THE WELLNESS
CLUB
Wellness is a continued act. It is not a one-time dose that gets you through a specific duration of life.
By Mims
In summer of 2020 the world was pretty stuck – I happened to be stuck in the UAE. The weather was geting increasingly warm (we often hit 50 degrees in the summer here) and despite my usual mixture of wellness practices I was starting to feel increasingly low both mentally and physically. The summers can be prety intense here and usually you’d hope to travel but with the pandemic in full swing this wasn’t an option so I took to looking into what else was possible to help boost my energy & mood. I had tried cryotherapy, infrared saunas and LED light beds before but found a clinic that provided them all under the same roof just minutes from home. I decided to commit to a membership and see if these wellness technologies made a tangible diference to my health & wellbeing. Here are my thoughts on what I found….
INFRARED SUANAS
Unlike regular sauna’s the heat in an infrared sauna is caused through the infrared lights inside the sauna so the body gets warmed directly without warming the air around you. Having said this I feel like the air is still prety hot!
One of the appeals of saunas is that they cause reactions similar to moderate exercise with lots of sweating and increased heart rate but should not be seen as a substitute to movement but instead as another healthy addition.
The benefts of Infrared saunas include helping relieve inflammation, stifness and soreness by increasing blood circulation and allowing the deep, penetrating infrared heat to relax muscles and carry off metabolic waste products, whilst delivering oxygen-rich blood to the muscles for a faster recovery.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS INCLUDE:
• better sleep
• relaxation
• detoxification
• weight loss
• improved energy
• relief from joint pain such as arthritis
• clear and tighter skin
• improved circulation
The aim is you build up to longer sessions of 30 minutes each and at least three times a week. This doesn’t sound too long but once you factor in you need to rest afterward and shower (which always seem to take ages after a sauna) it is a commitment. Also it is advised to be scheduled when you aren’t crazy busy as sometimes you feel prety out of it, let alone look a litle dishevelled, afterwards. But in the long run it really does make you feel elated, like a natural high and your skin glows. I wish my schedule allowed me to go more often as consistency is key to seeing benefts.
Recently I have been trying a diferent type of Infrared treatment in the form of a The Iyashi Dome. It uses state-of-the-art infrared rays to deeply cleanse the body, restore its balance and gain efcient and long-lasting slimming afect. Inspired by traditional Japanese practice, ‘Suna Ryoho’ – where the locals bury themselves in the sand near hot springs on the beach to eliminate toxins — this spa treatment also burns up to 600 calories a session, making it a must for wellness connoisseurs looking for a serious detox. You get up from it defnitely feeling slimmer, revitalised and in a great mood!
LED LIGHT BEDS
My all time favourite solution for calming and centring moods, improving skin and relaxing muscles are LED light beds. Although these machines look like tanning beds (which are not great for you) LED Light beds are incredibly good for you and your wellbeing. Much like how infra red light works to penetrate into your system, LED light beds work to afect cellular regeneration. A part of your cells called mitochondria, sometimes called the “power generators” of your cells, soak up the light and make more energy. Some experts think this helps cells repair themselves and become healthier. This spurs healing in skin and muscle tissue. Red light therapy uses low level heat and doesn’t hurt or burn the skin.
The treatment lasts between 5-20 minutes depending how regularly you are using the machine but ideally much like infra red saunas you should be aiming for 3/4 times a week for maximum benefts. The sessions are short but so relaxing and often I use the time to combine with breathing/meditation exercises. Also as you don’t get as hot and sweaty as with the Infra red sauna it is a much easier treatment to ft into busy schedules. Hence I found myself having much more consistency with the LED light beds than Infra red saunas. Although the most ideal situation would be combining the two.
SOME OF THE BENEFTS INCLUDE:
• glowing skin
• treats acne
• delays signs of ageing
• decreased muscle fatigue
• improves mood & wellbeing
• Improved energy
• manage blood pressure
There are also many diferent type of LED light beds on ofer but my favourite is the Light Stem bed (this is not available in the UAE atm so I use a diferent one when here). But if you have the option, I would look for this brand specifcally.
CRYOTHERAPY
And fnally ‘cold therapy’ also known as cryotherapy! A machine/cold chamber where the body is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for several minutes. The idea behind cryotherapy is that by immersing the body in very cold air for between 1-4 minutes at negative 200-300f you can receive a number of health benefts. Championed by the like of Wim Hof who is famous for his breathing and cold bath therapy. Cryotherapy is a quick but incredibly efective way to boost moods, relieve muscle pain, sprains and swelling, regenerate cells and tighten / freshen skin.
At frst this can be a complete shock to the system but as you get used to the treatment you start to enjoy the cold and the amazing rush of energy that happens immediately afterwards. Also it should be noted that I started doing cryotherapy in the middle of summer 2020 in Dubai so I was really craving cold and sufering a degree of anxiety and depression. I found that regular use really helped to boost my mood and energy levels and now love it so much that when I was traveling to the UK in winter time I continued with cold swims in the Atlantic in Cornwall to continue the cold therapy benefts!
There are various type of cryotherapy machines, some are like cold enclosed cofns, some are cylinders with just your head out but the type I prefer are small rooms with a preliminary cold area that accustoms you to the freezing temperatures frst, which is a far beter/safer way to practice. Once inside, traditionally the clinic will play you a pop song and people often just dance and scream around but as I got more and more into this practice I started listening to meditation music and practicing my breath work to really enhance the experience. I found that being calm and allowing my mind and body to be tuned into the experience brought more benefts than fghting the cold.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS INCLUDE:
• anxiety and depression
• weight loss
• improved energy
• relief from joint pain such as arthritis
• clearer and tighter skin
• reduces migraine symptoms
You can defnitely get benefts from just one session but like infra red saunas and LED light beds this practice is most efective when practiced a few times per week over an extensive time period.
What I like best is to combine these three treatments together as cold/hot therapy in one session. So either pairing an infrared sauna and then a cryotherapy or an LED Light bed and cryotherapy. When done regularly (3/4 times per week) this practice really did have an elevating efect on my life from a mood/wellbeing perspective and aesthetically with beter skin and less water retention. These observations were made over ten months of consistent practice. Now that I am nearly 6 weeks into travelling, without regular access to these types of clinics (although I’m having a wonderful time), I really notice a diference in my skin and miss the energy and mood boosting abilities of my favourite combos!