Total-Body Fitness for $15

Used by physical therapists for years, foam rollers are now entering living rooms and health clubs as fitness tools. Besides toning your body, they offer muscle relief for arthritis aches and sports injuries. Exercise physiologist Nicole Dorsey shares 6 ways to roll yourself to a better body... What does $15 buy? Tighter abs and slimmer thighs. The secret: foam rollers. They may look like water noodles – the bendy pool toys kids love – but they provide serious cross-training benefits. “Rolling out” a body part – by slowly moving it over the roller – soothes and strengthens muscles, and may even reduce the appearance of cellulite. “Through massage-like actions, the roller promotes spinal stabilization, body alignment and deep, muscular release,” says Michelle McCarthy, a physical therapist at Westwood Physical Therapy in Los Angeles, Calif. As with massage, you can target any tight, injured or sore muscle. Add roller exercises to your regular strength-training program 2-3 days a week, says Hollywood trainer Ashley Borden, who’s pictured in the following exercises. Read on for 6 ways to get rolling. 1. Hip stretch to loosen tight muscles. Rolling hips – as well as legs, back and other large muscle groups – before biking, running or other exercise is a great warm-up, says Borden, who has worked with Mandy Moore, Christina Aguilera and other celebrities. This move can also ease lower body tightness from sitting at a desk all day, she adds. Beginner’s tip: If you’re very tight through the hips, sit on the roller while wiggling your hips for the first 3 minutes. This helps those muscles loosen before you begin. How to get started: Step 1: Sit on the foam roller with knees bent. Place hands on the ground behind you, wrists pointing away from yourself. Cross your left ankle on top of the right knee, about an inch up from your kneecap. Step 2. Using your hands and bent right leg, slowly roll your hips and buttocks on the foam roller, first up to the top of the buttocks, and then back down. Then tilt your body toward the right, and roll back and forth on the outside of hips and buttocks, as needed. Step 3. Experiment with the range of motion, rolling slowly and smoothly for 2-4 minutes total. Step 4. Switch the crossed leg, and repeat on the other side. 2. Quadricep stretch to prevent sports injuries. Activities such as running and bicycling tend to overwork the fronts of thighs (quadriceps), as well as knees. Rolling out these areas for several minutes can prevent future injuries to the knee joint and surrounding muscles, Borden says. Beginner’s tip: To avoid injury to knee joints or tendons, don’t place the roller directly against kneecaps. How to get started: Step 1. Come to elbow-plank position (body straight, facing down, resting on forearms, feet flexed so only toes are touching the ground) on the floor or mat. Step 2. Place the foam roller horizontally on the ground, just above your kneecaps. Clasp hands and look down to align head and neck. Step 3. Use shoulders and forearms to slowly roll your body up and down against the roller, from hips to kneecaps. Keep rolling for 3 minutes or more. 3. Core stretch to improve posture. Foam-roller workouts help develop core strength and spinal stability by making your body, especially core muscles, work to maintain balance, McCarthy says. Beginner’s tip: If you feel off balance doing this exercise, bring hands to sides, then use your hands and legs to move roller along your spine. How to get started: Step 1. Place roller underneath your middle back, so it forms a T with your body. Place fingertips under your head to support your neck, or allow head to rest on the floor or mat. Bend both knees, and bring feet hip-width apart. Step 2. Tilt pelvis up, pulling in abdominals and lifting hips slightly off the mat or floor. Walk your body downward until roller is under shoulder blades. Step 3. Keeping hips lifted and abs pulled in, slowly walk feet up so the roller targets the lower back. Keep moving up and down to work deeply into these postural muscles for 5-10 minutes. 4. Outer back stretch for a trim waistline. Training your outer abdominal back muscles and oblique muscles to work together, as you do in this stretch, can make you look 5 pounds thinner, Borden says. Beginner’s tip: When doing this exercise, if you discover a spot that’s especially tight or sore, move the roller over it in a smaller range of motion until that area feels better. How to get started: Step 1. Lie on your left side with both knees bent. Place roller underneath your outer back (the latissisum muscles, which form a V-shape on your back). Bend your left elbow on the mat or floor, using your left hand to support your head. Step 2. Slide top leg back until you feel the floor or mat with your left foot. Place your right hand on top of your oblique muscles at your waistline. Step 3. Use feet, legs and stomach muscles to move roller up to your armpit. Then down to your waist or hips for 2-4 minutes on this side. You’ll feel oblique muscles working under your hand. Step 4. Flip to your other side, position roller underneath your outer back, and repeat. 5. Inner thigh stretch for increased circulation. Stretching connective tissue, such as that in your inner thigh, improves circulation. How to get started: Step 1. Lie on your stomach, and place roller lengthwise on your right side. Come onto both elbows, and clasp hands on the floor or mat. Position right leg over the roller, opening that hip and knee for greater access. Step 2. Start rolling from the top of the inner thigh, all the way down toward the inside of your knee. Step 3. After 1 minute, turn farther onto right side. Starting at the top of the inner thigh, move 1 inch at a time down your leg, pausing after each inch. At every pause, bend and extend your leg. When you’ve reached the inside of your knee, or as far down your leg as you feel stiff or sore, work your way back up to the top of your thigh. Step 4. After 2-4 minutes, switch the roller under the other leg, and repeat rolling out to that side. 6. Outer thigh stretch to diminish the appearance of cellulite. Suffer from saddlebags? This is the move for you. “Rolling out increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout your body, which breaks up fatty tissues,” Borden says. Beginner’s tip: Roll out cellulite-prone areas for 20 minutes, four times a week, she suggests. How to get started: Step 1. Lie on your left side with right foot in front. Straighten left leg (which should be on the floor or mat). Place foam roller underneath left outer thigh. Bend your left elbow on the mat or floor. Place right hand directly on top of abdominals or hip. Step 2. Use your right leg and body to move the roller up toward your hipbone, then down to your outer knee. Continue motion for 2-4 minutes. Step 3. Turn to other side, position roller underneath outer thigh, and repeat for another 2-4 minutes. Choosing the Right Roller Foam rollers come in different resistance levels, represented by color. When starting out, choose white rollers, which are more flexible. For a more intense experience, move on to blue or black rollers. Beginners, injured exercisers and senior citizens should use a roller that comes sliced in half lengthwise, McCarthy says. The semicircle shape keeps the tool from rolling, letting you massage your body against the rounded part while the flat end stays on the floor. It’s less challenging. Rollers cost $15-$50, and can be found at most sporting-goods stores, such as Sports Authority, and at the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Products (OPTP) website. (Money-saving tip: Rollers come in a variety of sizes. Buy a long one and cut it in half. Presto! Two rollers for the price of one.) Always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise program. Nicole Dorsey is a Los Angeles-based exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist who has provided wellness and lifestyle programming to the NYC Police Department, Prevention, Aol.com, Shape, and Ladies Home Journal. She's been featured in radio spots and on television nationwide, including "20/20," “EXTRA!” and NBC’s "Weekend Today." Find her on nicoledorseyonline.com. What’s Your Fitness Style? Some people find it easy to wake up at 4:30 a.m. and go for a five-mile run, while others simply hit the snooze button. Aspects of your personality determine the kind of exerciser you are, so if you're in a fitness rut, it's time to put your unique interests back into the workout equation.