One of my favorite things to do to wake up my deep core muscles, improve balance, the brain-body connection and feel the independent movement of my hips and shoulders is to do a quick 5-15 minute foam roller warm-up before a workout.

Whether I’m going to do Pilates equipment work, Pilates Mat work, go out for a walk or run, lift weights, play racquetball…any activity… using a foam roller can be a quick and easy way to ensure you’ve got the right things turned on to support your body and train healthy movement habits.

Of course there are a million fabulous exercises you can do with a Foam Roller, and while it’s not a traditional “Pilates” piece of equipment, it certainly can enhance your Pilates workouts.  If you’re not yet a die-hard Pilates enthusiast, foam roller training can give you a somewhat similar eye-opening experience to see, and feel, just how much more you can be doing with your core to improve balance, support, and control for your body.

3 Benefits of Incorporating Foam Roller Exercises into Your Workouts

1. Exercising on a foam roller helps improve body awareness and proprioception for the deep muscles needed for great spine stabilization and support.
2. You can’t cheat…  You get instant feedback (by losing your balance and falling off the roller) when the right muscles aren’t working to support you.
3. Working on the foam roller as a warm up before Pilates, Yoga, Weight Training, Walking, Running, or other workouts will help deepen the mind-body connection to access muscles for efficient work and release so that you can find and use them more effectively during your more vigorous activities.

This is definitely one fitness toy that I think everyone should have available at home.  Whether you want to use it for a warm-up, a workout, or to relax, massage, and release stress at the end of the day, it’s an easy tool to incorporate into your weekly wellness workouts.

Don’t have a Foam Roller at home, and wanna get one right now so you can play?  Click here to get your Foam Roller NOW.

Interested in learning some of my favorite Foam Roller exercises to improve balance, body alignment, and help strengthen your core for healthy movement habits…  Grab your Foam Roller and join me for the upcoming May Webinar – on May 29^th.  Foam Roller Fitness –Exercises Tips & Core Training Strategies for Healthy Movement Habits.