If you use the right technique, a foam roller can act like a really good, free masseuse. When done regularly, foam rolling unties the knots in your muscles by breaking down adhesions and helping to heal the tissue. While its necessary to work hard during your workouts, its equally as important to make sure your body gets the recovery it needs. And while getting a massage every once in a while is a great way to treat yourself and soothe sore muscles, foam rolling is a much more wallet-friendly and time efficient way to recover on a daily basis. Here are four convincing reasons why you should be foam rolling every day: 1. It reduces soreness and tightness from working out. You know that feeling when you wake up the day after a really hard workout and your muscles are so sore its hard to move? Yeah, weve all been there. But foam rolling right after your workout (or even the next day) can help reduce some of that soreness and tightness. 2. It increases flexibility. We all know how important it is to stay flexible, and foam rolling can help with that too. Maintaining flexibility throughout your life reduces injuries, improves your athletic performance and keeps you strong and healthy into old age. 3. It helps prevent injuries. When you work out hard, your muscles end up tight and develop knots from constant stress. And unless you can afford the time and money to get a full body massage once or twice a week, your best bet for staying injury-free is to foam roll on a regular basis. When you foam roll out the tight spots, it prevents those areas from becoming injury trigger points which could lead to a variety of bigger problems such as shin splints, neck immobility, IT band….. 4. It helps you de-stress. Foam rolling away the knots can help you de-stress at the end of a tough day—just like a massage would. Thats because when you release your knots and sore spots, the tension built up in your connective tissue releases and leaves you feeling less stressed. *How to get started foam rolling* You can use a foam roller on any part of the body, but its especially great for your calf muscles, lats (back muscles), quads, hamstrings and butt. No matter what part of the body youre focusing on, your goal should be to roll back and forth for 30 seconds to a minute for each muscle group. Any time you find a sore spot (youll know when you do), you should make your best effort to stay there for around 15 seconds in order for the tissue to have time to release. And be aware: if this is your first time foam rolling, you may find it painful—even excruciating—when you first start out. Keep with it for a few weeks and the pain will ease up. To keep flexible, stress-free, and avoid injuries, you should aim to foam roll on a daily basis for 5 to 20 minutes. As we end in Pilates we align it to our spine and gently rock back and forth. It really opens your lungs to breathe DEEEEP. Very relaxing…..
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 03:26:51 +0000
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