Massage Franchise News

HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLO, (February 9, 2016) – Following a Sunday of over-indulgence from the big game, Elements Massage™ (Elements) is encouraging Americans to get back on track with their health and wellness plan. It was estimated that Americans consumed 325 million gallons of beer, nearly 50 million chips, 1.25 billion chicken wings, 70 million pounds of guacamole^ and who knows what else. The most health-conscious advertisements during Sunday’s game were Fitbit® and Michelob Ultra®, each 30-seconds in length for a grand total of one-minute of consumer-focused fitness in the entire game –other than the two teams on the field, of course.

Elements sees the focus of advertisers as targeting consumers who are looking for instant gratification from popular products; such as fancy cars that go fast, soda, chips and candy that taste good and alcoholic beverages that are part of any celebration. Many advertisers seem to be missing the consumers who are focused on health and wellness. There’s little debate as to why those advertisers do, however; as according to the National Retail Federation, football fans spent $15.5 billion celebrating the Big Game, an average of $82.19 per fan up from $77.88 spent in 2015 (not counting what was spent on recovering the next day).

“Every New Year, we resolve to better ourselves. Next thing we know it’s February. The big game comes along and we spend a day of overindulgence and oftentimes remorse,” says Aimee Matchette, owner of Elements Massage™ in Whitefish Bay, Wis., and area director for Elements in Wisconsin. “It’s okay to let loose every now and then, but we also want to encourage people to never give up, because managing stress and looking and feeling better about ourselves is something we highly value.”

The amount of people who highly value their health and wellness is growing as well. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the health and wellness industry globally reached $3.4 trillion in 2015*. There’s a greater focus on prevention in 2016 than ever, as corporations are offering more wellness programs for employees and many insurers are rewarding businesses that offer these programs with lower premiums.

Yet, despite the proliferation of healthy living, obesity rates continue to elevate in the U.S., contributing to an alarming rise in Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

“We know regular exercise, healthy eating and cleaner living can result in a better quality of life and longevity,” adds Matchette. “And adding regular massage can have enormous health benefits as well.”

Massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach to wellness based on the body's natural ability to heal itself. It may additionally offer certain benefits in treating high blood pressure, lower back pain, post-operative care, arthritis and depression. But even when there is not a specific health issue, massage can have other benefits#, including:

• Increased circulation
• Stimulation of the lymph system, the body's natural defense against toxins
• Release of endorphins, the body's natural painkiller
• Improved range of motion and decreased discomfort in back muscles
• Relaxation of injured and overused muscles
• Reduced muscle spasms and cramping
• Increased joint flexibility
• Aid in recovering from strenuous workouts
• Reduced post-operative adhesions and edema, as well as reduced scar tissue

“People need to find balance in their lives. Even as we discover more and more benefits to massage, there are many other ways for individuals to manage stress, just as there are countless programs available to help them control their weight through diet and exercise,” says Monica Hahn, studio owner of Elements Massage™ in Greenbrae, Calif., and area director for Elements in the Denver metro area and East Bay San Francisco areas. “Healthy living takes planning, motivation, understanding, time and resources, but the best investment a person can make is an investment in themselves.”

_{Each Elements Massage™ location is independently owned and operated by an individual franchise owner.}

_{*Sources for this article are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).}

_{^ National Chicken Council and MarketWatch were sourced for statistics.}

_{#The Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) public education site was sourced for these benefits.}