Self Myo--- What? It's time to get rid of the pain . . . . completely!

I have to admit that I see people using the foam rollers and other self massage techniques more than ever before, but it still surprises me how many people still don't know the benefits.

 Whether it's new clients or the regular gym members that consult me on how to get out of pain, I have to tell you self-massage has got to be one of the most underrated "get out of pain and speed healing" techniques I know.

It doesn't matter if you spend your day sitting at a desk, are a weekend warrior with some nagging aches and pains, or a competitive athlete looking to decrease soreness and improve performance, self-myofascial release (self-massage) works.

  As the old saying goes, “sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees”?  This morning I was reminded of just “how deep in the trees” I am.

I was approached by a woman that I see regularly at the gym who asked me how to get rid of her knee pain she's had for the past 4 weeks.  She stated that she enjoyed Spinning, long bike rides on the weekends, but spend most of her day at her desk at work. In addition, after sitting for long periods of time, standing up is quite painful, though the pain decreases after moving around for a bit. I asked had she had any falls or other impact to her knee and she stated, "No".

She also said that she had begun stretching, but that only made a minor difference in the pain. It’s gotten to the point now where she is unable to enjoy her usual cycling and it's beginning to make her depressed.

 I asked, “Do you do any self-myofascial release or self-massage”?  She said, “What’s that”?  I then proceeded to demonstrate some techniques using my Energy F/X Tube.

While I was demonstrating the techniques it hit me...

 I take for granted that many people don’t know about the benefits of self-myofascial release.  In a nutshell, self-myofascial release is a type of self-massage using a hard roller, tube or ball.  It helps break up scar tissue and increases blood flow to the affected area.  Not to mention it can increase your range of motion and improve performance.

Many weekend warriors and sedentary people end up feeling stiff and hurting, and mistakenly believe there is something wrong with their joints that might require surgery.  In fact, most of the time all they need to do is regular self-myofascial release.

Before you give up hope and think the only alternative to being in pain is surgery, check out the videos below where I demonstrate how to use self-myofascial release techniques to get out of pain.  It's simple to do, and literally doesn't take more than a few minutes a day.  

Here's A Little Refresher To Keep You On Track

Without a doubt, physical pain questions are by far the one's I get most often.  It doesn't matter if you sit at a desk all day long, run every morning, or workout at the gym 3x/week.  If you're not doing some sort of well thought out stretching program in addition to self-massage, it's just a matter of when you'll have pain, not if.

So for all the parts that tend to hurt, here's a little cheat sheet to get you out of pain fast and keep you that way.

Cheat Sheet

Of course, I'm sure you've already guessed that the second most popular questions I receive are those concerning nutrition.  With all of the misinformation out there in the media, it can truly be a chore to figure out what works and what doesn't.  It's really not that difficult believe it or not.

It boils down to a very basic principle when it comes to nutrition -- portion control.  Meaning having a template of what each and every meal should look like on your plate.  That's the easiest way by far to keep you on track with your nutrition.  Realistically I understand most people are not going to measure out their food.  It's much more accurate, but it's not realistic for the majority of the population.  Here's a simple trick/template to help you stay on track with your nutrition so you can see results by the time warm weather arrives.

Cheat Sheet 2

So there you have it. 

Whether it's some sort of pain you're in that you're ready to be rid of, or if you need a little help getting started with an easy to use nutrition guide, the above two references should get you on track quickly and effectively. 

There's no need to be in pain, life is too short. 

And there's no reason to be confused about what works when it comes to nutrition.  Don't be mislead by slick media.

Get On Track and Stay On Track!

7-10 Minutes Is All It Takes

If you'll remember last week I shared with you 7 of The Most Important Stretches if you spend your day at a desk.  Well as promised here's the other half of the equation.  Stretching is only half of the solution to getting out of pain.  The other half is Massage. And if you can't get to a massage therapist as often as you'd like, self-massage is the next best thing.  It provides many of the same benefits, loosening tight muscles and breaking up scar tissue that accumulates from either working out or from poor posture for long periods of time (think sitting over a desk working).

Truth be known, it only takes 7 minutes to feel the relief of self-massage.  But if you really want to get all of the "bugs" out, and really break-up that tight tissue, try 15-30 minutes of the techniques I demonstrate in the videos below.  Whether it's 7 minutes, or 15-30 minutes, it's a small price to pay to get out of pain and stay that way.  And for those of you that are really serious about kicking pain out on it's ear, do your self-massage followed by your stretching and watch how fast you get results.

And if you don't have your own tube, please visit my store and pick up your Energy F/X Tube. I promise it will last much longer than you're average tube or roller. I use my Energy F/X Tube 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week with clients and it's still going strong over 1yr later!

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness gives a brief description of just what is Self-Myofascial Release (self-massage). http://www.energyfxfitness.com

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness gives a brief description and demonstration of how to use the Energy F/X Tube to perform self-massage (self-myofascial relea...

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness gives a brief description and demonstration of self massage for the upper body. http://www.energyfxfitness.com

Energy F/X -- Get Out Of Pain Now -- Knee

For some strange reason I've been approached several times this week regarding knee injuries.  Not quite sure why this has been the issue this week, but thought I would share with all of you some tips on how to get rid of that nagging knee pain.

First though, let me help you better understand how the knee ends up being in pain.  If you have a habit of sitting to one side while at your desk, cross your legs under your desk and/or chair, or if you sit on one leg, all of these create misalignment in either the hip and/or the ankle.  Guess what joint sits right above or below this now misaligned hip or ankle -- the knee. 

When you sit in a posture that is not legs at 90 degrees, feet and ankles underneath knees, shoulders back and chest up, you are increasing the chances of muscles running from the hip to the knee or the knee to the ankle becoming strained. And as you know if you've been reading my blogs, muscles under strain will pull on the joints.

Now let's be honest. Almost none of us sit upright in the position I described above all the time; But if you're in pain you already now that. If you're having knee pain, please download this free Knee_Injury_Rehab_Level_1_(blog_8-27-2010).pdf and get out of pain now!

If you've been lucky enough to avoid pain so far, I would encourage you to begin rolling on an Energy F/X Tube or other roller to alleviate muscle tension, and decrease the chances of developing knee pain. If you have any questions on how to begin using an Energy F/X Tube to avoid or alleviate knee pain click here. And if you need to purchase a roller that will last, try the Energy F/X Tube.

Life is too short to live in pain.  Don't let bad habits set you up for pain.  Either get in the habit of sitting in an upright position on a regular basis, use a Swiss Ball as a desk chair, which aids in maintaining good posture, or get yourself an Energy F/X Tube and, like drinking a glass of orange juice to avoid a cold, it'll help alleviate the symptoms that cause knee pain.

Or you could just ignore all of this. . . . . .  and see what happens.