Massage helps reduce muscle tension and stiffness in numerous ways, including increasing blood flow to your muscles. Some research shows that regular massage may also boost immunity by stimulating the production of white blood cells. Massage helps you relax and improve your mental energy. It may also make you more productive at work.

    One University of Miami study found that a brief self-massage at work reduced stress and boosted job performance. After a 15-minute massage, workers were more alert and could complete math problems faster and with more accuracy.

    Fortunately, you have your very own massage therapist with you at all times -- your hands! "Most people practice the art of self-massage without thinking about it, whether they are rubbing their forehead because of a headache, scrubbing themselves with a loofah sponge in the shower, or rubbing their feet after a long day," says Anna Walsemann, a yoga and Oriental healing instructor at New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York. "These are all simple and natural self-massage techniques."

    You don't have to take a class to give yourself a proper rubdown. In this article, you'll get the advice you need to reduce tension from head to foot -- within seconds.

    1. Every morning and evening, hammer out the kinks. Using your fists, gently thump the outside of your body, starting with your legs and arms, working from top to bottom. Then move inward to your torso and thump from bottom to top. "Pummeling your muscles and bones will help strengthen the body, stimulate blood circulation, and relax nerve endings," says Walsemann. When done in the morning, this self-massage technique will waken and prepare your body -- and mind -- for the day ahead. When done before bed, it calms down the mind and beats out the stress and tension of the day. One warning: If you're taking any kind of blood thinner, such as Coumadin (warfarin), avoid this one; you could wind up with bruising.

    2. Rub your belly after every meal. Most of us do this instinctively, especially after overeating. Place one or both palms on your abdomen and rub it in clockwise circles. This is the same direction food naturally moves through your intestine, so your circular massage will help to stimulate digestion.

    3. Rub yourself down before and after exercise. Massaging your body before your stretching, cardio, or strength training increases blood flow to the muscles. Massaging your muscles after exercise may help encourage waste removal and speed muscle recovery. Before exercise, use a pummeling motion with your fists to bring blood flow to your leg and arm muscles. After exercise, rub along your muscles with your palm or fist, moving in the direction of your heart.

    4. Give your hands a massage every day -- whenever you put on lotion. Start with the bottoms of your palms by clasping your fingers and rubbing the heels of your palms together in a circular motion. Then, with your hands still clasped, take one thumb and massage the area just below your other thumb in circular motions, moving outward to the center of the palm. Repeat with the other hand. Then release your fingers and use your thumbs and index fingers to knead your palms, wrists, and the webbing between your fingers. With one hand, gently pull each finger of the other hand. Finish by using your thumb and index finger to pinch the webbing between your other thumb and index finger.

    5. Roll on a tennis ball whenever you feel tight. If your foot feels tense, stand with one hand on a wall for support and place the arch of one foot on top of the ball. Gradually add more body weight over the foot, allowing the ball to press into your arch. Begin to slowly move your foot, allowing the ball to massage your heel, forefoot, and toes. Note: If the tennis ball seems too big for your foot, try a golf ball instead.

    6. Fill the bottom of a shoe box with golf balls and stick it under your desk at work. Whenever you need to take a trip to podiatric paradise, take off a shoe and rub your foot over the golf balls.

    7. Whenever you take off a pair of high heels, sit on the floor and give your calves some attention. Elevating your heels all day long can eventually shorten your calf muscles. To release them, sit with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Grasp one ankle, placing your thumb just above your Achilles tendon. Press your thumb into the bottom of your calf muscle, hold for 5 seconds, and release. Move an inch up your calf and repeat the pressure. Continue pressing and releasing until you get to your knee, then switch legs. 

    按摩在許多方面有助于減輕肌肉的緊張，增加彈性，包括增加肌肉里的血液流量。很多研究表明，經常性的按摩可以促使白細胞的產生，增強免疫力。按摩幫助你放松，改善身體能量。也會讓你工作更有效。

    一份邁阿密大學的研究表明，一次在工作中簡單的自我按摩減輕了緊張，改善了工作狀態。15分鐘的按摩，工人們經歷更集中了，可以更高的準確率完成數學問題。

    幸運的是，你在任何時候都有你自己的按摩師---你的雙手！“很多人無需思考，就有自己按摩的技巧，不管在頭痛是搓前額，洗澡時有絲瓜絡搓洗，或者在很長的一天之后揉搓自己的腳。”安娜·沃斯門恩說，她是紐約內弗辛克溪新時代健康spa的瑜伽和東方治療指導，“這些都是簡單并且自然的自我按摩方法。”

    你無需花一節課的時間去讓自己來一個合適的按摩。在這篇文章里，你會學會從頭到腳放松的方法-----只需要數秒！

    1.每日早晚，敲頸部。有你的拳頭，輕輕的重擊的身體，從腿個胳膊開始，從上到下（從手指到肩部，從腳到腰部）。然后回到你的軀干，從臀部錘到頭部。“有拳頭連續擊打你的筋骨有助于強健你的體魄，刺激血液循環，放松神經末梢。沃斯門恩說。早上做的時候，這種自我按摩會喚醒你的身體，頭部，在一天來到之前。”睡覺前做的時候，它讓你的腦袋清靜，緩解你一天的勞碌緊張。（不過）得注意：如果你服用了血液稀釋類藥物，比如可買寧（華法林），就不要這樣做，可能會使有擦傷。

    2.吃完飯后揉肚子。我們很多人會本能的這樣做，尤其是吃的太多的時候。用一個或者兩個手掌放在腹部順時針揉動。這是食物在腸道消化的方向，所以這樣循環的按摩會促進消化。

    3.運動前后做按摩。在伸張，有氧運動，或者增加訓練前按摩你的身體，會增加血液在在肌肉的流量。運動之后按摩，會幫助新陳代謝，恢復肌肉能量。在運動前，用拳頭拍打身體會使血液流向你的腿和胳膊的肌肉。運動后，用手掌或者拳頭向心臟方向揉你的肌肉，

    4.每天給手做按摩—當你使用洗滌劑的時。攥緊手指，從手腕開始來回的按摩你的手掌，從外到內。重復做另一只手。然后放開手指，用你的拇指和食指揉你的手掌，手腕，以及手指之間的連接部位。用一只手輕拉另一只手的手指。最后用你的食指和拇指去掐虎口部位。

    5.緊張的時候用手轉網球。如果你感覺到腳累，就用一只手扶著墻做支撐，把一只腳的足弓放在球上。慢慢的增加踩球的力度，把球移動到你的足弓。開始慢慢的移動你的腳，讓球按摩你的后跟，前腳掌，腳指頭。如果網球對與你的腳來說太大，那就換個高爾夫球。

    6.上班的時候腳底下放一個高爾夫球踩著。不管什么時候做足療，把鞋子脫掉，腳放到高爾夫球上踩著。

    7.不管什么時候脫下你的高跟鞋，坐到地板上，瞧瞧的小腿。把小腿抬起，最后可以減少你小腿的肌肉。放下腿，屈腿跪在地上，腳挨著地，握住一只腳踝，一只大拇指按住跟腱。拇指按住，移向你的小腿肌肉，停留5秒鐘，放開。在小腿上向上移一寸，然后重復動作。繼續按著直至做到膝蓋，放開，然后舒展雙腿。