The Necessary Evil That Is Foam Rolling

If you have been running or working out for a while, you’ve heard of foam rolling. If you’ve never foam rolled in you life, you are missing out. While yes, it is painful, there’s many benefits to foam rolling.

When you’ve had intense workouts and your legs and booty ache, it’s a good idea to visit that foam roller. Basically, self-myofascial release is a fancy term for self-massage to release muscle tightness or trigger points. There’s been weeks where I’ve worn heels every day and my calves are killing me so even if you aren’t a runner or athlete, foam rolling can benefit you as well!

My friend Jennifer, who is a Pilates instructor, praised my religious foam rolling. She says “The reason it hurts is because our muscles are tight. You want to release that tension to help your muscle recover easier.” Whenever I don’t foam roll, I feel some muscles tighter than others and it affects my running stride. This can have a snowball effect which can lead to injury.

Here’s a few of my favorite foam rollers:

Gaiam Restore Deep Tissue Roller

This guy really gets all the knots in your legs. I like to use this for the back of my legs and right under my booty. The ridges really help you get into areas that need a little extra work.

Gaiam Restore Pressure Point Massager

Sometimes, I just want to lay on the couch and work on my IT band. This is my go to for quick knots. Obviously, it’s not a traditional foam roller but it can get the job done. It’s easy to pack so if you’re traveling and want some relief, pick this one up!

ROLL Recovery R8

Now this is the most popular foam roller among runners at the moment. I am not lucky enough to have one of these (YET!) but I’ve heard such great things about it. These rollers are available for pre-order so you can head to their site and check it out. What I really like about it is that it looks like it gets all sides of your legs without having to contort yourself into weird shapes. I’ll definitely be investing in one of these soon!

Do you have a foam roller? How often do you foam roll?