Packing for a month-long altitude trip means I get to reorganize my workout bag. This is what I bring to sessions every day.
- Foot Roller – To be honest, I use the small spiky more. Sometimes I like this one for stretching my toes, or rolling my plantar.
- Speed Shades
- Loop Bands – Great for home leg exercises and prehab.
- Bands – I don’t know if this is specifically the Theraband brand.astym
- Gua Sha – Graston and Astym tools are expensive. One of these is less than $10 on Amazon. The back of a spoon from your kitchen is free (see below…)
- Apple Watch Nike
- Tea spoon – You really can’t get better than a spoon or butter knife for some light fascia release on feet/toes/calves. S/O to the hotel in London from which I took this!
- Sunscreen – the OG
- Recovery Ball – This thing is gold! It’s great for rolling hip flexors, piriformis and hamstrings. And the one from Nike doesn’t seem to set off TSA alerts at the airport.
- Not pictured… I also bring a foam roller
- Face/Body Wipes – I like this brand because it’s the best combo of affordable, natural, and sweet-smelling. It may be cheaper at Target.
- Small Spiky Ball – This is another one that is just perfect for it’s purpose. It’s small enough to get in between the metatarsals and under the ball of the foot. And I prefer the plastic spikes to the flat surface of a golfball.
- Cups – These are the best thing I’ve found for self-treatment if I’m away from a Physio for a while. You put lotion on the problem area, then suction yourself up. I find them most effective when I move around with the cup on there (stretch out the muscle).
- I’m told this is forcing the fascia to move more fluidly around the muscle. I have no idea if that’s true, or what the science is behind the mechanism. Fascia seems like this magical organ that is at the root of so many body problems. I just know that releasing fascia is my best found method of keeping injury-free, and this is the easiest way to do it by myself.
- Face sunscreen – BEST SUNSCREEN EVER. Mineral sunscreens may be better for you than chemical ones, but they can leave a white/chalky tint because they aren’t really absorbed (that’s good, they work by reflecting UV rays). This one is slightly tinted, so there is no white residue. Plus, while some mineral sunscreens are hard to rub in, the La Roche-Posay formula seriously feels like silk. It’s not cheap, but I use maybe about a dime size for my face, and the bottle lasts about 6 months.
- Looped Strap – for assisted stretching. I like this one especially because the sewn loops allow you to anchor it down, or have options for hand/foot holds
- Headbands
Training Notes 