Why You Need to Foam Roll NOW

Most of us have heard about foam rolling and some even own a foam roller. But why should we foam roll? How do we do it? Here's 7 reasons why you should grab your foam roller (or go get one) and foam roll for 10-15 minutes every day.

1. Reduces tension and loosens muscles - Foam rolling brings more blood to the muscles and stimulates the nervous system to relax the muscle fibers and reduce tension. Regular foam rolling will help reduce muscle tension (and pain!) long term.
2. Improves circulation (and healing) - The pressure applied during foam rolling helps push blood through the arteries, veins, and capillaries throughout our bodies. Our blood carries oxygen to our muscles, and more oxygen helps improve muscle health and function and rejuvenate the entire area. Better circulation also improves the appearance of our skin, promotes better digestion, fights infections, and much more!
3. Increases range of motion and flexibility - Warm muscles with adequate blood supply (due to foam rolling) have greater elasticity than muscles with less blood flow. Greater elasticity results in more flexibility, better range of motion, and more power.
4. Prevents injury - Foam rolling before a workout helps increase blood flow to your muscles and warm them up for the activity you are about to do. It also improves flexibility allowing your body to go through a greater range of movement before the tissue becomes damaged and injured. 
5. Faster healing (should an injury occur) - In addition to bringing oxygen to all areas of our body, our blood also carries the “junk” away to get filtered out of our body. More blood flow can bring more healing substances to the injured area and remove more of the “junk” that slows the healing process.
6. Improves sleep - Foam rolling reduces muscle tension and helps the muscles relax. When your muscles are relaxed, your entire body follows and you have a more restful sleep.
7. Accelerated return of lactic acid to the body - Build up of lactic acid is what makes us fatigued and sore, and why we even get muscle cramps during prolonged, intense exercise. Foam rolling increases circulation and helps filter out the lactic acid quicker, resulting in fewer and shorter periods of fatigue and soreness after a workout.

New to foam rolling? Here's a helpful guide to get started!