Roll & Release: the Benefits of Foam Rolling
By Sara Allain-Botsford
In an ideal world, we would each have access to a massage therapist whenever we needed, provided by national insurance. One can dream. But especially during quarantine with so many things closed, confined at home, this is a great opportunity to incorporate the foam roller for recovery and relaxation to your self-care routine.
5 Benefits from using the foam roller:
1. It’s relaxing: It helps to massage out tension from the body. It’s a great substitute or complement for a massage.
2. Before yoga: It helps with flexibility and can help increase range of movement.
3. After yoga: it aids in muscle recovery.
4. Myofascial release: the fascia cover the muscles like sausage casing, applying pressure helps loosen it and the muscles, reducing tension in the body.
5. It works your core and upper body muscles while you support your body and move it on the foam roller.
You can foam roll before and after physical activity, there are benefits to both. Rolling before exercise helps to relax the muscles increasing flexibility during your activity. Rolling after helps relieve muscle soreness.
At the end of the working day, you can lie back on the foam roller to relieve the deleterious effects of working on the computer, opening the chest and relieving the tension in the back muscles. Rolling on the legs helps to ease out the tension from sitting and driving.
Start with 30-60 seconds per muscle group. It’s like stretching, you want some feeling but not too much, don’t go too hard or you’ll risk injury. When you find a muscle knot or spot of tensions roll around it not on it.
To learn how, join Sara Sundays, 8:15 -9:15 pm GST for Roll & Release.
Sara is a 200 hr RYT certified yoga teacher. She completed her first yoga teacher training in 2016 and has been practicing yoga since 2008. Healthy movement is essential to moving easily through life. She enjoys yoga for the mental and physical benefits that complement her active lifestyle. Off the mat, Sara enjoys cycling, swimming, and tennis.