"A Place to Work It Out..."

So you’ve decided that 2014 is the year to join a gym. You want a great place to work out that will motivate you to get there on a regular basis, but where do you begin. if you look beyond the basics most gyms provide their own unique take on your workout. You might even be rethinking the gym you currently belong to. Is it meeting your fitness needs? Too much? Too little? Good classes? Too expensive?
But before we talk about specific types of gyms, here are a few factors you should consider before joining ANY gym:


1. Location and Hours- Ideally you should join a gym near your home or work. If it's too far away you probably won't go. Make sure that the gym will be open at the times you'd be most likely to work out.

2. Cleanliness- Gyms are a breeding ground for germs so look for clean benches, clean handles on cardio equipment, and wipes or spray bottles on the gym floor. And pay close attention to the condition of the locker room, bathrooms, and showers.

3. Equipment- Make sure that the gym has a number of different types of cardio and weight training equipment. Check to see that the equipment is in good condition and that some of it is new.

4. Atmosphere- Do you think the staff seems friendly? Do you see people like you in the gym? Is it too crowded? Too empty?

5. Classes and Services- Do they offer a variety of class types and times? Do they have services you would use like child care, nutrition, spa services, etc.?

6. Cost- What are you actually paying for? What will you actually use? Fees can run from $10 to well over $100 per month, so make sure you know what you are getting for your money.

If you like the idea of working out with a group but don't need the cardio machines or free weights on your own time, check out the growing number of barre training, boxing gyms, cross fit facilities or yoga fusion studios in your neighborhood. Most offer a variety of classes and times that fit into your morning, lunchtime or evening schedule and provide great workouts, most times under an hour. If it fits your schedule, you're more likely to keep up the workout. (Google "Crossfit", "Barre studio", Boxing gym" with your zip code to find the one closest to you and check out their class times).

If you absolutely cannot bear the thought of working out in front of other people, but you need assistance in getting started or getting back on track, a smaller, one-on-one personal training facility might work best for you. Many offer personal training packages, and allow you to come in to use the machines on your off days as well. Some of these smaller facilities also offer specialty programs such as outdoor boot camps that meet in local parks, or specialized packages for brides, new moms, and age specific groups. Google “group personal training “ with your zip code or ask friends or co-workers for a recommendation. (You can also email me for recommendations locally).

Next, there are chains like Club Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness. Although costs vary from state to state, club to club, and even member to member, chain gyms are usually fairly affordable and offer a variety of services for their members. Gold’s has tried to grab markets beyond the traditional weightlifter by adding classes and partnering with groups like AARP and other organizations to offer “reduced” prices. You’re often left on your own to figure out the equipment. Taking workout classes, or checking out the new programs can help you navigate the best workout for you. To find out more about each individual chain, take a look on their web sites, They will usually let you download a free 1 day or 1 week pass to try the club out.

Then, there are the club-like facilities that offer more lifestyle and luxury with your membership while still keeping a strong focus on your workout. All over the country, YMCAs, JCCs, and even local community centers have worked to refurbish, rebuild and expand their fitness facilities to compete with the high end clubs like Lifetime Fitness, Wellbridge, and others in that category. Most have programs for all ages and offer additional classes to accommodate different levels of fitness. Membership fees vary, but often include swimming pool memberships and access to intramural sports for all ages.

My advice to be sure to try the club for a day or more before signing up, and then be sure to go online to find out about membership specials or package deals that might be available to you.

"Base Lines...."

Most people start working out to lose weight and usually, the only way they gauge their “progress” is by checking the numbers on the scale. If you’ve been working out for a while, you probably have some idea of how fit you are. But assessing and recording baseline fitness scores can give you benchmarks to measure your progress.

A variety of health and fitness services are available at larger gyms and health clubs. These tests are often done at little or no cost to the client and can be a great way to get a "fitness baseline". You can sometimes find these tests available at community health fairs and screenings as well. When you have a baseline for things such as body fat, strength and flexibility you can use it to measure progress in your fitness routine, and it can also help you set realistic fitness goals.

Basically, they start by measuring cardiovascular endurance where a trainer monitors your heart rate after you walk on a treadmill or ride a bike and use the info to determine your VO Max .Then, they take flexibility measurements with a sit and reach test. And finally, strength is measured by recording the maximum weight that can be lifted, using a machine that automatically measures your bicep strength by how hard you pull on the bar during a set time period (around 5-10 seconds).

Body fat percentages are typically tested using calipers and measurements since this is one of the more accessible ways to check body fat and is generally painless. The calipers measure skinfold thickness at several areas of your body, but the accuracy of the test depends on the skill of the tester at separating your fat from your muscle and finding the right spots to pinch. The result is based on the idea that thickness of fat under the skin reflects total body fat. The results are then plugged into a formula to determine your body fat.


However, if you don’t belong to a gym or don’t have the time to spend with a tester, you can get some idea of your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility and body composition yourself by:

-Taking your pulse rate before and after a one-mile walk

-Timing how long it takes to walk one mile

-Determining your target heart rate-You can use an online target heart rate calculator or do the math yourself.
If you're a healthy adult doing vigorous activity, aim for a target heart rate of 70t o 85 percent. Find your target heart rate by following these steps:
Subtract your age from 220. This is a rough calculation of your maximum program, aim for 40 to 50 percent of your maximum heart rate): heart rate.
Determine the lower end of your target heart rate by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 0.7.
Determine the upper end of your target heart rate by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 0.85.

-Counting how many push-ups you can do at a time (If you're just starting a fitness program, do modified push-ups on your knees. If you're already fit, do classic push-ups)

-Measuring how far you can reach forward seated on the floor with your legs in front of you (The sit-and-reach test is a simple way to measure the flexibility of the backs of your legs, your hips and your lower back)

- Testing your body fat. You can buy calipers to measure body fat at many fitness store or in fitness catalogs. As before, the accuracy depends on the skill of the person doing the measuring
Where to measure: Men can just do 3 sites - chest, abdomen, and thigh. More than 26% is considered obese for men.
Women can also get a good body fat estimation with three or four sites - tricep, suprailiac (above the hip), abdomen(at the navel) and thigh. More than 32% is considered obese for women.

Taking body measurements
1. Chest: Measure under your breasts but as high up as you can go, keeping the tape measure parallel to this line when you reach it around your back. Bust: Don't squish yourself -- measure all the way around your bust and back right at your nipple line, and make sure the tape measure is not lower
2. Waist: Measure wherever it is the smallest (if you have "no waist" go around yourself right at the navel line).
3. Hips: Measure at the very biggest part -- even if that is so low that you are almost on the top of your thighs.
4. Thighs: Measure wherever they are the biggest.
5. Calves: Measure wherever they are the biggest.
6. Upper arm: Measure wherever they are biggest above your elbows.
Remeasure yourself every couple of months. It may seem discouraging to see your measurements when you start an exercise plan, but once your begin to see results, the feeling of accomplishment is wonderful.

Determining your body mass index
(BMI calculator- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bmi-calculator/NU00597)
You can figure out your Body Mass Index using this online calculator.
BMI takes into account your weight and height, giving you a number that you compare with a BMI chart.
It doesn't give you a body fat percentage, but indicates whether you're obese or overweight. For example, if your BMI is 22, that doesn't mean your body fat is 22%.
A BMI less than 18.5 indicates underweight
A BMI of 25 - 30 is considered overweight
A BMI of over 30 is considered obese
This calculation doesn't take into account age or sex. And remember, a muscular person may have a high BMI that doesn't reflect the actual body composition.


Along with these self-tests, it’s good to have your doctor test both your cholesterol and your blood pressure since regular exercise will significantly improve both numbers.

It might seem like a lot of work at first, but when you re-examine your fitness level every 4-8 months, you’ll have more than just the scale as an indicator of success!

"Spooky..."

They say that most people gain from 7-10 pounds in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I actually lose weight during that time. And it’s not because I’m more vigilant about my diet and exercise during that month; it’s because I’ve finally run out of Halloween candy!!

Every year, I would buy the candy that I loved to give out on Halloween night. I would also trek through the neighborhood with my kids, watching their Halloween bags (actually pillowcases so they could hold more) fill up with mini Reese’s Cups, Crunch bars, and Milky Ways.

As they diligently sorted out their candy categories when we got home, I calculated how many pieces I could pilfer from each stash without it being to apparent to them that some of their treats were missing. I also grabbed the leftover candy we hadn’t given out, and into my secret bag in the back of the pantry it went.

For the kids, the rule in our house was one to two pieces of candy per day after the Halloween frenzy. I tried to stick to it myself, grabbing one piece at a time while trying to hide the noise from opening the wrappers. I’d go to great lengths not to let anyone know I had eaten their candy; stuffing the empty wrappers in my purse and throwing them away outside my house.

This continued well into my kids’ college years, when, no longer able to lift candy from their trick-or-treat bags, I kept a little of the leftover candy from the care packages we sent them at school!

It took me a long time, but I finally realized I cannot eat only ONE or TWO pieces of candy if there are MANY pieces of candy in my house. So this year, I think I am going to be a Halloween “Scrooge” and skip the candy purchases all together. But, if tradition gets the best of me (and you), here’s a breakdown of candy calories, so you can figure them into your healthy eating plan:

Hershey Kisses- 26 calories and 8 g carb each kiss
Hershey's Miniature Bars(mixed) - average of 42 calories and 5 g carb each bar
M&Ms, plain, Fun size (18 g) - 88 calories and 12 g carb
Miniature Bars (Milky Way, Snickers, Twix, 3 Musketeers) - average 38 calories and 5 g carb each bar
Mr. Goodbar Snack size (17 g) - 90 calories and 9 grams carb
Nestle's Crunch Bars Fun size (10 g) 50 calories and 7 grams carb
Three Musketeers bar -Fun size (15 g) - 64 calories and 11 g carb
Tootsie Rolls -Small bar - 50 calories and 10 g carb
-Midgee - 23 calories and 7 g carb
-Mini-Midgees - 11 calories and 2 g carb
Pay Day - Snack size (19 g) - 90 calories and 10 g carb
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Miniature (about 9 grams each) - 44 calories and 5 g carb per cup
-Snack size (17 g) - 88 calories and 10 g carb
Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins (34 g) - 180 calories and 17 g carb
100 Grand Bars -Fun size (11 g) - 50 calories and 8 g carb
Almond Joy Snack size (15 g) - 80 calories and 10g carb
Baby Ruth Bar, Fun size (18 g each) - 85 calories and 13 g carb
Butterfinger Bar, Fun size (18 g each) - 85 calories 14 g carb
Heath Bar, Snack size (13 g) - 74 calories and 9 g carb
Kit Kat, Fun size (14 g) - 73 calories and 9 g carb
Milky Way bar, Fun size (17 g) - 75 calories and 12 g carb
Mounds bars, Snack size (17 g) - 83 calories and 9 g carb
Snickers Bars, Fun size (17 g) - 80 calories and 10 g carb
Take Five bar, Fun size (15 g) - 10 g carb
Twix, Snack size (10 g) - 50 calories and 7 g carb
Skittles -Original Fruit, Fun size (20 g) - 80 calories and 18 g carb
Laffy Taffy, Chocolate, small bars (8 g each) - 32 calories and 7 g carb
Milk Duds Snack size (12 g) - 54 calories and 9 g carb
Blow Pop, Junior - 50 calories and 14 g carb
York Peppermint Patties -Regular small patty (14 g) - 53 calories and 11 g carb
Raisinettes, Fun size (16 g - about 16 pieces) - 56 calories and 11 g carb
Candy Corn, Brach's - 11 pieces - 70 calories and 18 g carb
Starburst, Fun size (2 pieces per stick) - 40 calories and 10 g carb
Jr. Mints, Fun size (10 g) - 50 calories and 12 g carb
Mike and Ike small box (14 g) - 50 calories and 12 g carb



For me, the BEST and the WORST Halloween candy really is about the taste, however, Hungry Girl has come up with a slideshow of candy categories that list nutritionally, the best and the worst candy. Check it out at:
http://www.delish.com/entertaining-ideas/holidays/halloween/healthy-halloween-treats

And if you want to know what it will take to burn off the York Peppermint Patty and Tootsie Rolls you just ate, check out the Halloween candy calculator at:
http://walking.about.com/library/cal/blhalloweencalories.htm

So, if you make the choice to stash that candy, know what you’re putting into your body and know what you have to do to keep it from completely sabotaging your healthy eating plan. Though I won’t be buying candy for our household, maybe they have some yummy doggy Halloween treats for my grand puppy, Pizza!!

"Girls Just Want To Have Fun..."

I know I have been kind of MIA lately and haven’t really written much in the past month or so. No excuses, but instead of reading and researching fitness trends and ideas, I’ve actually been “researching” by talking to people on a daily basis.

Fitness and food have always been my passions, but there’s something else I really love, and that’s SHOPPING! Stores, catalog, online: you name it, I’ll browse for hours when it’s a store I love.

But, as much as I like looking at clothes online, I worry about sizing and fit, especially if it’s a brand I’ve never worn.

I discovered the online brand, Athleta a few years ago. I loved the sporty look of the clothing and the natural looking, athletic models wearing the clothes. I ordered a few pieces, but I was afraid to order too much in case I had to send something back if it didn’t fit. And although Athleta allows returns of any item for any reason, I’m pretty lazy about packing up an item and shipping it back.

So, I was pretty excited to hear they were going to open a store where I live in St. Louis. Some of the managers were recruiting people at the gym where I workout and I jumped at the chance to work there.

I knew it would be right up my alley. The store is so much more than just workout clothing. It’s a total active lifestyle concept and it caters to all women; from hard-core athletes to the neighborhood walker. They have swimwear, yoga and run clothing, hiking, and errand-running clothing. Jackets, tops, skirts, skorts, shorts, pants; everything for all activities.

But, as much as I love the clothes, what amazes me about working there is getting to know the people who shop at the store.

Obviously, I am always interested in hearing about new fitness trends and workouts, and I love to hear about each individual’s progress in their fitness journey. Whether they’ve lost 10 pounds, run a 5K, overcome an obstacle, or just want to look great at the gym, the stories and achievements they share while they are trying on the clothes and shopping really inspire me.

And, to top it all off, I work with an amazing group of women! We are a very diverse group; different ages, different backgrounds, and different goals and strengths, but we all share a common bond: our passion for fitness and a fit lifestyle, and a desire to help others with their goals.

We work hard, but we have fun. We get excited when someone comes in wearing a new Athleta top or dress and we act as each other’s fan club and fashion consultants while we try on the new merchandise. The excitement is contagious too.

Sometimes in the fitting rooms, one customer will end trying on a pair of yoga pants or dress and three other customers will end up buying the same thing.

We all have our favorite pieces and we usually share that with our customers, bringing them a dress or top they might never have considered. And when one of us wears one of our favorites, it seems like a lot of customers end up buying that same piece.

But, even though I’m working, I’m constantly getting something back. The enthusiasm is contagious, from our managers to our customers to each other.

So, go online to Athleta.com and check out their great products and then come into our brick and mortar store at Plaza Frontenac in St. Louis (and other locations throughout the US) to see the merchandise live and in 3D!! You’ll love the clothes, but mainly, you’ll love the whole experience!

"Guess Who's Going To Dinner..."

If your Mother's Day brunch or dinner out with the family brought you to one of many fast food/fast casual restaurants because it was the only place you thought your kids would eat, think again. Maybe you're underestimating their palate and giving up dining for speed.

We all know that the best way to make sure your kids are eating well is to cook the food yourself. Busy lifestyles, however, don’t always make that easy. Unfortunately, we often fall victim to the easy out of fast food when we’re in a hurry, and that can undo all of our efforts to keep our kids eating well.

Luckily, there are many types restaurant options, so taking kids out to eat can actually be a great way to teach them about healthy eating. In fact, the more they go out to good restaurants, the more comfortable they will be, and the quicker they will learn what is expected, how to behave, and what choices are good for them.

Start by choosing a nice, locally-owned restaurant, and one that is more interesting than a typical generic chain restaurant. If you appreciate good food, you can teach your children to do the same. Instead of taking them to places with loud music, video games and meal prizes, help teach your child to love and revel in the pleasure of real food and good dining. Even children can learn to appreciate the good food at a nice restaurant, and by making it a special experience, they’ll be more open to trying new foods.

Forget the kid’s menu. Most only offer reworked versions of fast food favorites filled with fat and carbohydrates, but void of nutrition. When your child is very young with a small appetite, simply ask for a separate plate and serve a little bit of your meal. Offer him a bite of your steak, a spoonful of your soup. How will he know what she likes and what she doesn’t if he’s not given the opportunity to try it?

As your children, and their appetites, grow, explain the menu and suggest items from the starter or soup menu. You can order your child several appetizers, increasing the chances of hitting upon something he likes, and opening his eyes to new flavors and combinations. The meal will be more satisfying and, potentially, less pricey. Consider the privilege of eating out an opportunity to exercise your son or daughter’s taste buds. Encouraging kids to sample foods from the starter menu can help them develop a love of foods you wouldn’t even imagine they’d like.

Also, let your kids ask questions about the menu. Your server knows the menu better than anyone else. Ask away to find out what she recommends. Try specific questions, “I like noodles and spicy dishes, but not something with a lot of meat, what do you suggest?” “He eats hamburgers and corn at home; what items might be close to those flavors?” If your child wants to talk about the food with the waiter or bartender or ask the restaurant owner a question, let him. The more involved he is in the ordering process, the more likely he will be to take ownership of a new taste.

Have your kid’s food come out when your food does; NOT before. If they eat before you, they'll either be done or bored by the time your food arrives. Share your soup. Share your salad. When the main course arrives, your child will still be hungry, but not overtly so, and will be able to enjoy their food.

While you’re waiting for your food, keep him involved in conversation. Give him a taste of your salad or soup and then ask him what flavors he tastes and how he thinks it was made. You might be surprised by your child’s observations. Describe how a dish is prepared, or where a certain vegetable on the plate grows and in what season it thrives. By engaging your child in conversation, you can make the food and the experience of dining out that much more interesting. (And teach them to dine, not just shove food in their mouth).

In the meantime, also be aware of ways to limit extra fat and calories in your meals:


-Ask about portion sizes and preparation. ALWAYS order salad dressings and sauces ON THE SIDE. They usually contain more calories than the food they are flavoring.

-Go with what you know-. Choose grilled, steamed, poached, or broiled, and make sure the chef doesn’t brush the food with butter as it comes off of the grill.

-Make substitutions- Steamed vegetables for tempura vegetables (save 190 calories, 14g of fat and 10 g carbs), chicken teriyaki for chicken fingers (which can almost double the calories and fat), peel and eat shrimp for popcorn shrimp (save 150 calories), or salsa instead of guacamole. Order a side of pasta and use marinara sauce instead of cream sauce. Choose whole grains such as brown rice or whole-grain bread over refined white bread and rice. Pass up the French fries and the cheese-stuffed potatoes and order vegetables, steamed, or a side salad.

Think of what you like in a restaurant and help your kids enjoy that same experience with you. You might just be raising the next generation of foodies!

"Got My Mind Made Up..."

I’ve been a fan of Brian Wansink’s work ever since I read his book, Mindless Eating-Why We Eat More Than We Think. The book focuses on our awareness of how much, what, and why we’re eating-often without even realizing it.

We hear a lot about “mindful eating”; sitting down and really appreciating our food, waiting before taking another bite and slowly chewing every bite. Mindfulness is a powerful tool for creating health, but it’s not a quick solution. The mindful eater must learn to make conscious choices, again and again, and most of us don’t always have the time or patience to chew our food 100 times, or rest our hands between bites. Wansink’s new work has been focused on how we can kind of “fool” ourself into eating less.

The first suggestion he gives is to have an awareness of container, utensil and plate size for food. You’re in greater danger of overeating from a wide bowl or glass than from a taller and skinner one. When given the choice, a taller container seems like more, when in reality, the wider bowl or glass contains sometimes twice as much milk, cereal, or candy, etc.

Utensils also influence how much we more we eat. When kids as young as four were given a wider bowl, they took 28 percent more cereal, and when adults were given a 3 ounce ice cream scoop instead of a two ounce one, they still scooped the same number of scoops, but at 53 percent more ice cream.

So really, Wansink believes, we can make this work to our advantage by something as simple as using smaller utensils and plates, rather than assuming we can resist the additional food with just willpower. A trick he uses at home is to keep 6 ounce juice glasses next to the 8 ounce and 16 ounce ones. Although nobody really uses them, they make the medium 8 ounce glasses seem generous, and the 16 ounce ones are rarely used (half the amount; half the calories)

An awareness of the way the packaging fools us is another tool he believes can help. When shown pictures on boxes with “health halos”, like organic or pesticide free, or anything on a box with a healthful food identifier, consumers assumed the calories in the food were much lower and ate more of the food. And, when a box had a picture of a larger portion size on the front, people ate more at each sitting.

But we can also be fooled by size labeling. If a bag of chips is labeled “small’, most people feel they can eat more because since it’s a “small”, they’re not overindulging. But if that same bag of chips is labeled “medium” or “large”, people eat less.

So, of course, eating fewer packaged foods is the best solution, but if you must buy packaged food, measure out the portions and read the number of servings in the package. Just eyeballing a food and assuming it’s one serving can grossly underestimate the number of calories you think you are consuming.

Key to his research though, is making healthy foods available and visible. In a study, they found that the first food people saw in the fridge, on the diner table, or on a buffet, influenced their food choices for the whole meal. If they saw a bowl of fruit first, they were more likely to choose fruits or vegetables over unhealthy choices.He suggests serving the healthiest food first at dinner and placing fresh fruits and veggies at eye level in your fridge.

For those of us who try to eat well, this may seem like a given, but even in a restaurant, if bread is the first thing you see at the table, you’re more likely to overindulge on carbs.

One other point he makes is that we really ARE happy with fewer calories; we just THINK we want more.In a study, they gave one group full portions of a brownie or chips, and the other group about a 60 % smaller portion. People ate about 135 calories of the smaller portion and about 250 calories of the larger ones. But 15 minutes later, they rated themselves as equally satisfied.
He believes that once you’ve eaten something, you don’t really remember how MUCH you ate. The taste in your mouth remains, so about 15 minutes later, you remember that the food tasted good, but you don’t really remember how many bites you had.

So, taking a few bites of a snack and waiting 10 or 15 minutes can help with afternoon cravings. Usually it’s the act of eating; taking bite after bite, or the time of day, not real hunger that has you reaching for the next snack.

His new book is called Slim By Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life, out in late 2013. The book looks at what he calls our food radius (where you work, shop, dine, buy groceries), and how awareness and small changes in all of those places can help you lose weight.
Read more at mindlesseating.org

"Roll With It Baby..."

Anyone who works out on a regular basis probably has experience with muscle soreness. And, no matter how young or old we are, or how careful we are about form and movement, there will be times when we pull, strain, sprain or just plain overuse certain muscles.

Ice, hot tubs, and aspirin usually work to soothe, or at least, ease, minor aches and pains. But when you’re in that, “It’s not a major injury, but it’s more than aspirin will solve” stage, muscle massage seems to work best. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or the money for a bi-weekly massage. And even though people seem to really enjoy getting a massage after a hard workout, I worry that the therapist will push too hard and hurt me even more while trying to unknot a muscle.

Of course, a professional massage every week would be ideal, but  few of us have the money or time for that. However, for quite a while now, most gyms have pieces of equipment that resemble the pool noodles that kids use to float. These foam rollers came in a variety of colors and densities, and the trainers used them to “massage” the client’s tight areas after a workout. This technique, called SMR, or self myofasial release, is a flexibility technique that relaxes muscles and allows them to work more efficiently.

Basically, tissue that is repeatedly exposed to excessive strain (lifting, pushing, pulling, running) can become dense, knotted or otherwise stuck together. This cumulative injury cycle follows a path of inflammation, muscle spasms, and development of soft tissue adhesions that reduce the elasticity of the soft tissues and change the soft tissue structure (resulting in “knots” or “trigger points” of pain). These adhesions can cause your muscles to lose independent movement, dragging their “neighbors” along with them for every movement.


SMR focuses on alleviating the adhesions to restore optimal muscle motion and function. In SMR , the pressure of the body against a foam roller or other tool is sustained on top of the “trigger point” (muscle receptors, also called the pain site or “knot”) . As you “roll” against the trigger, the sensory receptors (called GTOs or Gogli tendon organs) “turn off” the contraction or tightness, allowing the muscle to stretch.

Using the foam roller and body weight can bring about improvements in flexibility, muscle recovery,and movement efficiency, along with pain reduction and additional benefits like:
-Breaking down muscle adhesions
-Relaxing muscles
-Improving joint range of motion
-Improving neuromuscular activity
-Improving tissue recovery and repair (reduced soreness)
-Suppressing trigger point sensitivity and pain
-Correcting muscle imbalances

-Relieving muscle soreness and joint stress

Although these techniques originated in the rehabilitative setting, SMR has gained a lot of popularity with fitness professionals over the last decade. In most gyms and clubs, foam rollers and massage balls are as common as treadmills and free weights.

They're inexpensive, easy to use, and readily accessible (Even Target and Wal-mart sell them). The roller itself is a six-inch-round, foam-celled cylinder that looks like a big pool noodle. To use it, simply put the roller on the ground and allow the weight of your body to press into the surface of the roller.

You should roll at a slow pace, building up a deliberate wave of pressure over tender areas until they become less sensitive. The pressure from the roller will produce a deep local stretch, pushing apart the gnarled tissue and relaxing over-stimulated fibers. It’s best to begin rolling muscles at their proximal (closest to the body) attachments, then work distally (away from the center) to accommodate changes in intramuscular tension
Even slightly changing positions or angles can target different areas.

SLOWLY roll the area until you find the most tender spot and hold it while relaxing the targeted area until discomfort is reduced (between 30 and 90 seconds).

After foam rolling, you should feel better -- not worse. The truth is, the more discomfort you feel when massaging your muscles with the foam roller, the more those muscles actually need to be massaged -- the discomfort is telling you where you need to focus your efforts.

You can some of these basic ways to utilize the foam roller:


Back-Cross arms to the opposite shoulder. Keep your abdominals drawn-in, and raise your hips until unsupported. Also stabilize the head in "neutral." Roll the mid-back area on the foam.

You can also use two tennis balls to massage areas strained from bending over a desk or computer like this one from IDEA Fitness:

Lie on the floor on your back with knees bent. Place a tennis ball on either side of your spine in line with the bottom of your shoulder blades. Use a large pillow to support your head so you don’t feel too much pressure from the tennis balls. Bring your arms across your chest and hug yourself. Find a sore spot and maintain pressure on it until it releases (10–15 seconds). Then move the balls to another sore spot by scooting your butt and body down so the balls roll up your spine. Bring the pillow with you each time you scoot. Spend about 2–3 minutes each day on the entire area.


Quadriceps-Position your body prone with the quadriceps on foam roller. Maintain proper core control (with your abdominals drawn-In and glutes tight) to prevent low back pain. Roll from the pelvic bone to the knee, emphasizing the thigh.


Hamstring-Place hamstrings on the roll with hips unsupported. Cross your feet to increase leverage. Roll from your knee toward the back of your hip while keeping quadriceps tightened.


Foot-place the arch of the foot on the curve of the foam roller and roll back and forth across the bottom of the foot. You can put more pressure on the roller with your body weight, but be sure to have something to hold onto for balance as you roll your foot over the foam


Calf-Place your calf on the roller with your hips lifted. Again, cross your feet to increase the leverage. Roll from below your knee to below your calf and back.

When choosing a foam roller, product density is very important. If the foam is too soft, less than adequate tissue massage is applied. On the other hand, if the foam is too hard, bruising and more advanced soft-tissue trauma may occur. Usually rollers in blue/white/red are softer and those in black are firmer, and foam rollers with grids and rumble rollers have knobs that work into the muscle more deeply. I've even used tennis balls and less pliable balls to roll on my foot for the same benefits as the rollers. Over time, the foam can break down, so buying a higher quality roller is worth the investment.

I’ve found that I’ll feel the pain after rolling for a day or so, but the affected area heals much more quickly when I release the knotted muscle with SMR. So, if you just can’t seem to shake that tense area in your back or hamstrings or if you're just trying to relax a “charley horse” in your calf, give SMR a try. You’ll feel better. I promise!