The Foam Roller's Wisdom of Life
So this year I resolved to be more consistent about using foam rollers. If you don't know, foam rolling is a technique you'll see many people in the gym using to massage out knots, or trigger points, in their muscles, usually to improve blood flow, flexibility, and overall fitness performance (this is called self-myofascial release for you fancy people).
It's a great practice for you to do, and I can attest to already noticing improvement in my body. To do it, you simply place a part of your body on the foam roller, and use your own body weight to apply pressure to your muscles.
When you feel a painful spot (you'll know, trust me), you've identified a trigger point, so you should relax and keep a gentle pressure on or near that area for several seconds, eventually feeling the knot loosening up.
As I was working on a trigger point of my own the other day, the foam roller spoke to me in its own foamy way: This is how you improve at life.
I carefully thought over the foam roller's words and realized it was speaking the truth. How often does it hurt us to receive a criticism or to realize we've been wrong about something, or just not be great at a particular skill?
When faced with such a realization, we can either say, "Eh, that doesn't feel good, I'll just ignore it," or we can attack those weak points to turn them into strengths.
As I write this, I can recall certain exercises or skills that I was embarrassingly awful at once upon a time, but now they are points of confidence for me. I say this humbly, knowing there are plenty of other areas where I can grow, but I encourage you to find and attack your own trigger points, both of the body and of life, that will eventually make you a more awesome version of yourself.
I swear the gym is a wonderful place to become enlightened.
