Good morning all my Fitness Friends and soon-to-be Fit Divas (Divos if you're a man! :-) I hope everyone is having a fabulous morning so far. I myself just had a fabulous fitness start of the day! I just completed 90 minutes of cardio on my Precor (elliptical) and have MTV (Lady Gaga video after video this morning...yes, MTV was actually showing MUSIC videos!!), E! News and the Today show all got me through my 90 minutes of cardio and I must say, it feels GREAT to have over 10,000 strides and 700 calories burned BEFORE 10 am in the morning! Now during this lovely cardio session in my home gym, I also "enjoyed" listening to my four year old son play his drum set LOUDLY in the game room while yelling "mommy! listen! listen!" then watched as he came into the gym to show me he could do a couple shoulder presses (with 3lb free weights, I might add) and then come back again to tell me about the Spongebob episodes he was enjoying watching while he continued to entertain himself while mommy exercised. Well, after I finished my 90 minutes of fun, I FOAM ROLLED! And let me tell you, after yesterday's bootcamp class which consisted of turning tuck jumps, lunges, single leg skips, etc, etc...my legs were just a bit TIGHT. What is foam rolling? Well my friends, I like to think of it as a "deep tissue massage." At least, that's what I tell my clients when I tell them that they must foam roll! It's a long styrofoam which comes in various colors (mine is lime green) but they come in white, black, pink and even orange...and let me tell you, this form of stretching works but isn't exactly the most fabulous feeling while you are doing it. But once you're done foam rolling, you feel like a CHAMP! So let me give you a little assistance on the what and the how...
Grab your foam roller and find that area on your body that feels super tight. In my case, it was definitely my adductors (inner thighs) and IT band (outside of your thigh muscle right below your hip flexor all the way down to your knee). Place the foam roller on your tight area and hold for 30 to 60 seconds...don't move! What you should actually feel is HEAT going to that tight area and the muscle actually loosening up. The technical term for this is self-myofacial release which is a form of stretching. No matter how uncomfortable you feel while doing it, don't give up! Hold that position for the time I suggested and then move onto the next spot. Trust me...it is worth the bit of discomfort you may feel doing it when you are finished because your muscles will no longer feel so tight and you will feel so much better! Now what if you don't own a foam roller??? No worries, grab a tennis ball. It will do the trick! Same principle...place the tennis ball in your tight area and hold. Hey! You can thank me later...you just gave yourself a FREE DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE!
Well, I hope you have enjoyed my fitness tip of the day which once again is FOAM ROLL people! Now if you don't have over 90 minutes to spend on fitness today...don't stress, take whatever time you are given today to dedicate towards your health and fitness and do SOMETHING. Even if it's 10 minutes, your mind and body will be pleased with you for doing something positive for YOU. It's now time for me to focus on getting the rest of the day going with some fun activities for me and my son! Have yourself a FABULOUS FITNESS day and feel free to comment on my blog or ask any fitness questions you may have...
I will see you back here next Thursday for my weekly blog!
As Always...Stay Fit and Happy!
Famisha :-)
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