes like a delicious apple pie, but without the unhealthy part! It’s packed with protein, making it a great pre-workout incentive or a post-workout reward. You’ll be looking forward to exercising in no time. Not only does it contain the protein you need for your workout, but the yoghurt will boost your immune system while the apple and oats will give you a great dose of fiber. 5. Boost Your Brain Power: Blueberry Avocado SmoothieBlend Together:
This is a great way of taking a short break from work or studying, and improving your focus at the same time. This smoothie is also loaded with vitamins, protein and antioxidants to improve both your physical and mental wellness. ConcludingWe at Carisma hope this article has given you some delicious smoothie ideas! If this has given you a craving for some fresh fruits, you may enjoy our Spa & Lunch packages that even include a voucher to use at Kofi & Kale (where you can even try a whole range of smoothies)! Other Posts Your May Be Interested InAt many points in our life we may experience something that causes us a great deal of stress & anxiety, and given how hectic life can be these feelings can often last for a long amount of time. The turbulent nature of 2020 has been especially stressful for many of us, so it has become even more important to be able to prevent and cope with these feelings. Here at Carisma Spa, we want to ensure that people experience both physical and mental wellness, so this article will take you through some ways to manage these negative emotions and to help prevent them from taking hold in the first place. Understanding Anxiety and StressAnxiety can have physical, mental, and emotional effects on you. When you experience anxiety, you can feel scared or apprehensive, you can have negative emotions and you can even experience intense reactions like sweating, shaking or shortness of breath. Anxiety and Stress are often the result of something that has already happened, or something that you are worried will happen, so tackling these feelings can start from approaching these events in a different way. Planning in AdvanceIf future events are causing you anxiety, it can be very helpful to plant for them in advance. Knowing that you already have ways to cope with this event, if it were to happen, can take a great deal of weight off your shoulders. This can be as simple as writing down your daily routine in advance, listing your short term and long term goals, or writing down some ways to cope with an event that you fear will happen. Consider talking about these worries with people you are close to, as they may have perspectives that you are not seeing at the moment or solutions that you are not aware of. Often the act of simply talking with someone can relieve some anxiety. Rewarding Yourself For The Small GoalsMany of our goals in life require a great deal of time and effort; getting a good job, buying a house or succeeding in education, for example, can all require years of work. As a result, we can lose motivation and feel like our goals are too far out of reach, so it’s important to list small goals and reward yourself for them. Exercised or ate a healthy meal today? Reward yourself with some moments of relaxation. Even small achievements have their value, and it’s important not to forget this! Focus on what you can change right now. Focus & BreathingExperiencing a moment of high anxiety or stress can be overwhelming, so it’s important to know what to do beforehand. When you feel overwhelmed, try to sit down and take a second to clear your mind. Close your eyes and focus only on your breathing. These calming breathing techniques are surprisingly effective, relieving intense emotions in a matter of minutes. Question Your Negative ThoughtsWhen we focus on our negative thoughts, we can give them a great deal of power and make them feel worse than they actually are. When you experience negative emotions, take their power away by listing them either on a piece of paper or in your mind. Ask yourself what is bothering you, why it is bothering you and whether you can do anything about it. If the problem is something you can change, try and list what you can do to solve it. If you can’t figure out a solution, ask others for advice or even see if you can get some useful information from the internet. Often, this process can relieve your anxiety even before you actually start doing anything to fix your problem, since it grounds you in the present and makes your feelings tangible. Once you understand something, you can deal with it more easily. AromatherapyCreating a relaxing environment can help with anxiety and stress, and aromatherapy is a useful tool in your arsenal. By burning incense, using a scented oil or a warmer, you can diffuse a relaxing scent around the room to ground you and relax you. Specific scents like lavender, jasmine, chamomile, rose, frankincense, and patchouli have historically been used to relieve anxiety, depression, and stress. Anti Stress TreatmentsIf you feel like you would prefer a more hands-on approach to tackling your tension, you can choose treatments designed to relieve these negative emotions. A facial, for example, can relieve tension and allow you to step away from life’s worries for a while. Meanwhile, a massage that targets anxiety like the Hot Stone Massage or the Antistress Massage is designed to relieve the symptoms of stress in your body to refresh your physical and mental energy. Meditation & ExerciseKeeping up with meditation and exercise can also be a useful tool to relieve negative emotions. They lower the body’s levels of stress hormones, improve your sleep and make you feel more confident in yourself. In addition, they can be a great distraction that allows you to focus on something other than the way you are feeling. Wrapping upIn conclusion, there are many approaches you can take to manage your feelings in these stressful times. You may choose to try one or more of these techniques or even all of them, so we hope that they will be of help and lead to your mental wellness.
Getting good sleep is an integral part of maintaining both physical and mental wellness. We may take a good night’s rest for granted, but even a single interrupted or fitful night can make us realise how important restful sleep really is. Losing sleep for any reason, including insomnia, can impact every aspect of our lives. Tiredness can mean making more mistakes at work, being short tempered with loved ones or simply having a harder time being motivated and enjoying life. At the end of the day, no one enjoys tossing and turning in bed watching the clock tick by, so here are some useful tips to help you get a good night’s sleep. They will range from easy, small changes to your environment to antistress spa day treatments, so you are sure to find something that fits into your lifestyle. Create a Welcoming Sleeping SpaceSleeping in a room that’s quiet, dark and cool will naturally help you get to sleep easier. If your room is facing a street light or you perhaps prefer to sleep during the day, blackout curtains can help simulate a dark environment. Removing distractions like computers, T.V’s & work items can also help you get into the right mindset. Having these items around can weaken the natural association you have with your bedroom as a place of rest. Some people also find the light aroma of essential oils like lavender can help them get to sleep, but make sure not to apply undiluted essential oils directly to the skin, as they can cause irritation. Reduce Light ExposureYour body naturally associates daylight with being awake, so exposing yourself to too much artificial light, especially before bed, confuses your natural rhythms. Bright light, especially blue light typical of phones and computers should be avoided. If this is not possible, look into setting a blue light filter on your device to reduce its disrupting effect. Being in a dark environment will encourage the production of the hormone melatonin, which promotes sleep. Maintain a Sleeping RoutineYou can help your body and mind transition from day to night by relaxing for an hour before bed. You can take a bath, enjoy a hobby or perform exercises like yoga, but make sure to avoid too much time using technology, as explained above. It is also important to sleep and wake at around the same time if possible. If you need to change the time you are going to sleep, try and adjust your routine gradually instead of all at once, so that your body’s rhythms have time to adapt. Avoid Caffeine, Nicotine & AlcoholIt may seem obvious to avoid drinking coffee before bed, but what about nicotine and alcohol? Many people enjoy a glass of wine or a smoke before bed, but surprisingly these may be contributing to insomnia like caffeine would. Studies have shown that consuming these substances may also increase anxiety, which will make it harder to get to sleep and feel well rested when you wake up. A 2015 study showed that caffeine can even make your mood worse if you are already sleep deprived. Instead, consider drinking cherry juice, herbal teas or warm milk to help you drift off. Try Antistress and Relaxation TreatmentsIf you are going through a stressful time, especially an unpredictable year like 2020, it may be hard to get a good night’s rest. Trying a soothing massage can help ease some tension and refresh your outlook. Carisma Spa’s dedicated antistress massage is designed to ease tension, while massages like the Hot Stone Massage or the Ayurvedic Massage can help with exhaustion and anxiety. Conclusion and Closing ThoughtsIn conclusion, your body naturally knows when it is time to rest, but the anxiety and complications of daily life can confuse it. By establishing a sleeping routine that simulates a cool, dark night and relaxes your body, you can help promote regular restful sleep. other blog posts you may be interested inImproving your health and wellness, both physical and mental, may seem like a daunting task. We associate improving our health with major lifestyle changes, inconvenient exercise routines or complicated dieting plans, but this doesn’t have to be the case! There are some surprisingly simple ways to feel and look better that can slot right into your current lifestyle, making them easier to adapt to and maintain. You can’t always find the time to pop into the spa for a massage to break your routine or get advice from our therapists, so this blog will outline possible additions or minor changes to your diet, lifestyle and the products you use in your own home. Not all of them may be perfect for you, but that’s ok! You can adopt as many tips as you like, or use them as a first step into making bigger changes. Boosting Your DietYour diet doesn’t only affect your skin and body, but your mental wellness as well. Eating well helps you feel and look better, but we often try to change our diet dramatically; cutting out the foods we love and eating only carefully meal-planned dishes. This can make diets hard to maintain, and demotivate you quickly. Instead you should start with smaller diet changes first, that can benefit you a great deal on their own, or help transition you into more major changes. For example: Herbs and Spices Herbs and Spices don’t just make your food taste amazing, they also have some major health benefits:
Side Dishes & Fermented Foods Adding a side dish or small addition to your existing food favourites can also be a great way to boost your diet. I’ve focused on sides that require very little preparation, to have as little of an effect on your routine as possible. Western Diets are lacking in foods that support your gut health. Fermented Foods contain beneficial bacteria that help with digestion, immunity, weight and mental health, so including them in your diet is a great idea. But what are these probiotic boosting foods? Kimchi, for example, is a popular Korean dish that goes well as a side dish or with dishes that are a little bland. It’s usually made from fermented cabbage, garlic, ginger, spring onions and seasonings. It can be found in any Asian food store in containers of various sizes, so it’s easy to pick up a small packet if you’re not sure if you’ll like it. Yoghurt is definitely a familiar food, but it has many benefits you may not be aware of. It can reduce your risk of heart disease, contains a great deal of nutrients and like kimchi, boosts your gut health. Adding Yoghurt to baked goods or breakfast dishes is a great option if you prefer not to eat yoghurt on its own. Kefir is another fermented drink that’s great for you. It’s common in Eastern Europe and Russia, but you can even make it at home by adding grains to a glass of milk and letting it sit for 24 hours. The grains will prevent it from spoiling and ferment the milk, leaving you with a smooth drinkable yoghurt smoothie! You can strain out the grains before drinking, and they remain healthy and ready to make more Kefir! Small Lifestyle ChangesAdding or making little changes to your routine can dramatically help your physical and mental health. In this section we will take a look at a few simple tips you can adapt to your lifestyle:
Planning Your Meals: Planning your meals in advance can save you last minute stress or problems with missing ingredients. You may want to set a little time aside each week to plan a few meals, or even make meals in advance if the food can be stored in the fridge or frozen. This also helps you avoid eating takeout or unhealthy snacks when you are too tired to cook at the end of the day. Set and Track Your Goals: Staying motivated is hard sometimes, so track your progress and reward yourself! You can write down your goals and milestones, and set rewards when you achieve them. Achieved your daily goals? Reward yourself with some self-care time like watching a movie or taking a long bath instead of a shower. Achieved a major goal? Treat yourself to a trip to your favourite restaurant, or a relaxing afternoon at the spa on your day off. Rewards can be as large or as small as you want, but remember that it’s healthy to keep your motivation up. Using the Right ProductsMany people use skincare and body care products that are popular, or recommended to them by others, without first ensuring that the products are suited to their unique needs. It is important to use products suited for your skin type, otherwise these products can do more harm than good. Identifying Your Skin Type Determining your skin type is straightforward if you know what characteristics to look for. First, wash your face with a cleanser and dry your skin. Take note of any of these features that may occur after 30 minutes:
Wrapping UpImproving your health doesn’t require a complete change to your lifestyle. It’s better to take small steps, and build upon them, than take a giant leap and struggle to maintain it. But at the end of the day, making small changes for yourself can lead to better physical and mental wellness. other blogs your may be interested in
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About CarismaCarisma Spa & Wellness International has been offering a superior service in 5-star hotels, and holiday resorts along the Aegean and the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and Malta since 1990. Categories
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