This blog is part of a sponsored Moji campaign. All of my opinions are my own.

I recently got into muscle rolling. I know! It’s been around for a while, but I’m a slow learner!

Let me be honest! The only thing I don’t like more than exercise is prevention and rehabilitation. It’s not that I don’t like it. I’m not good at it. Prevention and rehabilitation takes time and patience, which I have none of. So, it’s like pulling teeth to get me to ice an injury, take a yoga class, stretch and take my vitamins. I know, you are probably screaming “BONNIEEEEE!” Hey, I may be into fitness, but I still have my struggles and weaknesses too.

Since I’m married to a guy who really cares about me and has a degree in Physical Therapy (so he knows the importance of preventive health and therapeutic modalities) I am working on these weaknesses. While I do admit that he still sets my vitamins out so I don’t forget to take them, one thing I’m actually being proactive with is muscle recovery.

Muscle Injury Cycle

I’ve had several injuries over the last year. It started with a sprained ankle and that old injury is now affecting my entire body – all the way up to my neck. It’s funny how one injury can throw your whole body out of proper alignment and mobility. Ok, so it’s not “ha ha” funny, but it’s “interesting funny”. Who would ever think an ankle could eventually cause a back spasm?

My ankle threw off my gate. Before I knew it, my gate put extra pressure on one knee. I didn’t even realize it was changing the way I moved…but it did. I was overcompensating on the other leg and eventually pulled a hamstring. This tight hamstring pulled my low back out of whack and now I’m dealing with back and neck issues.

I sound like a hot mess, don’t I? The truth is we all struggle with things like this. Sadly, most people just think they are stuck with it. Even worse, they tend to avoid exercise altogether in fear of further injury. I knew I needed to work through it, and I am confident my weight training prevented it from all becoming much worse.

The lesson I learned was that a lot of it could have been prevented if I was more proactive with my original injury and muscle recovery. And, while it took my injury snowballing into more issues to learn my lesson, I did learn – and now it’s time to start repairing my broken body.

I have always known that everything is connected but I’ve not personally experienced it for myself. As I was explaining my little revelation to someone, Steve said, “Come on, you knew that!” and began singing, “The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone. The hip bone’s connected to the backbone. The backbone’s connected to the neck bone. Doin’ the skeleton dance.” (LOL.)

Seriously though, in order for us to be truly fit, we have to address it all. We have to address our body as a whole unit – all of our parts working together as a team. This means we can’t just expect to break down muscles in the gym and not make the effort to help them repair. (no change!) One of the best ways to do this is with massage and ice.

3 Ways to Massage Your Muscles Into Shape

So I’ll start this section off with another confession. I have a really hard time spending money on myself, especially when it comes to “pampering myself”. At one point I even owned a spa where we had massage therapists on staff and I only got a massage when I was interviewing new practitioners.

Not only do I feel guilty for just laying there for an hour while someone works on me, but I have a hard time even staying still and quiet for that long. I guess that is another thing I have to work on. (Note to self: learn how to relax.)

With that said, owning muscle recovery tools is essential for me. Since I will never be the one to spend money booking regular massages, I need to have the right tools at home so I can do my own muscle therapy. That’s where Moji massage products come in.

I had the opportunity to put their products to the test and I really LOVE them! They are totally different than any of my other products. Each product has these awesome stainless steel balls that roll across your body with such ease. Unlike some muscle rollers that distribute more even pressure, Moji Massage Products can give you that muscle roller feel while also addressing trigger points.

For instance, I used the Moji Mini Pro like a muscle roller on my sore legs, applying even pressure across my quadriceps, but I applied deeper pressure on my VMO (Vastus Medialis Oblique), which is that tear drop shaped muscle located just above and to the inside of the kneecap.

Since the rubber material that supports the massage balls is flexible, you can determine what areas get most of the deeper pressure by simply bending your hands and pushing on the exact area you want to address, unlike fixed muscle rollers.

I pretty much have used the Moji Mini Pro everywhere, including my legs, arms, neck and shoulders.

The Moji Curve Pro is more like a traditional muscle roller. It has 2 sturdy handles on either side, so you can control your pressure with ease, and 4 large massage balls in the center. I personally like the balls over the rolling discs because they don’t just roll in one direction. Not only that, they seem to dig in more for a deeper massage.

I really fell in love with the Moji Curve Pro when I used it on my neck and low back muscles. The slight curve in the Moji Curve Pro conforms more to your body and gives you a much more comfortable massage. It also seems like the balls are just perfectly placed so you can navigate around your spine. The curved body, along with the nice big handles, makes it easy to do a self-massage.

Finally, I got to try the Moji Foot Pro. For those of you who followed Steve’s Fat To Fit To Fat journey on A&E, you might have seen him walking around in a boot for plantar fasciitis. The Moji Foot Pro is PERFECT for treating plantar fasciitis. He was rolling his foot on a lacrosse ball for myofascial release and then applying ice to manage inflammation. Now, he can get all of that using one product.

The sturdy non-stick base makes it easy to use even on tile floor. By massaging the heel area, you can use the Moji Foot Pro for myofascial release to reduce pain. But wait! That’s not all! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself! LOL!) I’ve been saving the best for last. Mojo Pro products are made so that you can put them in the freezer for ice massages. That means Steve can massage AND ice in one sitting.

Ice massage is the most effective method for applying ice. Ice massages are proven to drive the ice-cold healing temperatures deeper into the tissue. It also doesn’t require as much time as applying an ice pack. You can get some serious healing with one 10-minute ice massage – and it feels good too.

Steve did ice massages on patients all the time in physical therapy, but we haven’t done it much at home. It takes time to prepare your ice cups and you have to wait for them to freeze, which takes awhile. Moji Massage Products make ice massaging easy and less messy, since there is no melting ice to deal with. And, they’re ready for use again after just a short visit back to the freezer!

As I write this blog, I’ve been periodically using my Moji products while I read and proof everything – and really love how easy they are to use. They aren’t as bulky and awkward as some other products I’ve used.

I’m really excited about being more proactive with muscle recovery and having all the right tools to do it. And lastly, I’m excited about the Moji massage Steve’s going to give me tonight (even though he doesn’t know it yet).

Moji products get 2 thumbs up and a fist bump!

This blog is part of a sponsored Moji campaign. All of my opinions are my own.