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Arete Warriors – spirit, mind, body strong
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Because You Deserve to Feel Good Again
My hope is that through these weekly emails you are finding ways to make your life better.
Specifically, I want you to FEEL GOOD. When you feel good, you make better choices, have more patience, and treat yourself and your family with more kindness.
There are a LOT of options to choose from out there.
- Drinking Water
- Avoiding Sugar
- Journaling
- Zone 2 cardio
- High Intensity Intervals
- Yoga
- Omegas
- Walks in nature
- Dry Brushing
- Wearable Devices
- Sleep Optimization
- Cold Plunges
- Saunas
- Low Carb
- Fasting
- Limit Screen Time
- Stretching
The list goes on and on….
Each habit has had a life-changing affect on someone, but not each one will be profound for every one who tries it.
The goal is to find what your body needs the most and find a way to fit that in.
I was thinking about this the other day as I spent my usual 3 minutes on the foam roller before my workout.
First of all, my original career plan was to be a Strength and Conditioning Coach for college athletes. I knew even then that my job would not be to make them better at their sport, as much as it would be to keep them healthy so they could play their sport.
And THAT is what would make them better at their sport. So my job was going to be injury prevention.
It is still in my nature to think that way.
How can I keep these mamas healthy, happy, feeling GOOD and IN THE GAME?
We need to stop treating recovery work like optional extra credit and start treating it as non-negotiable as brushing our teeth.
The reason foam rolling (or massage guns, lacrosse balls, or other pressure point tools) is so important was explained simply by one of my favorite physical therapists, Andrew Eaton
Think of your muscle like a rope. If a muscle (or rope) is tied in a knot somewhere, and you go about trying to stretch it by pulling on each end you will only make that knot tighter.
Andrew usually needles the heck out of me when I see him, but between our visits, I try to use the foam roller, massage gun and other tools.
I seek out and destroy what knots I can find.
Let’s Prepare – the warm up
There are other reasons to invest in this practice. If you don’t care what they are, skip this part, go grab your foam roller and press play on the video below.
Fascia gets sticky—manual pressure makes it glide again
Women—especially active moms—tend to accumulate fascial adhesions from repetitive movement, stress, hormones, and the physical chaos of mom-life. Research shows applying shear force to the fascia helps joints move smoothly and decreases pain.
It improves flexibility without stretching forever
Multiple studies show that self-myofascial release (SMR) can increase range of motion immediately—without decreasing strength like long static stretching sometimes does. I’m all about using my time wisely! How ’bout you?
It tones down the nervous system
Women typically carry higher baseline stress loads—caretaking, multitasking, “being needed,” and the never-ending open mental tabs.
Deep, sustained pressure triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol and relaxing overactive muscle fibers.
It improves muscle activation
When certain tissues are tight, women often compensate with weaker or overworked muscle groups (glutes that refuse to fire, hip flexors doing the MOST). SMR helps “reset” the length-tension relationship of muscles so movement patterns improve.
Stronger workouts, fewer injuries, and better posture.
It helps with hormonal stiffness & inflammation
Perimenopause and hormonal fluctuations can increase systemic inflammation and tissue stiffness. Manual pressure can reduce inflammation in the local tissue and improve mobility.
It boosts circulation (especially needed for women)
Women often have lower resting circulation and colder extremities due to differences in vascular tone and hormonal patterns. SMR increases microcirculation, bringing warmth, nutrients, and oxygen where moms need it most—tight low backs, stiff necks, frozen shoulders, cranky calves.
It’s proactive joint health
SMR improves tissue quality before the joint gets crabby. Better tissue glide = happier joints = fewer long-term aches that make moms feel older than they are.
Let’s Work – the exercise
Here is a quick video of the major muscle groups I do. Sometimes I add my inner thigh by lying face down and parallel to the foam roller. I put one bent leg over the foam roller and roll it up and down my inner thigh. This one can be 😵. If so, you need it!
Whatever feels profound means you should spend more time there.
I will also add, you have to be relaxed when you do this. If you’re tensing muscles to fight back, it’s not going to work.
On the IT Bands for example, ease into that one by taking some weight off with your top leg or using a softer foam roller (or do it on your bed so there’s some give).
You don’t foam roll because you’re “broken.” You do it because you’re a high-performance machine. 💪🏼 And high-performance machines need maintenance.
