If you’ve ever seen one of these oversized stiff looking pool noodles in the gym and wondered what in the world it is, or watched people laying on it rolling all around but have no idea what they are doing, let me enlighten you! The foam roller really is the best kept secret of the exercise community.  It doesn’t an incredible job of loosening up muscles all over your body, which in turn gives weaker muscles greater contraction strength while you work out so you can get quicker gains and achieve muscle balance more easily. A foam roller also can be used in core workouts and gives you some core benefit while you are just stretching out and releasing your muscles.

The whole premise is that your body weight on top of the roller will press in to the muscle like someone would when they give you a deep tissue massage.  When it presses on a knot for roughly 20 seconds, special nerves in the muscle, called golgi tendon, send a signal to your brain to relax the muscle fibers.  Then by rolling very slowly along the facial lines you can grab the muscle fiber and slowly stretch it breaking up tightness, scar tissue etc.

Many people have a love hate relationship with the foam roller because although it does so much good, the pressure can be uncomfortable at first and it may be hard to actually relax and release the muscle until you get used to the feeling.  When you find a tender spot, you want to stay in that spot, breathe through it, taking long deep breaths and imagine the muscle releasing and relaxing.  And that’s what we are shooting for, to wait until that nerve gets the signal and in turn your muscle goes “ahhh…”  If you’re not someone familiar with a deep tissue release, just keep rolling consistently before each workout for a few weeks and eventually your body will cooperate.

There are some contraindications as well as certain places on your body that the foam roller shouldn’t be used. You never want to place the roller directly under a joint and should avoid using it on your low back, abdomen and neck, Though if you need to relax the muscles in those areas, there are safe ways you can do so against a wall with massage balls instead of using your full body weight on the roller.  Also those with osteopenia, osteoporosis or a current DVT should avoid using a foam roller.

Because of the sedentary society and office culture we have today, one of the spots most people find most beneficial to roll is their hip flexors and TFL.  You can do this by leaning forward over the roller on your elbows in a plank position and slowly rolling one leg at a time from the hip crease down toward your knee.  Just make sure keep your upper body in a good plank position with abs contracted, tailbone down and shoulders away from your ears and you’ll get deep into the muscle and work your abs too!  Turn slightly to the outside of your leg to release the TFL, and if you are brave enough, the tighter the muscle the more intense the feeling can be, a little further down the thigh roll all the way to the outside and you’ll be releasing your IT Band.  When those three muscle groups are released, you’ll see much better gains in your glute strength helping with squats, lunges, dead lifts and power in general.

For some added core challenges to your workout, grab a 3 foot foam roller and lay lengthwise on it with your head at one end, tailbone at the other, and your feet on the ground.  From this position, you can do abdominal work. Try contracting your abs and raising one leg to table top at a time. If that’s not a challenge, try raising one and then the other before putting the first one down. You can also try dead bugs and medicine ball passes from side to side on the roller.  Upper body work ,like chest presses and chest flys are also great to do from this position. It challenges your core and gives you a larger range of motion than doing them on the floor.

There are many more ways you can get benefits from incorporating a foam roller into your workout, but if you’re a newbie, these are some great ways to start!

Traveling can be an incredible adventure, but whether you are on your dream vacation or a business trip, either way it can put a snag in your fitness routine. It doesn’t have to though, and in fact, I even suggest having a separate fitness routine just for when you travel so you are prepared and don’t have to figure it all out again with each trip. Here are some tips to help keep you feeling your best on the road:

1. Packable fitness tools are essential so that you aren’t reliant on what you might find at your destination. If your hotel has a gym or a pool that’s a bonus, but if you’ve got your own stuff and know what to do and when, you are more likely to stick to it. The key with what you pack is to keep it small, light and versatile. My favorite pieces to pack: a travel foam roller, long, flat resistance bands in light medium and heavy stregnths, a door anchor so those bands can be used for more exercises and sliding disks. Skip packing the yoga mat unless you have a thin soft foldable and just use an extra hotel towel when you are on the floor.

2. Get in a good core workout right before your trip. Long hours in an airplane or car can wreak havoc on your back & neck, tighten your hip flexors and a whole lot more. Starting off with those deep core and spinal muscles awake and engaged will help minimize the damage. If you are traveling early morning, get your workout in the evening before.

3. Keep moving along the way. Whether you are in a plane, train or automobile, get up and move at least every 2 hours. Walk the length of the plane, do a few toe raises, reverse lunges, side steps or squats. You can also do isolation movements for your abs, upper back and neck while you are seated. Doing those things will help keep you from getting stiff and out of alignment and it also helps prevent the chance of a blood clot developing.

4. Work the kinks out when you arrive. When you get to your destination, before you flop into bed. Take a few minutes to foam roll and stretch, especially your hip flexors, lower back, chest and shoulder. Then lightly engage the opposing muscles, your glutes, abs and upper back with one set of something so you even out before you sleep.

5. While you are on the vacation, make it a point to get at least 10 - 15 minutes of exercise in the mornings before you head out for the day to keep you engaging muscles in the right way all day long. You’ll also know you did something that benefits your body even if the rest of the day does not allow for exercise.