Wouldn’t it be great if we all had time for a full roll-out session each day – to completely undo all of the issues in our tissues? How great would it be for a full body roll-out that unties every knot and reverses our fascial adhesions accumulated from sleeping, sitting, working out, and other movements and postures of our lives that create musculoskeletal imbalances? As nice as that sounds, the harsh reality is that most of us don’t have time for this kind of extended self-care each day. On days we can’t make it to a Yoga Tune Up class or don’t have time after working out for a proper roll-out session, we’re often left with no soft-tissue care at all. But it doesn’t have to be this way!
Even if we can’t spare a big chunk of time every day, we can still fit in soft-tissue self-care if we are strategic. ‘How?’ you may be wondering. Well, simply by integrating self-massage into our daily routines with a few self-care multi-tasking hacks.
While standing
Think about it – what are you doing with your feet while you’re brushing and flossing your teeth? Probably just standing on them – so how about giving them some love using a pair of YTU Therapy Balls while you’re cleaning your teeth, blow-drying your hair, or waiting for your water to boil in the kitchen? A few minutes may not sound like much, but if done consistently, it can add up to a lot of healing over time – and it’s definitely better than nothing, especially when considering how common foot problems like plantar fasciitis are. Below is a super easy foot sequence that will take you less than 5 minutes to complete:
While sitting
How many hours a day do you spend sitting? Think about how much time you spend seated while driving, at work, and eating meals. Studies show that the average person sits over 7 hours a day – with some people upwards of 14! When we sit, certain muscles become shortened far beyond their natural length. In the typical seated position, the muscle fibers of our hamstrings become shortened and the tissues become congested, which can cause lower back pain and invite additional imbalances by effecting our daily movement patterns (running, walking, etc). To maximize your self-care time while sitting, put a YTU Plus or Alpha Ball under your legs to massage and repair your hamstrings. Or, as a bonus, work out some junk in the connective tissues of your hips or back muscles by putting some YTU Therapy Balls between the back of your seat and your bum (or your upper back). This is great to do while in transit, either in a car, train or plane!
While resting
What does the last hour of your day look like? Enjoying some quick R&R on the couch watching a TV show or movie, or in bed reading? Consider taking your activity to the floor or the wall to combine your leisurely wind-down with some pain-erasing and sleep-inducing mobility work. With just a small plot of floor or wall space, the amount of self-myofascial work you can do is nearly endless. Try putting a Coregeous Ball underneath your abdomen or chest to free up some slide-and glide in your front-body tissues while finishing that book you can’t put down. Jill demonstrates how to do this with Dr. Kelly Starret in the video below.
Or if it’s your neck and shoulders that could use some TLC, prop yourself against a wall with any of the YTU Therapy Balls to melt away your stiffness while still watching tonight’s show with your family. Here’s an excellent way to relax and unwind neck and shoulder tension with a YTU ball at the wall as YTU Teacher Trainer Lillee Chandra demonstrates in the video below:
Plus, here’s a freebie – by massaging yourself, you aren’t only making your tissues healthier, but you’re also downregulating your nervous system – turning off the ‘fight or flight’ sympathetic nerves that keep us energized, and turning on the ‘rest and digest’ parasympathetic nerves that help us relax and sleep. How’s that for a win-win!?
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Thank you for sharing your tips on how to fit these little movement snacks into a daily routine, even when it feels like there is no extra time. Great tips!
Thanks for the great tips for some self care snacks to use throughout the day. These are excellent ways to get a little roll time in, even when we feel like our schedules are full.
I love the idea of small moments of self care incorporated into your daily activities. It’s so easy to feel as if it’s not possible to add another thing to our busy lives – even something that we know feels good! I think keeping a pair of YTU balls in multiple places will be a visual reminder to incorporate something fast an easy into whatever task is already happening. I’m going to put a pair under the kitchen sink and in the bathroom and go for the brush your teeth/doing dishes foot care!
What great ideas for squeezing in some self care! I often feel like I wish I had more time for rolling, but it turns out, I do!
What a great idea to incorporate a ball massage ‘moment’ into the activities (or inactivities 😉 in our daily life! In this way it makes it a little less big thing to do and still have the benefits. I now gonna put a pair of balls in my working bag… thank you for your tips!
Some great tips for using the balls during the day. I already run to the bathroom at work to roll out my upper back but I’m definitely going to try the balls while sitting at my desk.
Self massage and self care while you are standing , sitting and resting is great idea. Yes we all love to go to class to roll away tension and tightness, but sometimes we are just to tired to get to a class.
Just balls available in bathroom, living room and bedroom, then there is no excuse not to use them when you have just few minutes while brushing teeth, or while you enjoy relaxing evening on living room floor watching some TV. Make it simple, have rolling with balls be a part of everyday routines, few minutes here and there. What a great idea ! I’m getting second sets of balls to leave them everywhere in my house.
Another great blog and one I have passed onto others- anything that can be incorporated into everyday life quickly and easily gets a thumbs up from me. I have a set of YTU balls in my handbag all the time, and use whenever I have a few spare moments. Get some funny looks but what the heck!
Even if you just have 5 minutes to let a pair of toted balls cradle your head and neck, do it! I routinely tell my clients that all they need is 5 minutes a day to target a spot and life will be better 🙂
Reminding that a little bit of rolling every day is not only a great reminder, it is a really easy way to encourage / introduce others to yoga tune-up. I really like the plantar fasciitis example. I have known so many people the last few years who suffer from plantar fasciitis. By introducing them to ytu with a way to start practicing that is EASY and can fit into their day (even 5 minutes a day) – rolling feet and calves – I expect that once they try it they will feel results right away and will not miss a day…and may even extend the time they spend. Making ytu doable in our busy lives the quick changes the tune-up ball work brings = more pain relief.
Thank you for these great tips to integrate rolling in conjunction with daily activities. I love your tips to roll the feet while brushing teeth and to roll the hamstrings during regular sitting.
Max offers a fast and simple ball rolling exercise we can incorporate into our daily routine—even while brushing our teeth—to spread the bones in the foot and prevent or rehabilitate plantar fasciitis. Jill’s less than 2 minute standing quick fix is a great way to work both transverse arches and release tension and tightness at our foundation.
Enjoyed your tips on how to integrate rolling into your daily life. I am teaching vision improvement and its very similar. If you only do your eye relaxation activities when you have a lot of time (=never) your vision will not improve. And this is the same! I am guilty of procrastinating my own self care many times so this is a great reminder. One aspect is to set up the balls in as many places as possible so you see them first thing in the morning. That said, they don’t like light, so we need to creative in hiding them from light but not from our eyes.
thanks for all the quick tips!! i am included with everyone who doesnt have enough time in the day to do all the things we should, or need to.
This is a great read. I never thought of incorporating five minutes of rolling in the morning before you start your day. However, I rather do five minutes of rolling in the evening before I go to sleep. Then I know that I will have a good night sleep and when I wake in the morning I’ll be refreshed and ready to take on the day.
This is great for people who sit at a computer and type all day. Since I get tight hamstring and I will incorporate some ball rolling with my alpha ball when sitting on a chair at a computer or just sitting watching tv. Thanks for sharing
Great post. I have been advocating integrating ball work into regular activities. I roll my feet while reading a book and I roll my hips while watching TV.
I have been suggesting that runners roll their feet right before lacing up their shoes. When I led 108 sun salutations workshops, I would roll the feet first – no hamstring complaints the next day!
While nothing beats a full body ball workout, maintenance is important.
Loved your post! Such a great reminder around self-care and the magic of the tune-up balls. I brought mine on a recent trip and enjoyed rolling while waiting to board (so much more enjoyable than staring at the clock) and while seated in the plane.
Thank you for this blog entry, as I suffer both from a lack of time as well as plantar fasciitis as a long-distance runner who ramped up too quickly. I need to see how I can integrate more of YTU in my daily activities where I am mostly passive. Thank you!
So many times I put off rolling out, as I want it all or nothing. Yet here I am sitting on the couch reading your article, and I could be rolling wile I’m doing it. I’m going to start hiding a set of therapy balls behind the couch cushion so they are ready at a moments notice. Thanks for the reminder that there is almost always time for self care!
Great advice for how to incorporate into your daily life. I didn’t realize that I could use the yoga tune up balls while I was brushing my teeth. With these practical tips, it makes it easier to become more consistent.
Okay, this completely made my day! I recently transitioned from teaching dance and yoga full-time to working at a desk full-time and my body has been responding very badly to this dramatic change. I have been looking for ways to integrate movement into my daily work routine. This is is invaluable as I only got as far as rolling out my feet, hadn’t thought about working my hamstrings or lower back. Thank you!
How do you know you’re finished? When it doesn’t hurt anymore. Simply said. Love that. Very excited to try the trap and supraspinatus roll. Thanks guys!
I read this article after reading your other article regarding integrating YTU stretches into your daily routine as well. Like you, I swung from the all stretching all the time side of the pendulum to the all therapy ball side. Remembering that the balls bring the tissue being worked on into a riper state for stretching is a good point to remind me to utilize these tools in conjunction with one another. As an LMT and now becoming a certified YTU instructor I appreciate this reminder for myself as well as for my clients. Thanks for the ideas of when and where to roll out and stretch in the middle of a long work day or when at home. I am going to continue to think of my own to offer my clients.
There are great examples of ways to integrate the YTU Therapy Balls into daily life. Work and family life can get pretty hectic, but incorporating the massage into daily activities is a winner! Not only does it save time but I find i’m more consistent when I roll while I’m washing the dishes or sitting in a chair. Thanks for the videos too. The Coregeous Ball on the belly, once you get used to the sensation, is heavenly.
Great post on using the Therapy Balls on a daily basis. Great reminder to take the balls with me on trips!
I love all the videos embedded into this post, and the practicality of it! Well, maybe not the last routine (not sure I can accomplish much else while lying down pressed against blocks). I think you hint at a key point, here, which is that our daily routines of doing things like sitting in bed reading, watching TV etc. could easily be replaced by a quick YTU routine which, though it might not seem like long, could add to some serious tissue repair over time. 5 minutes every day is so much better than no time at all, justified by our inability to spend a full 60 minutes. Thanks for this post!
Great ideas. I never fly without my YTU balls- they have saved my back on many long car journeys.
Now if only the rubber wouldn’t degrade in water I would use them in the bath!
Agreed about the time we spend standing and sitting: we can be doing a small sequence to continue feeling better.
I keep forgetting about the car and planes – when I am in both too long I get fidgety and am constantly twisting my body to relieve the tension in my back.
Excellent suggestions. This make rolling out daily much more manageable and realistic.
I love that you included videos, nice reminder to take what we learn and teach, and actually use and practice what we teach.
Great idea! I could use the balls while watching my nightly shows and of course for long summer rides in the car! Love the idea of giving my body this gift on a daily basis.
Great Post! I believe that everyone can find time in their busy lives to roll out the tension that they may be experiencing. They just need to have the motivation to actually do it. Great tips! I will definitely try to incorporate them in my life!
Excellent post! while YTU is so much more than just rolling on the therapy balls, myofascial release is very pleasing and very beneficial for us all. Rolling out our trouble areas is something we all can benefit from and it is something we all have time for. These simple practices are great for showing people how easy it is to incorporate and make time to address the issues in their tissues.
Love this! I started rolling my feet while doing dishes and at my standing work station and it feels SO GOOD. I also try to roll when watching my fav shows, making for guilt free TV time, and bonus that it gets me off the couch. Lillee Chandra block dock demo is ingenious, too. Definitely a more relaxing way to get into this cranky spot rather than standing at a door frame or corner. I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for this reminder!
I am one who will put off my rolling right before bed, and I end up rolling until the cows come home. I will then put it off for a few days, and when I finally do roll, I begin with one area which is speaking to me, and then I think, ok, that’s it, and all of a sudden I’ve worked 6 to 10 more places calling for my attention. After reading this article I have been incorporating ball rolling while waiting for the water to boil and making breakfast (something simple, not a big fancy one), whenever I’m sitting,( expecially in traffic!) the time before my yoga class begins, anytime I am hangin out near a blank wall, and more. However, now that I’ve reread this, coregeous while reading is the next thing! A personal goal is to read more, and with all my homework, I am going to be one fluffy chick…
Best part: I had my first airplane ride with the balls, both original and plus, and man, it was so awesome! (Along with the strap trick around my thighs to prevent only external rotation in my hips for hours!) Yay!
If this has been posted twice, my apologies, as it didn’t seem to work my first try!
My favorite time to roll my feet is when I am talking on the phone. I now feel inspired to roll around on the Corageous ball while I’m watching TV. Thanks, Max!
hi Max!
This is a wonderful way to remind us that unpacking the tension we are holding in our bodies can be attainable on a daily basis!
Have balls will travel!! Especially the small ones that we can just pop into our purse or backpack or coat pocket for that matter
It’s matter of slowly building it into our lifestyles be it at work home or play!
As long as those balls are with us – there’s an opportunity to roll at any moment!
I’m going to give my self a challenge starting today to focus on rollingl one area each day of the week!
Hopefully it’ll become a good habit that will be difficult to break!
Max! Great tips and reminders to integrate rolling into everyday life. My biggest obstacle to rolling, though, is not lack of time but rather two playful dogs that think the balls are just for them! Can you please write an article on “sneaky ways to keep your pets from seeing the balls while rolling?” 🙂
Great post providing great ideas to integrate YTU Therapy Balls into a Daily Routine. Using this tips is definitely a win-win. Plantar fasciitis, hamstrings, and connectivity tissue of hips or back muscles will definitely be happier after we integrate YTU Therapy Balls into our daily routine.
I love the idea of incorporating your roll session into your everyday tasks. This is not only a time savor for many people with compacted schedules but also encourages mindfulness in habitual tasks such as brushing your teeth or even watching T.V. I always keep a pair of balls in my bag or living space so that I can utilize them when I need/can. Thanks for such great tips.
Thank you! Sitting on the balls in the car during extended car travel has helped prevent and alleviate a lot of hip and low back stiffness. As well, as a rolling out my forearms after a long day of massage. Love it!
Amazing! I was chatting with a friend just last night about her plantar fasciitis that is really starting to bug her. I am only recently Yoga Yune Up certified, so I told her I would do some research and come up with some stretches/ball rolling for her. How amazing that I wake up this morning and this is the blog post this week. Thank you so much!!