Who
doesn’t love and enjoy a massage? Too often though, massage is seen as a luxury
rather than a necessity. Times are rough and money is tight, we all understand
and appreciate that fact. And what happens when money becomes tight? More than
likely you yourself will come to feel like your pocket. So what’s the
alternative? Keep ignoring your body or “indulge” yourself with a massage? Have
you ever considered foam rolling?
Foam
rolling on a regular basis provides many of the same benefits as a massage
without hurting your bottom line. Foam rollers are becoming increasingly
popular and can be purchased just about anywhere these days for fairly cheap.
They’re even easy to use.
Foam
rollers come in a variety of sizes and differing degrees of hardness: the softer
the foam material, the softer and easier it is to roll on whereas with
increasing hardness, the deeper the “massage.” That’s right, massage. Foam
rolling is a form of self-massage you can perform every day. Although nothing
can compare to the genuine massage, foam rolling can be just as refreshing. Similar
with massage, foam rolling can:
·
Improve flexibility
·
Promote local blood flow
·
Increase Range of Motion
·
Break up knots and adhesions in tissues
·
Release trigger points
·
Enhance recovery time
·
Work as a good warm-up before exercise as well
as a cool-down after
Water should also be consumed
after rolling, same goes for after a massage too, in order to rehydrate the
body and aid in the removal of toxins. Like massage, foam rolling is a “hurts
good” process, meaning that it will hurt, but that special kind of hurt where
it’s beneficial and necessary like shipping your kids off to college or
skipping dessert. Instead of the therapist controlling the pressure, you
dictate how much pressure is applied and how long the sessions last.
Foam
rolling can be just as beneficial as having a regular massage without paying
for each and every session. Give it a try and find out for yourself. PowerWorks
Fitness is now offering several foam rolling classes throughout the week, morning
and evening, so if you’re on the fence or curious about foam rolling you can
give it a shot and see how it suits you.
You can contact Cody Berry for
more information regarding the information in this article at cody.ryan.berry@gmail.com.
