Literally...
Things I love: working out.
Things I don’t love: being sore.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to avoid it. Even as a fairly active person, it's no surprise that I get sore. Every workout starts and ends with a few minutes dedicated to stretching, but I still wind up feeling the effects of that routine. (It’s probably not helpful that I sit in a desk chair for eight hours, five days a week, folded up like a pretzel.) But no matter what, l feel like I’m constantly complaining about this ache or that pain.
So when I read about the Lola Massage Gun, I was instantly intrigued. A tiny, self-massage tool that loosens muscles and relieves pain from the comfort of one’s couch? With four interchangeable heads, offering countless massages at your fingertips?
Sign me up.
Things I don’t love: being sore.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to avoid it. Even as a fairly active person, it's no surprise that I get sore. Every workout starts and ends with a few minutes dedicated to stretching, but I still wind up feeling the effects of that routine. (It’s probably not helpful that I sit in a desk chair for eight hours, five days a week, folded up like a pretzel.) But no matter what, l feel like I’m constantly complaining about this ache or that pain.
So when I read about the Lola Massage Gun, I was instantly intrigued. A tiny, self-massage tool that loosens muscles and relieves pain from the comfort of one’s couch? With four interchangeable heads, offering countless massages at your fingertips?
Sign me up.
When I got my Lola, I thought “this looks really cool.” Very sleek and modern, designed for easy use.
"
And use it I did. I immediately fell in love. I would (very eloquently) describe the feeling as “muscles being punched repeatedly really fast, but in a way that feels both sort of painful and fantastic at the same time.”
In essence — it hurt so good. With each “punch” I could truly feel the knots in my shoulder unraveling. It brought relief to muscles I didn’t even realize were tight. But as I kept going, I discovered new roots to the soreness I was routinely experiencing.
It reminded me of the time I strained a neck muscle so badly that I could not lift my head for days. It was so painful that an athletic trainer proved to be my only savior, courtesy of the world’s most intense (but ultimately helpful!) sports massage — pushing on trigger points and working out knots. He explained that, due to our anatomy, pain in one area may be caused by something in an entirely separate part of the body. As it turns out, my neck pain was rooted in a misaligned thumb?! As he followed the line of tensed-up muscles, down my neck to my shoulder, my elbow, my wrist, and finally popped my thumb into place — all of the pain relented. I found it super interesting that by following those pain points I could locate its source.
With the Lola, I started on my hips (because my mobility has been compromised from aforementioned desk chair), using the ball attachment for its softer head and gentler massage to sensitive areas. I then switched to the flat head for my hamstrings, and WOW. I didn’t realize how tight I was until the pulsating massage took effect. About 10 minutes post-massage, I started my workout and was shocked to find I could stretch, touch my toes, and perform all the movements that usually cause me discomfort. The extra work on my hamstrings loosened up my hips. It was magical – the average stretch session comes nowhere close to limbering me up that much.
My favorite interchangeable head, though, has to be the U-shaped head. I love to use it on my shoulders because it hits deep and works out knots I can’t get to with my hands alone. I also love the cone head for its super deep massage on acupressure points. The closest thing I’ve found to Lola’s benefits is foam rolling, so if you’re not yet ready to pull the trigger on a massage gun, try a roller first — they’re great for large areas like your back, calves and glutes. But for a more targeted muscle massage, the Lola has become my go-to.
It’s a pretty addicting tool, to be honest. If you struggle with sore muscles, and stretching doesn’t do it for you, or you don’t want to book a massage — I would highly recommend it. This tiny-but-mighty massage gun is now a staple in my routine. I often find myself reaching for it while I’m lying on the couch watching TV (a really helpful way to multitask). Now, when I work out, I feel ready to move – since I’m all stretched out I feel like my movements are more effective. Plus, it’s just super fun to use and provides instant gratification. I’ve even convinced my fiance to try it. New fan!
I can promise you this – if you’re around me while I have my Lola, I’m going to make you try it, and you’re going to want one. Boom.
It reminded me of the time I strained a neck muscle so badly that I could not lift my head for days. It was so painful that an athletic trainer proved to be my only savior, courtesy of the world’s most intense (but ultimately helpful!) sports massage — pushing on trigger points and working out knots. He explained that, due to our anatomy, pain in one area may be caused by something in an entirely separate part of the body. As it turns out, my neck pain was rooted in a misaligned thumb?! As he followed the line of tensed-up muscles, down my neck to my shoulder, my elbow, my wrist, and finally popped my thumb into place — all of the pain relented. I found it super interesting that by following those pain points I could locate its source.
With the Lola, I started on my hips (because my mobility has been compromised from aforementioned desk chair), using the ball attachment for its softer head and gentler massage to sensitive areas. I then switched to the flat head for my hamstrings, and WOW. I didn’t realize how tight I was until the pulsating massage took effect. About 10 minutes post-massage, I started my workout and was shocked to find I could stretch, touch my toes, and perform all the movements that usually cause me discomfort. The extra work on my hamstrings loosened up my hips. It was magical – the average stretch session comes nowhere close to limbering me up that much.
My favorite interchangeable head, though, has to be the U-shaped head. I love to use it on my shoulders because it hits deep and works out knots I can’t get to with my hands alone. I also love the cone head for its super deep massage on acupressure points. The closest thing I’ve found to Lola’s benefits is foam rolling, so if you’re not yet ready to pull the trigger on a massage gun, try a roller first — they’re great for large areas like your back, calves and glutes. But for a more targeted muscle massage, the Lola has become my go-to.
It’s a pretty addicting tool, to be honest. If you struggle with sore muscles, and stretching doesn’t do it for you, or you don’t want to book a massage — I would highly recommend it. This tiny-but-mighty massage gun is now a staple in my routine. I often find myself reaching for it while I’m lying on the couch watching TV (a really helpful way to multitask). Now, when I work out, I feel ready to move – since I’m all stretched out I feel like my movements are more effective. Plus, it’s just super fun to use and provides instant gratification. I’ve even convinced my fiance to try it. New fan!
I can promise you this – if you’re around me while I have my Lola, I’m going to make you try it, and you’re going to want one. Boom.
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