Rolling, Rolling, Rolling....

Any person who trains, works out, or plays a sport gets tired and sore eventually. And, depending upon the intensity level of the activity, that soreness can prohibit you from performing at your best. What if there was a simple, inexpensive way to help decrease that tightness and soreness on your own time?

Here's where I introduce the tennis ball and the foam roller to you, my faithful readers, clients, and athletes. If you are not already using these tools, why not?!?!

Now, I am a huge proponent of sports massage techniques and I have a weekly standing appointment with a fantastic therapist who knows and understands the body and how it works much better than I do. However, he is not cheap (and he shouldn't be) and I need to help my body recover more often than just 45 minutes a week. I train for triathlon 5-6 days/week, sometimes twice a day. And my foam roller and tennis balls are some of the most important training tools I have, right up there with my goggles, bike, and running shoes.

Your muscles are surrounded by a connective tissue called fascia. Think of this tissue like the thin wrappers that connect links of sausage together. Now, this fascia covers your entire body, just underneath the skin and fat tissue. Bands of it run the length of your body from your heel to your head, while others wrap around your hips to your shoulders. It's everywhere.

Now when you workout, this tissue tends to tighten down on your muscles as they shorten, helping to contribute to the stiffness and lack of flexibility you feel in your muscles. Think of foam rolling like a self-massage. By rolling the tennis balls under your feet and using the foam roller on your larger muscles like your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, you are performing many helpful actions. Most importantly, you are loosening up the fascia allowing your muscles to move more freely and you are encouraging blood flow which will carry away to soreness-inducing lactic acid.

So, at the very least, go get some tennis balls. Sit down, place them under the arches of your foot, and roll them back and forth, side to side, for about minute or two on each foot. Since there are bands of fascia running the length of your entire backside, you might even see a change in the flexibilty of your hamstrings and low back! And if you can't get a hold of a foam roller, try a rolling pin used for baking. Applied gently, it has the same effects as a foam roller.

And then, you too can be your own massage therapist!!