BALLS!
Team!
This week is HAPPENING! It’s Monday, the sun is up, the pug is snoring, and I’m reminded after some teaching and living this weekend that I need to discuss ROLLING here at Sweat Please.
Rolling? Patty, are you using archaic terms to describe MDMA induced experiences?
No, friends, I am not. I am referring to the act of using massage therapy balls (or foam rollers, golf balls, lacrosse balls, etc.) to roll out the connective tissue and the muscles of your human body. I posted a shot of me cradling some Yoga Tune Up™ balls as my Throwback Thursday last week and received important questions. Where do I get the balls? How do I do it? What’s the point of any of this? Stop burying the lede and get to it, Wortham!
Fine! I’m talking about self-massage.
Massage is something that we all need (or knead, if you prefer) but for a variety of reasons – ranging from access to comfort – most of us don’t get enough of it. And so our muscles get stuck playing the same role, doing the same job, and living out the same scenario over and over again – the Willy Loman approach to being a body. Clearly, this is not what we want. We want our bodies to feel empowered, adept, and supple: like Sally Hawkins after she meets the Amazonian creature in Shape of Water (spoiler alert!).
Our muscles, much like us, need to be reminded of their potential or they will forget. Your hips are capable of more than sitting (thank you, SHAKIRA) and your arms are way closer to wings than you realize (thank you, Alvin Ailey). To break up old, overuse patterns we need to give our muscles and connective tissue a restorative vacation.
Enter: Rolling. The easiest, cheapest, and most effective reset for your body.
My favorite tool for this work, clearly, are the Yoga Tune Up therapy balls. Unlike golf balls or lacrosse balls, these are designed specifically for this purpose. The texture of the balls is akin to a human hand; this allows the balls to engage the connective tissue more effectively than say a foam roller or even a tennis ball. This means a little time spent working on your shoulders or feet goes a long way to refreshing that area of the body, breaking up tight connective tissue, and offering a structural reset.
My friend and teacher Jill Miller, also the creator of Yoga Tune Up,* has a bunch of tutorials online. This one is perfect for your neck and shoulders.
And this one that I found online is a great reset for your hands and arms (Tennis Elbow? Carpal Tunnel Syndrome anyone?). And bonus: the teacher has a deeply soothing Irish accent.
So let’s get to it! Let’s roll! And if you want to roll with me in person come visit me this Friday at East Bay Athletic Club in Oakland. I’ll work your core and then give you a chance to roll on some balls with me - amazing, right? Just here to make your wildest dreams come true, folks. You're welcome.
Have a great week!
- P.
* this is in no way shape or form a sponsored post! It's a lovely coincidence that Jill is a friend, teacher, and mentor, but her balls sell themselves.
📷 @tuneupfitness