I have been utilizing a foam roller for pre-and post workout recovery for several years.  It was just a little over a year ago when Alyson Limehouse, the founder of Rollology™ Fitness, invited me to one of her classes.  I expected some stretching and using the roller for SMR or self-myofascial release massage but this class was way more than that!  

Alyson began the class with direction on proper posture and alignment.  While seated, the foam roller is placed behind you to help align your spine correctly.  Alyson gives tips on how to appropriately breathe through each posture and takes the time to correct your alignment.  One of my favorite sets of moves are the bride arms.  These small movements target that underarm flab and are much more difficult than they look.  We then transitioned to laying on top of the roller and focused on core strength and mobility moves.  These flowed into sets of leg toning and lengthening exercises.  The class also includes a set of foot and ankle exercises emphasizing the importance of strong, mobile and well aligned foot and ankle muscles, fascia and joints.

Rollology™ targets each and every part of your body helping to strengthen core muscles, improve alignment, posture and balance.  It also helps strengthen arms and legs, can aid in decreasing cellulite and promotes flexibility. Another plus, is that the Rollology™ Fitness program can be modified for the elderly, those with injuries or people recovering from surgery.  I recommend attending these classes as part of your workout or physical therapy routine on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.  Once learning how to perform the movements correctly, you can definitely do them at home or whenever it is convenient.  The beauty of this type of Pilates is that it can be done anywhere at any time.  

Another health benefit is the treatment of "Tech Neck".  Many of of us hold our heads forward and flexed down looking at our smart phones and laptops.  Looking at our devices we lean forward and look down bringing the weight of our head into a position that causes it to be heavier putting more stress and strain on our bodies.  Those prolonged periods of hunching over our screens are slowly causing our necks to stay in that more forward position.  The strained tissues lose their pliability causing a lot of pain and dysfunction. Some may even experience neck pain, headaches/migraines and numbness/tension in your fingers.  Tech neck is leading to an extremely unattractive posture called kyphosis or rounding of the upper back aka Dowager's Hump at a very early age!  Rollology™ exercises teaches the body to go back into a neutral spine while engaging the core to help support the spine, neck and head. This helps to strengthen the neck muscles along with the shoulders to help prevent the head from coming forward.  Your body will also be stretched to make the neck, head and shoulders more flexible.  

Rollology fitness classes help make it possible to do every day activities and sports with ease and reduced pain.  It is the perfect workout because it helps strengthen, stabilize, align, mobilize and stretch every part of your body in little over an hour.  Anyone can participate no matter what age, gender or fitness level. All you need is a mat and a custom designed Rollology™ Roller. The Rollology™ Roller is a medium density roller that is custom designed for Rollology™ workouts, physical therapy, before or after exercise, yoga and massage therapy.  "In 2018, you can do many forms of exercises that build and strengthen muscles but may also be setting you up for neck or back pain with surgery as the end result", says Alyson Limehouse.  "Rollology™ not only strengthens and lengthens muscles it also works out the body in proper alignment and neutral spine.  By focusing on alignment while exercising with Rollology, you can successfully workout to reduce the chances of surgeries in the future while creating a symmetrical and firm body."

Immediately following your first Rollology™ class, you can see and feel the difference in your posture and alignment.  I soon decided to become a Rollologist™ (certified licensed rollology™ instructor). It is important for me to be able to provide my patients and clients a well-rounded treatment plan.  Your feet and ankles are definitely your foundation for movement, but you do need a strong core, proper pelvic and spinal alignment and balance to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.  I currently provide private sessions with my patients and plan on teaching classes beginning spring/summer 2018.  For more information follow me on social media Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  
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Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) has become very popular over the last few years.  Celebrities and professional athletes are using this treatment for muscle recovery, to improve performance, to decrease soreness and even to help speed up metabolism for weight loss.  Some celebrities and athletes who have been known to use cryotherapy are Actress Jennifer Aniston, Basketball Player Lebron James, Actor Daniel Craig and Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Cryotherapy is defined as “super-cooling” of the body for therapeutic purposes. Cryotherapy can include the use of products such as ice packs on a localized portion of the body, such as the lower back.  Whole Body Cryotherapy is the use of a short but intense exposure to cold that triggers the body’s natural healing process. It involves exposing the entire body to temperatures colder than -200 degrees F.  

Whole body cryotherapy was originally developed in Japan in 1978 by Dr. Yamaguchi and the benefits have been studied and refined in Europe since that time.  Whole body cryotherapy was originally developed for the treatment of inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis.  Dr. Yamaguchi found he could significantly reduce the soreness and pain his patients felt during manipulation of their joints, because the rapid decrease of temperature of the outer layer of skin led to the immediate release of endorphins and therefore less sensitivity to pain.  His research led to the exposure of the entire body to these extreme temperatures with the development of cryogenic chambers. Further research in Europe and in Soviet Russia revealed the benefit of Whole Body Cryotherapy on patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions and on elite athlete’s training programs.​
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During a WBC treatment you are enclosed in a relatively confined space for two to three minutes.  A person stands alone in a can-like enclosure that is open at the top. Your entire body, except for your head, is enclosed in the device. Your head remains at room temperature.  Your hands and feet are covered with gloves, shoes and socks respectively.  

I recently made a trip to Subzero Cryotherapy in Wellington, Florida.  Upon entering the studio I was greeted by Kim one of the owners.  She gave me a tour which included a WBC treatment and a localized cryotherapy session.  Prior to going into the whole body chamber, my blood pressure was taken and I was asked if I had any current health conditions or concerns.  After I was cleared to go into the cryotherapy device, I was instructed to remove any jewelry and all of my clothing.  I was then given insulated gloves for my hands and heavy socks and slippers for my feet.  I stepped into the chamber and closed the door.  The cryosauna was then turned on.  Nitrogen gas begins to flow through the device lowering the surface temperature of my skin.  My skin quickly became cold in about 30-45 seconds and then stayed at that temperature for the remaining 2 minutes and 30 seconds.  By the final 20-30 seconds I was pretty darn cold but I was able to move around a bit in the chamber which helped.  By the end of the treatment I felt energized and refreshed!  My muscles and joints felt relatively pain free which seemed to last for the next 2-3 days.  I was also given a spot treatment around my neck and TMJ area where I tend to get moderate soreness.  Kim measured my skin temperature regularly to make sure it was not getting too cold. A hose like device with nitrogen was utilized (see pic below).  Areas like the face, because there is less soft tissue and fat can become a lot cooler more quickly.  My neck and jaw felt less sore immediately after and for about another 24-48 hours.  

The theory is that during whole body cryotherapy, your skin reacts to the cold by sending messages to the brain that stimulates the body to go into survival mode by sending blood from your extremities to the core where the blood has higher amounts of oxygen, enzymes and nutrients.  As the body re-warms, this nutrient rich blood is pushed back to the extremities.  The idea is that the enriched blood promotes internal organ regeneration, detoxification, removal and elimination of damaged cells and decreases inflammation.  Basically, this helps the body heal, rejuvenate and recover.    A recent pilot study showed the substantial imbalance between human metabolism and thermolysis during WBC of which the explanation still remains an open question.  The relationship between skin temperature and thermolysis heat losses during this period is still unknown and have not been studied in the context of the human body.  Hopefully, there will be further studies showing this relationship and proving the benefits of WBC using evidence based medicine.  

According to the FDA, the healing benefits of whole body cryotherapy are unconfirmed and the potential risks are apparent.   Some risks include oxygen deficiency and hypoxia from the nitrogen vapors to a closed room leading to lose of consciousness.  You may also run the risk of frostbite, burns and eye injury from the extreme temperatures.  If you are going to try WBC or localized cryotherapy, please make sure that you go to a reputable establishment where the staff is well trained and qualified such as Subzero Cryotherapy in Wellington, Florida.  Also, please check with your physician prior to any treatments.  This is not meant for everyone and there are definitely possible risks associated with this type of treatment.  


Cheers to Your Health!