Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably familiar with the foam roller, or more specifically, health- and wellness-minded people’s obsession with the foam roller. Allow us to introduce you to structural integrative specialist and Goop’s resident alignment guru, Lauren Roxburgh. The woman literally wrote the book on foam-rolling. We’ll let the expert take it from here.
Standing taller with good posture can make you feel more confident and look slimmer. No matter how toned you are, a hunch in your posture can make you appear shorter and wider than you truly are. We are all dealing with gravity that compresses us daily, so addressing your posture is a must to look and feel your best.
My secret to gorgeous, slimmer, and more elegant posture is using a foam roller. It can completely transform your body, posture, and even your state of mind. Most people think of the foam roller as a tool to roll out tight IT bands. But the roller can be a total-body workout tool and actually mimic many of the moves you do on the Pilates reformer (think long and lean celeb bodies).
It can help regenerate, hydrate, and smooth out your fascia, and literally roll away excess bulk, thickness, stress, and density. It can also boost circulation and lubrication to the tissue, which makes the skin and muscle look and feel suppler and more youthful. Rolling also stimulates the lymphatic system to help flush toxins, get rid of bloating, and even reduce cellulite. A regular rolling routine can help you lose inches, shrink your waistline, gain height, and even feel calmer.
Whether you are wearing a sundress or your workout gear, these four postural moves will help you look and feel slimmer in no time.
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Snow angel
1. Lie on the roller with your spine supported from head to tailbone.
2. Begin with your arms extended down by your sides, with the palms of your hands facing up to open and expand the chest.
3. Inhale deeply as you reach your arms up overhead slowly and with control, keeping them as close to the mat as possible and parallel to the floor.
4. Exhale completely as you draw your arms back down to your sides.
5. Repeat eight times.
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Roll out the kinks
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Place the roller under your back at the bra line, leaning your mid-back over the roller. Gently interlace your fingers behind your head to support your head and neck.
2. Using your feet to drive the movement, inhale as you roll up, stopping at the top of the shoulder blades.
3. Exhale as you roll and massage down the spine, stopping at the bottom of your rib cage. (Be careful not to roll back and forth on the lower back.)
4. Repeat 10 times.
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Diaphragm release
1. Sit on the ground and place the roller under the bottom of your shoulder blades at the bra line. Gently interlace your fingers and bring your hands behind your head to support your neck. Place your feet on the ground, with knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
2. Inhale as you arch your thoracic spine (middle-to-upper back) over the roller.
3. Exhale as you curl back up as if you were doing a crunch, squeezing all the air out of your stomach.
4. Repeat 10 times.
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Rolling rev push-through
1. Sit down on the mat with the roller behind you and your legs extended long in front of you. Place your fingertips on the roller with arms straight and chest open, shoulders back, and thumbs out to the side.
2. Inhale as you roll back and feel the roller move up to your forearms.
3. Exhale as you roll it back in and your body returns up to sit tall.
4. Repeat eight times