This One’s A Hot Topic!

Massage and belly fat is a combination that lots of people search for online! And there’s a ton of articles and posts written about the subject. Unfortunately, a lot of them are false and completely misleading. As a long time massage enthusiast, I figure I’d set things straight by writing this post.

Before we even get into the nitty gritty, I feel now is a good time to bring up one of my favorite quotes. A quote by none other than Mr Theodore Roosevelt himself:

“Nothing worth having comes easy”

It’s really as simple as that. This goes for all aspects of your life, whether it be wealth, relationships, career, health etc. In fact, life has always functioned in this manner. If you do the right things, right things will happen to you and vice versa. Belly fat or fat in general is an interesting topic….everyone wants to lose it, but hardly anyone wants to put in any effort!

It’s very rare that you’ll find folks who actually are committed and disciplined when it comes to losing weight/fat. If you follow these people, you’ll see that their lives have changed not because they lost the extra pounds, but because of this newfound discipline they’ve developed in the process!

Before we dig deeper on whether massage actually reduces belly fat, I’d like you to please reflect on what I’ve said above. That is, spend some time seriously thinking about Roosevelt’s quote, and try to cultivate the discipline and commitment in yourself so you can walk the mile or however much is required!

It’s this sort of mindset which will help you most when it comes to weight loss, not some fancy idea or magic pill that will do it!

 

Does Massage Alone Help Reduce Belly Fat?

Sorry to burst your bubble but massage alone cannot help reduce belly fat. What do I mean by this? Let’s say you’re an overweight male/female who would like to lose weight, but instead of focusing on diet, exercise, and overall health, you instead read that massage can help reduce your overall belly fat.

If this is your mindset, you’re in for some serious disappointment!

If you ask me, I disagree with the mindset of simply “massaging your fat away”. I think it’s hugely misleading and inaccurate. Losing weight requires a much bigger change in one’s life than simply massage. If one is trying to lose weight, there’s a lot to consider such as diet, exercise, sleep etc.

 

What Does Science Say About Massage & Belly Fat?

There’s not many scientific studies I could find on massage and belly fat, but the one I did find talks about aromatherapy massage on the abdomen of post menopausal women.

Basically, each participant would massage their abdomen using an aromatic oil (such as grapefruit and cypress oil) twice a day 5 days a week for 6 weeks. The results in the end show a decrease in the abdominal subcutaneous fat of the participants. You can read the full article here.

So does this mean that massage can indeed reduce belly fat?

Nope, I’m still not convinced with this study. There’s no mention about the participants having a controlled diet, or exercise regimen. If those aspects are not controlled, then how do we know that weight loss is not from something else other than the aromatherapy massage? The study doesn’t seem to be properly designed, as it doesn’t seem to account for all variables. This is my opinion for what it’s worth.

 

“So Are You Saying Massage Is Useless When It Comes To Cellulite Reduction?”

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that massage is 100% useless or ineffective when it comes to reducing belly fat. Massage alone is probably ineffective at helping you lose weight. However, massage combined with a well designed weight loss program is probably a lot more effective at reducing belly fat.

This goes back to what I was saying earlier at the start of this post about how nothing worth having comes easy!

If you’re looking to lose weight, then several aspects of your life needs to change. I’m talking diet, exercise, sleep, activity, and a whole bunch of other things.

I’ve never been on a weight reduction regimen before, so I can’t tell you how to lose belly fat. That being said, I’m sure there’s ton of awesome programs you can find that give you step by step directions on what to do each day for weight loss.

Have you ever seen that show Extreme Weight Loss before on TV? If you have, you’ll have realized that losing weight is some hard hard work. If anything it requires some serious drive and dedication! So much so that participants break down emotionally because of how much effort is required.

If losing belly fat were that easy, all those participants would have simply hit up their closest massage establishments, and ta-da!

 

“How Can I Massage The Abdomen? And Is Abdominal Massage Safe?”

Growing up as a child I’ve always been a little skeptical about abdominal massage and how safe it is. It’s one of those things I would never ask my therapist to massage during my bi-weekly appointments. I always thought it might make my stomach feel worse after massage than before!

That being said, the more I read into it, the more I’ve grown to understand that I might have actually been wrong my entire life.

Turns out abdominal massage isn’t all that bad!

Of course as is the case with any massage, there is some element of risk you need to be aware of, but otherwise if done properly abdominal massage has some surprising benefits such as constipation relief, improved digestion, and even pain relief!

So how do you go about massaging your tummy? Well, there’s tons of techniques you can follow. One that I’ve tried more recently and derived some benefit from is this one (Credit: Yara Mel).

I cannot say whether it helped me with belly fat reduction because I don’t have much belly fat to begin with (blessed with good genes!). However, it did feel pretty good from a relaxation standpoint!

 

However, I Still Have Some Departing Words Of Caution!

When it comes to abdominal massage or any massage for that matter, please consult with your doctor before starting any regimen. If you’re going to be self-massaging, be sure to share the technique with your doctor so he/she can advise if there are any concerns to be aware of.

Also, if your tummy doesn’t feel good after massage, STOP! Don’t persist with something if it’s clearly not helping.

Last but not least, if you enjoyed reading and got some value from this post, please consider sharing on the social media platforms. It really does go a long way to supporting the growth of this site. See you in next week’s post!