I was in the Domain, Sunday morning, 7.30am. It was a fresh, gorgeous start to the day.
The sun was filtering through teeny tiny fluffy white clouds. (Who said summer was over?) Dogs were being walked, runners were doing their thing. It was almost so perfect that I expected everyone to burst into a musical number, a la the opening scene of La La Land.
You get the picture. It was close to idyllic. Except for me. I was ruining the opening number. I was lying on the ground, writhing a little, emitting the occasional groan. Every now and again I'd change position, and repeat. Gah.
But this HURTS! The cause of my pain? An innocuous, piece of round foam, roughly the size of two rolls of paper towels tapped together. But a lot harder. A LOT harder. A foam roller. If you're unfamiliar with the joys of a foam roller, Google tells us that using one is a great way to do some self-myofascial release, and by rolling over various areas of the body, you'll break up adhesions and scar tissue and speed up the healing process after your workout. Basically you're giving yourself a massage. But not the lavender-scented whale music kind, with votive candles scattered around. Oh no. More the deep tissue ucalyptus-smelling sports kind.
Yes, a foam roller can make you moan and groan, but it appears there is nothing they can't do. Increased blood flow to muscles, lower risk of injury, better recovery time… hell, it can probably walk the dog for you and make your morning coffee.
I have a love hate relationship with the foam roller; some are lumpy, some are smooth.
Pro tip – start with the smooth. The bumpy ones hurt more. I hate that it does hurt to roll bits of me out, but I love that I control how hard I do it, and I love the way my body feels afterwards.
It's not just a roller you can use, even a humble tennis or cricket ball tucked under your glutes and a bit of pressure applied can feel amazing too. A bit of myofascial self-love is definitely worth exploring.
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