Whether your workout includes walking, HIIT, plyo, strength training or basically moving at all, there is one thing that takes the brunt of everything we do that we don't pay enough attention to. They say it's best to foam roll after a workout but you never see people talking about a rolling technique for the hardest workers we have with the least amount of care...our feet.
Our feet have 100 muscles per foot and if you think those muscles don't get as sore as your biceps or calves even if you don't feel it, think again. Tight foot muscles can contribute to balance and mobility issues and if you can't move, then it's hard to get much of anything done.
Every morning I use these three things to relieve the soreness in my feet from the previous night's workout.
Lacrosse Balls are the perfect size and firmness to roll the tiny muscles in your feet. I use them to roll the plantar fascia that connects the heel to the arch and then roll all over the bottom of the feet to find any spots I didn't know were a problem. The relief can sometimes be the difference between getting up out of bed and getting up and hobbling for 3 hours especially after the workouts we've been doing lately.
This
spiky ball is a little tough to take in tender spots but especially where the tendons meet on the side or if the balls of your feet are sore. When I roll it on the outer part of the bottom of my feet, I can feel so much release and it gets me ready for the final roll.
That's right, a good ol' fashioned
tennis ball. My tendons get out of line pretty easily from sitting and then throwing it into weight lifting and step aerobics from hell. Heck, even a long day of shopping can send me into a bit of a hobble. When I do a final roll with a tennis ball, my tendon in my arch will snap back into place from the gentle resistance a tennis ball gives over the other two. We also travel with them and have one in the car for relief if we need it. I now roll my feet after workouts with these to help keep things in alignment.
If you practice foam rolling or are interested in being as kind to your feet as you are to the rest of you, consider making foot rolling a part of your post-workout routine.
Do you roll your feet?
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I am guilty of ignoring my feet. They could use a good session with all of these!
ReplyDeleteI don't roll anything regularly and I really need to.
ReplyDeleteI do roll my feet and have different kinds of balls for them, plus a foot massager that has 3 rotating balls for heel of the foot and the ball of the foot (and I can add heat when necessary). I'll then move my foot down so the rotating balls get my arches. I also regularly use a frozen water bottle and roll my feet back and forth on that and that helps with inflammation and tames down my neuropathy.
ReplyDelete