How Foam Rolling Beats a Professional Massage

 My foam roller is my best friend.  Okay maybe it doesn't help me work out complicated emotional matters or rock out with me at local shows or enjoy a mimosa at brunch on Sundays but it absolutely helps me keep my body happy and healthy!  It helps me sort out the kinks that affect my flexibility and it helps relieve the aches and pains I have to come to associate with the marvels of motherhood.  Where once I was rolling to help my dance skills and warm up/cool down from circuit training, now I'm using it to help alleviate the "mom shoulders", "baby carrier back", and the "breastfeeding elbow/wrist funk" that is part of my daily life.  

There are tons of articles and blogs on the benefits of foam rolling (click here) so rather than reinvent the wheel I've decided to point out some ways in which your foam roller can actually be better than a professional massage.  Yup, you heard me.  Better than a professional massage.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good massage as much as the next girl.  Having someone else do the work and a nice relaxing setting to unwind are both absolute personal favorites but since I didn't marry a massage therapist and I don't have unlimited income or access to a 24 hour masseuse I've come to realize just how important my foam roller is for creating a consistent (and realistic) self-care routine.  So here you go!  

FIVE WAYS MY FOAM ROLLER IS BETTER THAN A PROFESSIONAL MASSAGE

1. Time Friendly - seriously, five minutes or fifty and I'll feel some benefits!  Can't argue with something that requires so little time to feel positive effects.
2. Cheap! - $30 for a solid roller! I've had mine for 5 years and you couldn't tell it apart from the brand new ones I sell at my studio.  A one-time investment that just keeps giving!  Unlike a professional massage I don't have to pay-per-use.  
3. 24 hour Availability - I don't have to schedule in advance.  I can hop on my roller at 3am or 9pm no problem.  
4. Knows where and how hard (or soft) I like it without me asking - I don't have to pick a "target" spot for them to focus on and I never have to say "could you go a little harder please?" only to then wish I hadn't asked moments later when they come upon a more tender spot.
5. Added bonus of being a workout - okay I suppose this could also qualify as a negative too but, honestly, once I get on it and realize I'm easing the pain and working my core, those endorphins kick in like a double dose of awesome.  

Want to learn how to take full advantage of your foam roller?  Need some instruction on how to roll properly?  

• Sign up for a Foam Roller 101 Workshop (see flyer below)
  
• Set one up for you and some friends
  
• Schedule a one-on-one session with me here in OB!  

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