Foam Fail

Hi guys!! How are you?? Hope you’re having a great morning <3 Thank you so much for your amazing words of encouragement about me going back to Valdizzy in the Spring. I’m pretty excited because a friends of my friends’ babies are due in the Spring and I can’t wait to go play 🙂

I woke up early for a breakfast date with this little lady:

me and ash

Ashley!

We had breakfast at Panera and talked about life 🙂 It was pretty glorious.

I munched a whole grain bagel with peanut butter + half a coffee (any more than that and WATCH OUT, haha)

bagel

After breakfast, I called a couple of gyms to see if I can go talk to someone about teaching Zumba, but no one in management is in. Maybe later today I’ll just show up with a resume and see what happens 🙂

So last night, my cousin and I *tried* to film a foam roller video for you before I had to leave for work. We took about 10 takes and one of us started laughing at my goobery-ness at one point or another and it just didn’t happen. I need my Pilot filmmaker 😉

I have a feeling that until I get a tripod and can do this when no one is home, my videos are going to go something like this:

Bahaha.

Here’s an awesome video I found on YouTube, which will hopefully give you some new foam rolling ideas- it includes all of my favorite foam rolling uses.

Some tips:

-Always check with a doc before adding something new into your fitness routine. Chances are that he or she will give you the green light, but be sure to ask if foam rolling is a good choice for you.

-Use the foam roller for injury *prevention*, instead of busting it out when you’re already injured. If you have an injury, make sure to see a doc to see what your steps to healing should be

-Ideally, active people should foam roll every day. I set aside at least 5 minutes each night and will foam roll in the floor in front of the TV.

-As I roll, I usually find a “sweet spot” where my muscle is extra tight. I’ll roll over this small part 5-10 times to really loosen it up.

-As you roll your back, make sure to keep your back supported by contracting your abs and keep your spine neutral by gazing straight up at the ceiling.

-There are many different types of foam rollers- play around in the store to find the one that’s best for you. I have a short one (its about 2 ft) because it’s easy to stash in the suitcase when I travel. I prefer the longer ones (TWSS? Baha), but the shorter ones work just as well 😉

-Many gyms have foam rollers that you can use, but I’d recommend investing in your own. They’re anywhere from $20-40 and act as a personal masseuse.

Do you foam roll?? How often? Any favorite exercises that aren’t mentioned in the video??

Updated to say: Just got word of a crazy awesome OpenSky foam roller promo coming soon- if you’ve been needing one, I’ve got the hook up 🙂 Well I’m off to the gym for a run and then off to work!

See ya later today <3

xoxo,

Gina

Something to do: Please send Reader’s Request ideas my way via the comments or email (fitnessista at gmail dot com)!

Something to think:

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.
Og Mandino

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70 Comments

  1. Teri [a foodie stays fit] on October 14, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    I love foam rolling! It’s especially important for me since I’m so prone to IT band issues.

  2. Menden on October 14, 2010 at 8:51 pm

    I love my foam roller! I was SO SORE earlier this week from working out my legs, and foam rolling totally helped work the soreness out of my muscles.

    What a great “something to think about”…thanks for sharing! 🙂

  3. Christina on October 14, 2010 at 9:53 pm

    I love love love my foam roller! My trainer made me start using it about a year ago and I have never been more flexible since. It’s helped my muscles recover faster and work out any knots I have in my body. It’s an amazing fitness tool for sure

  4. Jennifer@ Frost Bites on October 14, 2010 at 10:30 pm

    I totally foam roll, especially after long runs, helps all my muscles especially gastrocs and my hammies. I have a smaller one that you can take when traveling also. I actually learned about it from you! Thanks Ms. Fitnessista!

  5. Moni'sMeals on October 14, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    I love foam rolling and encourage all my clients to do so as well. I try to 3-4 a week if I am lucky. 😉

  6. Laughter-Loving Stacy on October 15, 2010 at 1:32 am

    Love the quote! It’s important to just treat everyone with kindness, you end up feeling pretty happy at the end of the day!

    And I thought foam roller was just a way to massage sore muscles or something! I didn’t know they could actually be a workout! WOAH.

  7. Angela on October 15, 2010 at 9:44 am

    Wow! You had a busy, busy day. But it looks like you really enjoyed it. Good things for me yesterday were a prize from NuNatural and Julie GoLean, a movie with my man and just relaxing. It was rainy in NY but its a nice change, everything seems calmer when it rains!

  8. Aggie on October 19, 2010 at 1:56 pm

    I just discovered foam rolling this past month and it has SAVED me! I was having major hip problems, especially when after I ran or spinned. It was horrible, so much pain I was in. Someone showed me the foam roller and turns out my quads and IT band are super tight and have tons of knots! I work on it daily and such improvement. I feel like an advertisement!! LOL

    But really, great video to post. I haven’t taken the time to research videos so I’m glad I saw this. Confirmed I’m doing everything right. 🙂

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