New toy

Ok, it's not a very exciting toy. There are no blinking lights or music playing abilities. It's just a simple 18'' long, 6'' wide cylinder of foam. Hey, what can I say? I'm easily amused.

What does it do? Well, for those of you who haven't experienced the wonders of self myofascial release (SMR) therapy, foam rollers are basically wonderful tools for giving yourself a massage. It won't ever be as good as having a live person massaging you, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper. I usually use tennis balls for my SMR treatment, but the foam roller actually hits my muscles in a slightly different way. The roller also more easily works things like my hamstrings, which always seem to be a challenge with tennis balls.

I know it may not sound like it does much, but rolling on the roller and/or tennis ball makes my muscles feel a lot looser and relaxed. If I start getting tight from a few days of hard workouts, a little rolling SMR treatment always loosens me up. I may not have been feeling bad before, but I'm always pleasantly surprised by how much better I feel after rolling. It's funny how you can sometimes forget what relaxed and loose is supposed to feel like. Good thing I've got tools around to keep reminding myself.