Use The Versatile Foam Roller: For Exercise as Well as Relaxation

Are you one of those who wants to get fit, but are daunted by formidable-looking yoga poses? To benefit by the yoga postures, you don’t need to get into the final stages; it’s more important to maintain the correct form, and even the process of getting there brings you the benefits. You can use props to help move into the postures. One such prop is the deceptively simple looking foam roller.

Foam rollers are available in several lengths, breadths and densities to suit your training needs. With a full length foam roller, you can strengthen the core, improve balance and alignment. That makes foam roller a useful tool in Yoga and Pilates exercises.

Similarly, you may be using benches in the gym to do weight training to get well-toned arms. A suitable long foam roller, though not as high as a regular leather cushioned bench, does a decent job and is inexpensive and portable as well. You can also do stretches on the foam roller that will help you to reverse the damage done by rounded shoulders and forward-tilted head involved in desk work.

Foam Rollers can help you with correct posture and better spinal alignment. Image: Epic Self

In fact, you can use the wooden rolling pin in your kitchen to soothe your aching feet. Just put it under your feet and roll your feet back and forth. The following video shows even better uses for your kitchen equipment.

How Foam Rollers Help

Just under the skin, there are soft connective tissues called fascia that wrap around the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. Together, muscle and fascia make up what is called the myofascial system. When muscles are not used much, the fascia and the underlying muscle tissue can adhere to each other, restrict muscle movement and cause pain.

The foam roller stretches muscles and tendons and breaks down soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue. This is called myofascial release. By using a cylindrical foam roller and your own body weight, you can target very closely the trouble spots and perform a self-massage or myofascial release, break up trigger points, and soothe tight fascia while simultaneously increasing blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues. This improves the body’s flexibility and the range of motion of muscles.

This video shows exercises for the neck using a medium-sized foam roller.

The following videos show how to relax your upper back. Rollers stimulate pressure points along the spine and the lower back, increase circulation and release the cramped muscles. The joints are decompressed and muscles become more open. Pressure is reduced on the spinal nerves and discs. This allows the spine to reorganize itself in a natural pattern.  This lowers the risk of bulging or herniated discs.

Foam rollers help in doing many yoga postures.

Women normally find it difficult to do push ups. Using a roller helps.

Rollers come in other shapes as well. Sportsmen and athletes will love the stick as it helps them to isolate and target even more closely the muscles in their calves. Read the particulars at www.stickman.com. There are videos t the site that explain how the stick works and how to use the stick.

Similarly, the following sites would show how to use foam rollers for stretching or as props/tools for pilates or yoga.

Sportsmedicine:  http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller_2.htm

Piltes Digest : http://www.pilatesdigest.com/foam-roller-fun/           

Yoga Tools: http://yogatools.com/foam-roller-yoga/

How to do things:  http://www.howtodothings.com/health-fitness/how-to-use-a-foam-roller-in-pilates

Additionally, here are some great ideas on how to use foam rollers to exercise the hips and thighs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJLxruO3su0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lLw81kGeXg