You know that long, usually blue cylinder tube that sits to the side at the gym? Ever wondered what to do with it? It turns out that this simple, lightweight, piece of equipment can be a game changer no matter your fitness routine.
Let’s just say this serves as a cheap deep tissue massage for overworked muscles. Muscles can often times have tears or adhesions in them from stress or overtraining. When these adhesions do not heal properly, knots can form and this ultimately limits your use of your muscle, flexibility, and range of joint motion. This can all lead to injury.
When you use a foam roller you are essentially applying pressure to spots of over activity in the muscle. Applying this pressure is called self-myofascial release and helps to decrease tension and tightness in muscles. The spots that feel sore when touched are trigger points or knots.
So what does a foam roller have to do with growing your personal leadership? Well, read on. Even this little piece of equipment can contribute to being a better “you.”
No matter how old you are, flexibility is key to health and quality of life. By using a foam roller everyday, tight muscles will begin to loosen and allow joints to move freely.
One of the greatest benefits of foam rolling is a release of pressure and pain that many feel in their lower back. This pain is usually due to tight hamstrings that end up pulling on the muscles all the way down your leg and up towards your glutes. All of this works together to inhibit movement in sitting, bending, and twisting. When these muscles stay tight, a cycle of injury occurs.
Even after using a foam roller over a short period of time consistently, you will begin to feel the difference in your muscles at the touch. Muscles that once felt tight and hard even when at rest, will begin to feel relaxed and flexible.
When knots are formed in your muscles, they will restrict blood flow. This causes poor circulation to occur in specific areas of your body which ultimately can lead to poor circulation everywhere if the problem worsens. This is why you can sometimes feel numbness in limbs or even impaired cognitive ability.
By using a foam roller to release pressure and break up these knots and adhesions, better circulation can occur. When doing this on a regular basis the muscles will become less likely to form knots and a regular flow of oxygen can occur allowing your body to recover easier and faster when put under stress.
Whether you are a professional athlete or first time 5K runner, muscle soreness will find a way to creep in. Most everyone has been a victim of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This usually occurs 24-48 hours after a muscle has been overused.
However, research suggests that by foam rolling, this can reduce the amount of soreness that occurs after an extensive workout. So remember, when you decide to try that cycle or combat class, take your foam roller to use afterwards!
Sometimes injuries are just inevitable. But by staying consistent in the maintenance of your body, you can narrow down the risks of injury due to neglect of your body’s signals for attention. Just like it is wise to eat clean food (versus processed food) to maintain the health and wellness of your body, the same goes for consistent practice at foam rolling.
However, it is important to remember that inflammation is always a key that injury could exist or worsen. This can often occur with the IT band in runners . If you are aware that certain areas are inflamed, it is best to keep the foam roller away until the swelling decreases. Use other techniques of stretching to relax these muscles.
Don’t we all need it! Cortisol is a hormone that increases with exercise, but also increases when stress takes over your body due to work that is physical, mental, or emotional. Cortisol is the evil hormone that puts fat around your midsection…especially in women!
Studies have shown that exercise can substantially reduce stress, but that foam rolling after exercise can lower cortisol. No matter your goal for stress reduction, the combination of both exercise and foam rolling work together to alleviate mental and physical stress as it allows the body the chance to exert all that energy that has had no place to escape.
You can find foam rollers at most fitness or athletic stores, but always online. Amazon houses the best options so here are a few of my favorites:
Choose what’s right for you and make it a habit. Don’t forget to take a picture with your new equipment and post it. Tag me and let’s start a “Foam Rolling Movement!”
