Have you ever laid down on a massage tool and felt your entire body tense up and completely forget how to breathe?

Massage has more to do with relaxing your nervous system than it does with breaking up your fascia. Which means the tool you use, absolutely matters.

There are all sorts of massage tools from knobby foam rollers, to balls with spikes, soft air-filled balls, and everything in between. But the most popular (and least expensive) is probably the lacrosse ball.

Lacrosse balls are too hard for self-massage.

And in today’s episode, I’m sharing the WHY (and the science to back it up).

So if you’re still rolling on lacrosse balls or you hate massage in general because it always hurts - then today’s episode is for you!

You’ll learn:

• Why the hardness of your massage tools matters
• How self-massage affects the body and nervous system
• And why you should just use lacrosse balls to play lacrosse

All the links:

• Shop Therapy Balls [AE Wellness]
• Rad Centre Therapy Ball from RAD Roller
• Chest and Pec Stretch/Massage with Therapy Balls (AE Wellness YouTube)
• How to Mobilize Your Diaphragm for Better Breathing and Core Control (AE Wellness YouTube)
• Hamstring Massage with Therapy Balls (AE Wellness YouTube)
• Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: a block randomized, controlled trial (Nature, 2020)
• The Effects of Heat and Massage Application on Autonomic Nervous System Yonsei Medical Journal (Korea)
• A soft massage tool is advantageous for compressing deep soft tissue with low muscle tension: Therapeutic evidence for self-myofascial release (Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019)
• 30 days to more strength + flexibility with the Mobility Mastery Toolkit
• Movement Mavens has the tools and strategy to support you on your path to enjoying life without pain - www.aewellness.com/mavens
• www.aewellness.com/podcast - Show notes, links and more.
• Join the free Body Nerds FB community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aewbodynerds/
• Come hang out with me on Instagram @hollaformala : https://instagram.com/hollaformala/
• TikTok @ aewellness
• Bodywork Starter Guide - learn the 6 places you need to roll right now for quick relief, plus the reason why what you’ve tried so far has only given you a temporary fix. Download the guide for free now at www.aewellness.com/bodywork
• 818-396-6501 is the Body Nerd Hotline - how do you build consistency and/or where are you getting stuck? Drop me a line and let me know your body nerd hacks - you might just hear your voice on a future episode!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Mobility Mastery Toolkit. Forget icing and stretching - and get a simple program you can do on your own that actually works. The Toolkit includes 30-days of exercises so you know exactly what to do to improve the mobility of your hips, lower back, feet, neck and shoulders. With video demos and a full-body mobility workout calendar, you’re just 15-mins a day from feeling stronger and more flexible. Get $20 off when you use the code MASTERY at www.mobilitytoolkit.co