5 Reasons Why You Need to Make Love to a Foam Roller. Daily
Literally everyone would love to lose weight this way!
For the past three weeks, I've been engrossed in Rhonda K. Garelick's biography of Coco Chanel.
Coco's life was extraordinary. She was an orphan who built a fashion empire from scratch, dated dukes and princes, and desired to mold her friends into mini-Cocos.
She'd cut their hair, dress them, and put them on diets to achieve that quintessential Chanel look.
One friend of hers particularly caught my attention: Coco's seamstress, Marie, who was overweight.
In typical Chanel fashion, she put Marie on a strict diet and, interestingly, sent her to a massage therapist to help shed pounds. That's right - back in the 1930s, they used massage therapy as a weight loss tool.
This reminded me of a conversation with my massage therapist, Stanton.
He explained how bodywork could enhance muscle definition, help decrease inflammation, and lose weight.
Hmmm…..
I decided to unpack the practice of foam rolling, massage, and other torture gadgets we use on our muscles to enhance recovery, boost muscle definition, and lose weight.
Here are my findings.
Athletic Performance and Muscle Recovery
My foam rolling and massage research led me to the most studied aspect.
Athletic performance and muscle recovery.
Self-myofascial release (SMR) is the professional term for using a foam roller or other device to enhance myofascial mobility.
Myofascial mobility refers to the ability of fascia - your connective tissue - to move freely.
As my massage therapist Stanton says,
"If we removed the fascia, all our organs would fall to the ground."
This is crazy stuff. It seems as if the fascia is our spider web, and the more mobile the web, the better we can move and feel.
Benefits of Self Myofascial Release:
Enhances joint range of motion (ROM)1
Decreases the effects of acute muscle soreness2
Reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)3
Improves post-exercise muscle performance4
Here's my routine:
Pre-workout: 5 min foam rolling session
Post-workout: A deep, full-body foam rolling session for 5-15 minutes.
Through foam rolling or bodywork (Self-myofascial release), we can enhance our athletic performance by increasing myofascial mobility, reducing DOMS, and increasing ROMS. Amazing stuff.
Relaxation
There are many ways to relax, but foam rolling and massage make you relax instantly.
And you don’t have to get a $200 massage to feel these benefits.
Foam rolling and manual massage can produce muscle relaxation similar to professional myofascial manipulations [14,15], aka massage.
When stress hits, the muscles tense up, our breathing patterns get tight, and we usually clench our teeth, jaw, or all of the above.
When you feel stressed, try a brief foam rolling session.
It's a profound technique for quickly dropping stress.
Lose Weight
You have to be kidding, this guy with this charlatan health advice, lose weight with foam rolling. Are you serious!!
Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but there is some evidence to support my crazy claims.
Manual Massage is the scientific term for various massage techniques, including effleurage, petrissage, tapping, friction, and vibration-yielding pressures on soft tissues [1,2,3]. A masseuse practices these different forms of massage.
Studies show three benefits of manual massage:
But lose weight??
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) says you can.
TCM suggests certain weight-loss practices that don't necessarily fit into our Western medicine culture. These include acupuncture, acupoint embedding, and massage[20].
Studies show that massage is a lever for the decomposition of gluteal muscle adipose tissue[24,25], which in turn helps you lose weight.
Moving your muscles and fat around seems like it would involve some caloric burn or water movement and muscle movement. So, if you need to lose weight, combining these relaxing effects can help lower cortisol levels, enhance recovery, sleep better, burn more fat, and move better.
Sleep
Massage and foam rolling help you relax your muscles or elicit muscle tone relaxation patterns. When you’re relaxed, you have low amounts of cortisol and stress hormones running through you, which improves your sleep.
The more you sleep, the better you look.
You get sexier, less inflamed, and feel great. So yes, I, the fantastic scientist, suggest that foam rolling and massage can help you sleep better and make you sexier.
Foam rolling will fulfill my dreams of becoming a European underwear model. 😉
As I mentioned, few studies show the effectiveness of this treatment, but some have shown improvement in insomnia following an anti-stress massage [22,23].
Also, in a study looking at women experiencing menopause, they tended to select body therapies as their first choice of therapy [24]. Nothing in the world feels nicer than getting a deep tissue massage and falling asleep.
So kick out that foam roller before you hit the hay or get a massage from your partner, best friend, or cat….
Mood
I've never regretted a foam rolling session, a painful Swedish massage, or a traditional Chinese massage with someone standing on my back screaming at me to “BREATHE.”
The more relaxed you are, the better you sleep. The less muscle soreness you have, the better your mood.
BOOM. Science, baby.
My Body Work Schedule
I want to share my body work schedule as we wrap up.
Here's how I work it into my day:
1x a Month: 1.5 HR whole body holistic massage deep tissue
3-5 days a week: Foam rolling 5-15 minutes each time
I use a peanut lacrosse ball as well as a foam roller, and a foot massager
1-2 a week: Partner massage with me and my girlfriend
Conclusion
I love foam rolling so much. I know it's a pain to get out of the foam roller and make love to it or spend $100+ on a massage, but it's always worth it.
The relaxation, muscle recovery, performance-enhancing, and sleep-inducing benefits are undeniable, and I prescribe body therapy in the form of foam rolling and massage for anyone and everyone.
Thank you for listening to me.
Kool Health.
LOVE YOU,
Jack (Kool Health)
Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Disclaimer
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or supplement, especially if you have medical conditions or take other medications. Individual results may vary.
I use my foam roller most days but then I just discovered these vibrating rollers at my gym and wow! They're from Theragun and AMAZING.🤤
Great read! As a massage therapist I benefit greatly from foam rolling and receiving amazing bodywork! I’ve been practicing 36 years and I know my stamina comes directly from practicing what I preach (with my hands😉) so to speak. 💫