Papa was a-rollin' foam

(Yes, I know this is a fitness post. I'm SUPPOSED to blog about it here. It's one of my five Fs. Yes, really. Shhhhhh....!)

As long as I can remember, if I've had a really deep night's sleep, I've woken up with a lower back that feels like someone has stretched it all out overnight and then squashed it tight before putting it back in my body. Over the last year or so, it's been more like a generally stiff lower back and then the stiffness has taken longer and longer to go away. You can blame my increased exercise regime for that.

I knew I had to do something but being of limited budget it had to be cheap. I fired up the Google machine and ignoring the warnings of impending death, I happened upon something that provided an option. If I foam rolled the front of my legs (my quads), it should help the stiffness in my lower back.

Thankfully, husband has a foam roller. I hadn't really considered what it was and what it meant but I know that he sometimes faffs around with it for ages when he's been working out. I'd kind of scoffed at what he was doing but I'd heard other mentions of it. So I thought I'd give it a try.

The relief was instant. Whilst I didn't feel it stop the stiffness straight away, I felt fine after rolling my quads but when I stood up, I felt less stiff in the back area and didn't feel stiff the next morning.

I know you're going to ask me now - what IS foam rolling? Well, it's literally taking a cylinder of foam about 15 cm in diameter and using your bodyweight to roll along a muscle. To give it its full title, it's self-myofascial release. The fascia is basically the soft tissue element of the connective tissue surrounding your muscles. Sports massages basically targets these areas too but doing it yourself, with only a foam roll, works out a lot cheaper.

Believe me, it's not an easy option. If you've ever had a sports massage (I haven't but I know people who have), you'll know that it's quite a painful experience. Not searing pain, probably more substantial discomfort. But as you find trigger points, it's often super-sensitive but you have to keep holding the roller there breathing deeply until the point releases. Ow!

If I needed any indication that it wasn't a fluke, my back started stiffening up after I'd not rolled for a couple of days. Since then, I've tried to add rolling different parts of my body post-workout - hamstrings, calves, upper back / shoulder area, and worst of all, the IT band (it runs down the outer front of your thigh) - I am still working up to doing them properly as boy does it hurt! Some sites say you don't need to roll it but it seems to be doing something for me.

I try to do it at the end of my workout if I've got time - as there are a couple of foam rollers at the gym I can use. If not, I do some at home. If I'm really short of time, I roll my quads only - because I know that my back will thank me for it. I'd never really thought that my quads were causing the problem - but I do a lot of squats and lunges so it makes sense really.

The most complete routine of foam rolling I can find (without spending a minute selling you a foam roller) to show you what I mean is here.



Please don't fall asleep listening to the bloke's voice but believe me this is the best!

After rolling, you're meant to stretch and some say it helps you stretch better. Stretching afterwards definitely helps.

Give it a go if, like me, you don't want to turn into a crock holding their back all the time. I know it sounds crazy, but believe me, it works. There are lots of foam rollers around but I'm not going to recommend any particular brand to you - this is not a review post, just me sharing my own experience.

Dyeing to make a difference

Confession time - I'd never dyed my own hair. Before children, I used to have highlights done in a salon but it became a luxury that went by the wayside when trying to cut costs. I've always chickened out of the thought of doing my own and I was worried that my hair would look flat. However, I've been thinking recently I needed to do something as my children are most definitely giving me grey hairs!

Then, John Frieda offered to send me a pamper pack including one of their new Salon Blends collection from their Precision Foam Colour range. I said yes, and then promptly regretted it. What on earth was I doing? But they do say in order to deal with your fears, you need to face them head on.

The point of the collection was that they have been pre-blended with 3 different shades, as you would get if you went to a salon to get your hair dyed. I selected what I thought was a shade similar to my current colour, which I took to be light brown. When the pamper pack turned up, I was delighted to find it contained a lovely black towel, some nail varnishes AND a set of straighteners - which was fantastic as I've been wondering whether I should replace mine.

My fantastic pamper pack

So, no turning back, I had to dye my own hair. First, obviously, I had to do a patch test, which is bizarre as they tell you not to get it wet OR to cover it for two whole days. I managed to get it done and still shower and there was no reaction. Which, of course, meant I had no excuse. It was time to dye my hair.

Before. (Looking surprised)

From start to finish, it took about an hour although I was taking my time and messing about. Covering the hair evenly with the foam was a challenge, as was adding the right amount. What I thought was enough was not according to the instructions. And then, I had to massage it into my hair and then leave for half an hour. Well, I gave it half an hour because I have greys in my hair. The foam was nice as it didn't drip anywhere and I got with normal activities, whilst waiting for it to work. I couldn't do that in a salon!

Then came the moment of truth. After rinsing and conditioning, I got out of the shower to have a look. My first thought was, when looking in the mirror was "It's dark!" but my hair was still wet. Once my hair was dried and straightened, I would still say my hair was a shade darker than it was before. It's probably difficult to tell from these pictures but it definitely is darker in real life. As trueness to colour, I'd say this shade (supposedly Light Amber Brown) was darker than advertised - unless of course, the extra time I left it on added to the depth of colour. Although I like it, I definitely prefer to have been closer to my original colour and next time, I'd definitely go for one of the dark blonde colours. Maybe I am dark blonde after all! The colour is nice and has depth to it -  although I think it looks obvious it's coloured, it's more natural than a lot of hair that I have seen. I'm hoping that the colour fades a little because I'm worried it looks a bit severe.

And after. (Smile, Kate!)

The conditioner has left my hair in really nice condition - not straw like at all. And my new straighteners really are fab - they are SO much better than the ones I had and my hair now looks all swishy and lovely with very little effort.

As for other's reaction to my hair, well, there has been very little. The children didn't say anything until I said have you noticed anything different but they couldn't decide if my hair was lighter or darker. Husband, bless him, has yet to say anything after 24 hours. Maybe it's not all that different and I'm just being paranoid.

Would I do it again? Well, yes - despite my fears, it was a lot easier to do and a lot less scary than I thought it would be. I think I just need to tinker around a little with the shades I use. A tenner for a pack of hair dye is much cheaper than getting it done in a salon.

(I was sent a pamper pack, as detailed above, for the purposes of a review. I have not been paid a fee to write this post and all words and views are my own.)