A foam roller.
I was reading blogs tonight and Shelley mentioned soreness. I totally forgot to mention my best trick to fight muscle soreness, or what I call DOMS.
I bought a foam roller at Target made by GoFit. I think it was under $20--it couldn't have been much more than that because I'm cheap. I bought this at the beginning of October.
It is a self-massage tool, it is a piece of heaven on earth. There are tons of videos on you tube on how to properly roll. You don't do your knees or your lower back. It's great for IT bands and everything else.
I roll every night before bed. I've learned it's not necessarily safe to do so in a night gown because I catch the gown and it rolls up. (Talk about exposure!) I also have to wear my hair in a ponytail before I roll, otherwise it will catch my hair.
This thing is fantastic. Where you're sore, you spend more time. You use your body weight and you actually engage your core while doing this. I would not be without my foam roller for anything. Gone are the days I beg for a back rub--I can give myself one.
There's some medical mumbo-jumo: it is used for myofascial release. Whatever--it works wonders with soreness.
Google it and check out the videos on You Tube. I absolutely love mine, and when I travel, it will go with me.
