First time hearing about foam rolling? Have you seen one before but couldn’t figure out what the person was doing on it?

Foam rolling has been gaining popularity among fitness professionals and their clients for many years. It allows you to take care of your soft tissue(the tissue that holds your muscle fibers together) without the cost of a massage therapist. There are many benefits to foam rolling and it’s about time everyone took notice and made it a part of their exercise routine.

Foam rolling requires the use of a FOAM ROLLERthat is generally 6” thick and 36” long.  Foam rollers come in different evels. The less dense, the less pressure that will be applied to the muscle. Self massage can be painful when first starting because the fascia is tight, but over time the fascia will release. We always recommend beginning with a less dense roller and working your way up to a denser roller.

Why practice foam rolling? It will help prevent injury and improve recovery from a workout or injury. It can be done before or after a workout and takes between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. It targets areas of overuse or injury and gets the muscle/fascia to release. Basically, you’re ironing out the muscle and fascia to lie properly, which will improve range of motion and posture. Foam rolling is also going to increase blood flow to the areas you’re rolling out, so it’s great to do before you stretch. Some fitness coaches would even tell you that stretching is almost useless without rolling first.

What is the procedure for foam rolling? You’ll be rolling out all the large muscle groups in your body and will need to roll the entire length of each muscle a couple of times. When you find tight areas (called “trigger points”), spend extra time trying to get those muscles to release. You can spend up to 30 seconds on the trigger points.  The focus should be on muscles and not joints. If you are really tight or sore, you can foam roll (self-massage) up to 12 times a day.

Start foam rolling today. Every home, work place and gym should have a foam roller. It is not only great for recovery, but will also give you a greater sense of well-being and relaxation.

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I’m all about cheating death. And since we can’t all seduce pale, sparkly, bed-headed men (sorry, R-Pat), some of us have to go about it the natural way.

You might recall when we sniffed out the longevity benefits of water, green tea, and sundry antioxidants. Then there were resveratrol and chocolate.

Well, now I’ve moved on to a new death-cheat: Yoga.

Yoga’s potential longevity benefits first occurred to me when I read an article about a centenarian in Salt Lake City. (When 103-year-olds start dishing on their fitness secrets, let me tell you, I listen.)

In this article, the spry old woman attributed her health to just three things: a healthy breakfast (cold cereal with blueberries), dancing barefoot and doing yoga.

She didn’t say why yoga was such a boon to her health and wellbeing, leaving me to figure it out for myself. Here’s what I came up with…

Getting bendy (and then some).

First off, here’s what I know about yoga: It’s about more than flexibility, and it’s not just for girls. Everyone can reap the physical benefits: improved balance, endurance, strength and flexibility. And for the mind, it promotes concentration and relaxation.

Now, it’s no secret that getting fit will change your life. (At least, it shouldn’t be; we talk about it all the time around here.)

But what does fitness have to do with living longer? And why yoga, specifically?

An article on WebMD holds some clues. It says that a combined lack of physical activity and poor nutrition is the second greatest underlying cause of death in the U.S. (right behind smoking). Regular exercise helps the body ward off cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases, and it indirectly boosts physical health by improving mental health.

As for why yoga’s so potent? WebMD identifies four exercise components necessary to preserve health—and yoga takes care of three of them for you (four, if you do certain types):

• Muscle strengthening activity
• Balance-improving activity
• Stretching
• Endurance activity (see: power yoga)

Another WebMD article says that by quieting the mind, the body will often work to heal itself. Which brings us to the next life-lengthening benefit of yoga…

De-stress or die.

Some people are turned off by the mental aspect of yoga. Those people are probably going to die early. You can’t escape the mind-body connection.

Tara Stiles, personal yoga instructor to Deepak Chopra, says she does it because it keeps her grounded and centered. That, in turn, is probably what keeps her model-hot.

The rest of us? We’re aging rapidly.

I don’t know a single person who isn’t perma-stressed—which is sad, because according to Men’s Health, I live in the sixth calmest city in the U.S. But numerous studies have shown that stress, chronic stress especially, inhibits cell renewal in the body. Sadly, stress ages women even faster. (Ahem: not an excuse to roll up your yoga mat, gents.)

You can’t erase stressors with the wave of a hand. But you can erase stress. That’s because stress isn’t caused by stressors, but by our reaction to them. And just about every yoga-practicer in the world will tell you: yoga helps you keep life in perspective.

Still don’t believe yoga keeps you feeling young? Take a yoga class for six months. Then stop. You’ll feel the difference.

So pour yourself a bowl of cereal, toss off your shoes and get to stretchin’.

More good reads:

• The Hip-Hop Guide to Pimping Your Workouts
• How to Find Zen at the Gym
• Is Exercising Making You Look And Feel Older?