ChrisComedy's Journal, 25 August 2014

Six hours of solid sleep with dreaming, three hours of in-and-out listening to podcasts. Get out of bed plank. Eight minutes first thing in the morning on the Air Walk Trainer to burn off glycogen. First day to really feel that Fall is coming: temperatures in the seventies and high of 81 with low humidity. First time in a long time with no fans running.

Today, I started working with Elaine Petrone's Miracle Ball Method as a way to eliminate my back tension. After reading the rave reviews on Amazon, I had to give it a shot. For all that it promises, it's only $12. It consists of two balls and a small, comprehensively-illustrated paperback. I stumbled across her method while researching foam rollers.

I would say the two tools are complementary although both are credited with relieving back tension. The Miracle Ball Method works on relaxation and realignment while foam rollers work on muscle relaxation and releasing muscle knots. The Miracle Ball Method is similar to Pilates in that it works on body realignment and muscle lengthening. Elaine struck a chord with me when she wrote that she was too ADD for meditation.

The 6"-by-36" high-density foam roller also arrived. I immediately used it on my upper back for five minutes. I will probably move on to other areas and more elaborate workouts but since I read "Mini-Habits" I'm more biased towards starting small. I see where it could be a time saver instead of a 24-minute guided meditation session. I could see it as a fast way to deal with back tension since five minutes seems to be the recommended time. I read that it's better for beginners to start with a softer roller so I was concerned the high-density version I got would be too stiff. On the other hand, I was also worried a softer version would wind up deforming. In actual use, I didn't find the high-density version that uncomfortable. I didn't encounter any sharp pains which some people get when rolling over knots.

Thirty-six inches just fits on the equipment mat but is wider than the Reebok exercise mat. It's usable, but 24 inches would probably fit better in my cramped space. On the other hand, there are probably exercises you can do with 36 inches that you can't do with 24 inches, such as rolling vertically or lengthwise with your entire upper body or rolling the widest of your back and both legs on one pass. It's not a big deal. I started with the cheapest version I could find ($20) that was of reasonably quality to see if I would use it regularly. I didn't want to sink more money into a higher-quality version such as the Rumble Roller or the Grid 2.0, which are three to four times as expensive if I wasn't going to use it. In any case, some people recommend starting with the regular foam before moving onto a product with knobs or bumps. We'll see how the one I got holds up to sustained use.

I've got too much exercise junk and books stacked around the mat so I want to clear off this area so I have more room to roll.

Update: I watched an Ashley Borden video on foam roller exercises and did 15 minutes. This was more intense than the five minutes I did where I wasn't putting as much pressure on the back muscles. Heard some muscles shifting. Also did some work on my thighs as well and definitely felt it there and in my upper arm. I was going to buy a book on foam rolling, "Foam Roller Workbook: Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide to Stretching, Strengthening and Rehabilitative Techniques" by Karl Knopf until I read a review which said that most of the exercises were for the half moon roller, which saved me some money. I have the round roller. Knopf has a book coming out in November, "Trigger Point Therapy with the Foam Roller: Exercises for Muscle Massage, Myofascial Release, Injury Prevention."

I wound up buying the Kindle edition of "The MELT Method: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain, Erase the Signs of Aging, and Feel Fantastic in Just 10 Minutes a Day!" for $2.99. Turns out the author isn't a fan of foam rollers used to the point of pain. After reading and skimming about half the book, I would say the MELT technique is worth exploring further. However, even though it only takes 10 minutes a day, the assessment part looks pretty esoteric.

I think I'm going to work with the Miracle Ball Method first because it's simpler and I already have everything I need to practice it. The MELT Method uses a soft foam roller and balls which I don't have. Makes more sense to give the Miracle Ball Method a shot before further outlays. The Miracle Ball Method is a lot less theoretical and a lot more practical. As Petrone herself says, simple.

You have to wade through five chapters before you actually get to the method in the Melt Method book. The book discusses how the author developed the method. Given the amount of time and effort involved, the author's interest in telling the story of how she arrived at the method is understandable, but I'm not sure readers share that interest. Also, the book goes into the theory in what some would feel is excruciating detail. That's a lot of backstory for a method that's supposed to take ten minutes a day. I learned a lot more about the fascia than I wanted to know. It also feels like padding, but then again, I suppose not many people are going to shell out $18 for a hardback book with just a couple of chapters that outline the method.

The results promised with the Melt Method and the Miracle Ball Method are the same: tension release, stress relief, and greater well-being. Both methods have rave reviews on Amazon. Elaine has two other kits at $20 each whereas the MELT Method for hands and feet cost $40 by itself. The MELT roller sells for $60, but there's a generic version selling for $38 on Amazon. A little too much profit margin there.

Today was a down day (500 calories) on the Alternate-Day/4:3 diet and a strength training day. I did 15 minutes of the dumbbell whole body conditioning program before I disappeared down the MELT Method rabbit hole, er, book.

I used an Android for Nook card to install 4.4 Kit Kat on my Nook HD+ so I decided to see if the Misfit Shine fitness tracker would work with it. Installed the Misfit Shine app on the tablet - Shine doesn't even have a tablet version - it's designed for phones - but it still wouldn't connect because the tablet doesn't support Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

Shine users like to talk about the fact that they don't have to charge it - just replace the battery every three months. What they don't tell you is getting the Shine open to install the battery is an exercise in frustration, requiring a special tool inserted in a hard-to-find notch. Several minutes of hassle left me longing for USB charging. Anytime you have to a special tool just to open a gadget, LOOK OUT. The tool itself is small and would probably be easy to lose.

Fifteen minutes of the Miracle Ball Method. Three reps of wall slides (planks for your legs), one minute each. Cardio: 50 minutes on the Air Walk Trainer.

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445 kcal

Fat: 9.00g | Prot: 13.00g | Carb: 85.00g.   Breakfast: Fiber Choice Sugar Free Assorted Fruit, Celestial Seasonings India Spice Chai Tea, Splenda Nectresse, Slim-Fast Shakes - Rich Chocolate Royale. Lunch: Simple Truth Multigrain Rice Crackers. Dinner: Dole Fruit Bowls - Diced Peaches, Dole Diced Peaches No Sugar Added. more...