The first goal when we all wake up is to have the best day possible. Sometimes this gets messed up before we even get started. We sleep through alarm clocks and are late so we are rushing the whole day. We just don’t feel right and our body is off or we sleep in the wrong position and now we aches and pains that we have to workout to try to feel better. Possibly you just didn’t have a good night sleep or enough sleep because you went to bed later than you expected.

There is a long list of reasons why many of our days don’t start off ideal which more often than not slips into us not being able to have the most productive day. I guess in a perfect world we would all wake up like the prince in the movies Coming to America. Beautiful spacious bed, perfect temperature setting in the room, just the right amount of sunlight. Laying in the perfect position with the best pillow and gently waking up to a symphony. Well this isn’t the reality for 99.9% of us in the world and definitely not the people reading this blog.

But how do you make everyday the best day possible? You do some research, play around with a few ideas and construct a regimen that works for you. As an athlete we always talk about warming up and being a our peak so we can perform. That is the same for everyone else living life as well. If you start your day in ways that put you in the best possible light you will have less stress, a clearer mind and a more joyful heart. With those three components your will be a better employee, parent, partner and person all around.

The first thing I do when I wake up every day is go and sit in my Human Touch Super Novo masage chair for twenty minutes. If you look they tell you that everyday first thing you should meditate. No better place to do than your chair! I don’t your the same setting every morning but I do a 20 min session and I always use the heat option.

During this time I mentally go over the thoughts and key points of what i would like to do that day. I try to visualize and anticipate things that may happen that day and ways to proactively deal with adversity. I also envision the success that i would like to see on that day. Many times while I’m in the chair i do drills and allow my mind to take over my body and talk to my muscles and tell them what needs to trigger without actually doing the motions fully. This gets my body ready to move, my muscles get the gentle wake up that then need so I can be at my best.

I totally understand that everyday it’s going to be perfect but if you take the to find a regimen that works for you and stick to it you will have more good days than bad. Thank you for checking into the recovery corner and I hope this was helpful to you in your wellness journey.

Maurice Allen

World Long Drive Champion 

WLD Tour Champion 

Long Drivers European Tour Champ

American Cancer Society Ambassador 

Boys & Girls Club of America Ambassador 

Former Guinness World Record Holder 

mauriceallen360.com

When people buy massage chairs, they typically do so because they want to massage away tension and pain in their backs, shoulders and even lower body. However, there’s another function that advanced and modern massage chairs offer that often gets overlooked: stretching. A back stretching chair can help further improve pain and tension while making the massage experience more relaxing.

But what exactly is a back stretching massage chair? What are the benefits of stretching your back?

How Back Stretching Works in Massage Chairs

Most people are familiar with how the massage function works on a massage chair, but what about stretching? How exactly does that work?

Of course, the answer will depend on the massage chair itself. Stretching can be achieved in a few different ways.

If you’re using a built-in Stretch program, the chair may:

• Inflate its air cells, which wrap around your arms and legs.
• Move into a reclined position.
• Have its massage rollers move in an upward direction to gently stretch back muscles.

The stretching is typically gradual and gentle, making it ideal for those with sensitive back muscles or individuals who have never really had a stretching regimen.

Some chairs offer more rigorous and intense stretching options, but you can often adjust the intensity to your liking using the remote control or built-in navigation buttons.

Benefits of Back Stretching

Stretching, in general, provides many benefits for the entire body, but it can be especially beneficial for the back.

Why? Because stretching the muscles that support the spine can help alleviate pain and may even improve your range of motion.

In fact, experts say that stretching and strengthening back muscles is the key to not only alleviating but preventing back pain.

Stretching your back can help:

• Improve flexibility and your range of motion
• Reduce the risk of debilitating back pain
• Reduce or even eliminate tension in spine-supporting muscles
• Improve your posture
• Prevent injuries
• Decrease muscle soreness

Stretching clearly has many benefits for your back, but how can you take advantage of these benefits with your massage chair? It’s important to find the right massage chair that stretches back muscles and helps relax the muscles that support your spine.

Best Massage Chairs for Back Stretching

Certus Massage Chair

The Certus delivers a vigorous massage and has a built-in Stretch wellness program to help stretch out tired and stiff back muscles. In addition, lumbar heating further helps melt away tension as you immerse yourself in a relaxing massage.

When you activate the chair’s Stretch program, its air cells provide a gentle massage while the robotic massage works on your back and glutes to soothe tension and elongate muscles. The dynamic stretch function pairs well with other built-in massage programs to deliver pain and tension relief.

Features

• 11 Auto programs, including a stretch program
• S- and L-track massage
• Lumbar and foot heating
• Calf and foot massager
• Zero gravity seating
• Built-in Altec Lansing sound system
• AcuPoint detection
• CloudTouch Acupressure
• Space-saving design

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Built-in Stretch program makes it easy to stretch muscles
• Zero gravity seating takes pressure off the spine
• Advanced massage system
• Heated elements help reduce stress and tension
• Only requires 0.2” of rear clearance

Cons

• May be too feature-rich for users who want a simple stretch

Price

• $7,999.00

Color Options

• Earth (brown)
• Sun (yellow)
• Sky (blue)
• Moon (white)
• Slate (gray)

Warranty

• 5-year limited

Get the Certus massage chair.

Super Novo

The Super Novo is our most advanced massage chair, packed with features and designed to help stretch tight and stiff back muscles. The full-body stretch function, 3D and 4D massage programs, CloudTouch Acupressure and zero gravity position all help relax back muscles to alleviate pain and discomfort.

The chair’s Yoga Studio program features a Stretch program with a bend and stretch function to extend your spine and legs. The stretching movement helps alleviate tension and relaxes back muscles to help reduce pain.

Features

• Full-body stretch functionality
• 3D and 4D massage programs
• 38 built-in wellness programs
• CloudTouch Acupressure
• Unibody track that covers 60% more of the back
• Zero gravity position

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Total body stretching helps stretch out the back
• Dual lumbar heating further helps loosen tight back muscles
• Zero gravity position takes pressure off of the spine
• Multiple massage programs and options for complete relaxation
• Requires just 2” of clearance

Cons

• Virtual therapist feature can have connectivity issues

Price

• $9,999.00

Color Options

• Black
• Espresso
• Cream
• Gray
• Saddle

Warranty

• 5-year limited warranty

Get the Super Novo massage chair.

Quies Massage Chair

The Quies massage chair features a built-in stretch program, zero gravity seating, lumbar heating and other great features to help loosen and relax back muscles.

The Quies chair features built-in Comfort AirCells that apply pressure to key points on the body. These AirCells also help gently stretch muscles to ease tension in your back and other areas of the body.

An easy-to-use, intuitive control panel makes it simple to activate all of the chair’s features that help stretch your muscles. The Stretch program can be accessed with just a few touches of a button and will target your entire body.

Features

• 9 Built-in massage programs, including Stretch
• S- and L-track massage
• Zero gravity seating
• Dual lumbar heating
• Bluetooth speakers with sound soothe function

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Built-in stretch massage program is convenient
• Lumbar heating helps reduce stress and tension in the back
• Zero gravity position gives your spine a rest
• Advanced massage programs immerse you in a state of relaxation

Cons

• Requires more wall clearance than other chairs

Price

• $4,999.00

Color Options

• Cream
• Gray

Warranty

• 5-year limited warranty

Get the Quies massage chair.

Final Thoughts

The right massage chair can do so much more than just massage your muscles – it can also stretch out your body and your back. From improving flexibility and range of motion to reducing pain, there are many reasons to start stretching your back in your massage chair today. These chairs off excellent stretching programs that will gently stretch your back and the rest of your body to keep back pain at bay.

Balance is a term commonly used in today’s world and it’s consistently connected to energy. These terms have become catch phrases without a consensus understanding of the words true meaning.

In reference to the human body, human output, and recovery, the term balance is truly nonexistent. In the medical views we work in “range” instead of balance, this is due heavily to the fact that life is a progression. Balance is a term that only exists in a stagnant form, a stage or state of no movement and no outside influences. Everyday your environment is forever changing just as you are forever changing. By the time you finish reading this article you will have gotten older, your environmental influences can be different and your internal influences may have changed as well. 

In trying to learn how to recover it is extremely important that you understand that it is a cycle. The things that you do will be extremely effective until your body builds a tolerance to that particular thing, which is when it’s important to introduce something new. Ironically, after introducing 3 to 4 new things you will be able to go back to your original recovery regimen and repeat that same cycle as long as there are no new injuries. We must remember that our body is our experience, and what works for us an individuals doesn’t have to fit into a current philosophy practiced. The most important part is that it works for you and allows you to be at your best at a most consistent base.

No one will ever not have bad days that a part of the journey and “balance” give the thought that when those bad days happen it’s because you of out of sorts. Days when you aren’t feeling 100 percent can come from a long line of things but most of them aren’t bad especially when you are training towards a goal of getting better. Growth in any arena is extremely difficult and stressful but it’s because you are pushing your mind and body to new levels. This is simply the act of you changing your threshold or range, while doing this it’s important to consume enough of the proper food, the correct amount of water as well as get the proper a mouth of rest (not sleep but rest, including recovery using products such as the Super Novo massage chair). 

Over the next 90 days I will document my journey and I prepare for the opportunity to win 4 Long Drive World Championships in three different divisions. During the next 90 days I will push myself at the highest levels of all ranges to see if I can achieve this goal. It will be extremely tough but necessary to get every ounce of production out of my body. I hope you enjoy following me on this journey. 

Hello, my name is Maurice Allen and I am a professional long drive competitor as well as a professional golfer. I have teamed up with Human Touch over the next 12 months to document my recovery methods in hopes that it will give you some ideas that you can use to help you gain a greater quality of life. 

How to Use Massage Chairs for Recovery in the Right Way

In this first month I started with baseline, it’s important to know where you are to start and also to help you see improvements of any kind which will give you the motivation to continue the process. The assessment and documentation is a lot of work to be honest with you but I feel that it is a necessity and one of the first steps to truly get better. In my baseline assessment I would take 5-7 minutes every morning when I first wake up and again right before I got to bed to see how my body is responding to movement.

The key parts I check are the following:

• Feet
• Knees
• Hips
• Lower back
• Shoulders
• Neck

These are the major places that are the site of discomfort for most individuals.

The assessment is a simple series of movements that help me look at range of motion and strength. You are looking to see what feels tight, is there any sharp pain, is muscle atrophy present, inability to move, and is the movement smooth and fluid. The purpose in doing it twice a day is to see how well my body recovers as I sleep. 

From my assessment I’ve learned that I need to work on:

• Ankle mobility
• Knee stability with strengthening the supporting muscles
• Loosen up my hips
• Shoulder range of motion
• Strengthening the muscles in my neck

Do I Need a Massage for Muscle Recovery?

I know that many of you reading this will say “I’m not a professional athlete so how does this relate to me?”

Recovery and wellness is something important for everyone because you can’t perform at top level without it. If you are consistently in pain or discomfort you can’t be the best parent you want to be, the best spouse you want to be or be the best worker you want be. This is a long ongoing process but it hopefully gives you all some great information that you will be able to use as well.

Each month I will tackle one issue at a time in detail using a series of methods, I will also use my Super Novo massage chair as one of my daily maintenance tools to help me recover better and enjoy life more. We'll also explore how massage helps with muscle recovery and overall recovery in general.

Thank you for following my journey, and starting your own as well!

Exercise plays an important role in overall health and wellness, and your recovery can be just as important as the workout itself. Not only can recovery prevent muscle soreness, but it can also help support healthy muscle growth.

Human Touch® is thrilled to be a part of a major locker room renovation that the University of Alabama developed for their top-ranking NCAA Football team...

Long Beach, CA – June 17, 2020 – Human Touch®, the U.S. market leader of innovative massage chairs, Perfect Chair® zero gravity recliners, and other wellness solutions, has been honored with eight 2020 Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX).

By: Wellness Council Member, David Marcarian, MA

There is nothing like a great massage from the hands of a great massage therapist. A few years ago, my New Year’s Resolution was to get hands-on massage on a regular basis. To ensure the success of my resolution required a commitment much like joining a gym. I immediately found a massage clinic with locations throughout the U.S. and signed up! The experience was actually quite nice. The offices are quite esthetically pleasing, and the massage therapists were very skilled. I liked that I could schedule online, as I am so busy and it would be so difficult to call ahead to schedule my massage.

There was only one problem. Human Nature. Just as with a gym membership, if there is difficulty getting to the gym, difficulty parking, difficulty finding time – well like electricity, humans find the quickest path to ground. When it comes to the gym membership, that means not leaving the ground my feet were on in front of the couch. The problem? Even with online scheduling, if I did not schedule my massage at least a few days in advance, I would never get in, or get the therapist I wanted.

So here we are three years later, with monthly fees for several years and only three real massages! It’s not their fault. They have a fantastic service and system. Convenience is the key: If the service is not directly in front of you, or requires that you drive and park at times which are difficult, we simply won’t follow through. Just like with the gym membership, I purchased an elliptical instead. I wake up in the morning and with it sitting right there in front of me, I have no excuses at all. For 8 years now I’ve used it, and my blood pressure has dropped to 123 / 73 and has stayed the same due to the convenience of the elliptical.

How many massages have I had with my Human Touch^® Zero Gravity Massage Chair? I cannot even count. Sometimes it has been twice a day. I’ve woken up at 2:00 AM not able to sleep. I schedule my massage by sitting down and pressing the button: The only scheduling issue is if there is anyone else in the house. And one shift in Human Touch Engineering which has had quite an influence on access to the chair? Unfortunately for me, Human Touch engineers have finely tuned their latest massage chairs to magically adjust to the user. The newer designs are much gentler than the old “rough” rollers, meaning women now love the Human Touch approach to massage technology as much as men.

The other real advantage of having the Human Touch chair at home is that you have no way of knowing what random stressors in life, both physical and emotional, will hit at any given moment. It is really nice to know that you have a massage chair at home you can rely upon at 3:00 AM when you wake up with an aching back: A role very few legitimate massage therapists are able to fill.

For the right person who is organized enough to plan ahead, the massage franchises offer a wonderful service. For the rest of us? It may actually be less expensive when you take into considering parking, gas, work time lost etc. to own the most expensive Human Touch massage chair made! Another really good point is that massage is supposed to reduce stress, not increase it. If it takes too much effort to schedule a massage, the massage is a bit ruined for me. In addition, I really don’t like getting massage oil all over my new car’s seats!

If you have time to schedule a real-life massage, more power to you. For the rest of us insanely busy people in a world filled with traffic, stress and beeping reminders always going off, I will just stay home, curl up with a book, Netflix, and my Human Touch Massage chair whenever I choose: Just one less thing in life requiring a schedule.

Ryan Bader, MMA Bellator Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, shares his experience with the Novo XT2 Massage Chair from Human Touch. Learn how he uses his Novo XT2 as part of his training and recovery routine, and why he says it will help "take his career to the next level."

 

World Champion Athletes and Health Advocates Join Current Members to Build Awareness for the Latest Therapeutic Innovations from Human Touch

LONG BEACH, CA July 10, 2019—Human Touch^®, the U.S. market leader in high-performance massage chairs, Perfect Chair^® recliners, and other wellness innovations, announces its new Wellness Council, consisting of equestrian, Elisa Wallace, professional golfer, Stephanie Kono, triathlete and hyperbarics expert, Alexandra Williams, and returning member, Olympian and Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Andy Potts.

The Human Touch Wellness Council was formed with the intention of sourcing valuable insights from leading doctors, professional athletes, wellness practitioners, and natural healers to further advance the design, function, and needs of the Human Touch product line.

Elisa Wallace is an award-winning equestrian representing the U.S.A. in international competition. She is a 5-star three-day event rider, popular YouTuber, and well-known advocate for American Mustang adoption, off the track thoroughbreds, rider safety, and women in sports.

Stephanie Kono is an LPGA professional golfer earning her first full tour status in 2012 and re-earning her full tour status with her performance at the 2018 LPGA Q-Series. The highlight of Stephanie's 2018 season was winning the second annual Donald Ross classic on the LPGA Symetra Tour.

Alex Williams is a triathlete, hyperbarics expert, and the Founder of Holistic Hyperbarics in Berkeley, California. An EMT, birth doula, and post-surgery masseuse, she has a deep passion for promoting healing and chronic pain relief to patients.

Andy Potts is an Ironman World-Champion, U.S. Olympian, and a three-time winning USAT Triathlete of the Year. He has completed over 200 races with more than 57 first place finishes. As one of the most versatile triathletes in the world, Andy makes it a priority to give back to the sport and its community.

“We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding team of professionals to the Human Touch family,” says David Wood, CEO of Human Touch. “Their diverse experiences, along with their personal and professional dedication to total body wellness will serve to guide us as we continue to develop the most innovative, intuitive, and purpose-serving products possible for individuals with chronic pain, athletes, health professionals, and consumers alike.”

To learn more about the Human Touch Wellness Council, please visit www.humantouch.com/wellness-council

About Human Touch

Entering its 40th year, Human Touch^® proudly serves as the country’s leading provider and innovator of high-performance massage chairs, Perfect Chair recliners and other wellness solutions. Committed to creating the most immersive and personalized independent wellness experiences, Human Touch introduces patented massage systems that replicate the touch and techniques used by leading massage professionals. Each product is strategically engineered and designed to address the pains and stresses caused by today's hectic lifestyle using the latest technologies and intelligent ergonomics. Products are available at fine furniture stores, back care specialty stores, and mass-market retailers across the U.S., through international retailers and distributors in more than 40 countries, and online at www.humantouch.com.