Hot Tub Eases Stress and Promotes Connection

By Phoebe | Published: April 27, 2011

Betsy Thurlow-Shields, of Silver Spring, Maryland, traces her addiction to hot water immersion back to her childhood, when the day’s end would be signaled by the sound of running bathwater. “In our family,” Betsy recalls, “stressful times were always treated with a good hot bath, no matter what time of day, or how many times a day.”

As an adult, she continued with this particular self-care practice, but eventually grew concerned about the amount of bathwater she was using. “The solution, obviously, was a hot tub,” she says, which she now uses at all times of the day.  But most often, Betsy climbs into her hot tub when the day is just beginning: “It is simply my place to be quiet, to feel a core warmth, and to be outside. It is the combination of these three ingredients that provides a balance within me and connects me to the day I am about to begin.” 

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Water For A Healthy Weight

By Phoebe | Published: April 17, 2011

According to an article in The New York Times Fitness & Nutrition section, we burn more calories doing weight-bearing activities that work against gravity – such as walking or running, than we do with activities such as swimming and water aerobics. The latter are easier on the joints, however, as the article points out, “so many people can do them for longer periods, which makes up for the lower caloric burn.”

Well, I’m no proponent of counting calories, but I suppose that for anyone trying to reach a healthier weight, the point that this article makes could be a good one to keep in mind. Swimming for an hour seems to burn more calories than jogging for twenty minutes, so you may want to start going to the pool for your exercise. You could also just combine the best of both worlds and try jogging in water! Or, if you’re looking for a more low-key way to burn calories, you could try ai chi; Marlene teaches an ai chi community class at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute, which appeals to students who are suffering from arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Posted in Arthritis Relief, Exercise & Weight Loss, Self Care | Leave a comment

Hot Tub + Massage Helps My Back/Leg Issue

By Phoebe | Published: April 13, 2011

Several months ago I pushed a little too hard in a yoga class and made a huge mess of my back and right leg. At first it was an excruciating case of sciatica, then it settled into a more general pain and discomfort, marked by a great deal of tightness and severely limited range of motion on one side of my body. Where once I could fold right on over, I was suddenly met with a very clear lack of flexibility. I took ibuprofen, rolled around on my foam roller and pushed on through, to no avail. Finally fed up, I took a break from yoga and decided to follow my own advice (see all previous blog posts about how beneficial hot water immersion is for tight, sore muscles.)

Once a week for a month I took myself on a hot tub date and then let a friend practice her massage skills on me. A week ago I went back to yoga and am happy to report that the feeling of iron clamps pinching my back and leg has dissipated, and openness and flexibility are being reinstated.

I will absolutely be continuing with the practice of hot tubbing and getting a massage once a week, as long as it’s possible. In addition to the aforementioned physical benefits, it’s been really good for my spirit to take myself to a quiet beautiful place each weekend, to stretch out under the redwood trees while steam rises off my skin. I’ll admit that I have a particularly low tolerance for cold, but it’s almost never warm enough in San Francisco to go outside in just a t-shirt. So being outside wearing nothing at all (and not feeling a bit cold, either!) is a wonderful sort of freedom that I noticed while I was up at Harbin, as well. Sitting in the warm tub in the rain, I wasn’t worried at all about getting cold and wet (after all, I was already wet, and perfectly warm.) Instead I could really allow myself to just experience the beautiful sight and sound of raindrops falling through the lit-up nighttime branches. Being warm when it’s sort of chilly outside creates a feeling of invincibility that, when felt on occassion, I think can be very psychologically beneficial.

Posted in Lower Back Relief, Natural Healing, Self Care | Leave a comment

Athletic Trainers Use Contrast Water Therapy to Soothe Sore Muscles

By Phoebe | Published: April 5, 2011

Despite the fact that scientific research on contrast water therapy is somewhat inconclusive, it is still widely used by athletic trainers as a means of speeding post-workout recovery and treating injury. This, says Julieta Guzman, a certified athletic trainer in California, is because “clinically, it works.”

The idea behind contrast water therapy (alternating between hot and cold water immersion)  is that the cold water constricts blood vessels and helps to flush out waste products, such as lactic acid. The warm water, on the other hand, increases circulation and improves the healing process.

Interestingly, when treating an injury such as a sprain or a strain, the athlete begins and ends in warm water. But for workout recovery they begin and end in cold water. In either case, though, Julieta reports that with contrast therapy, “athletes feel an overall reduction in muscle soreness.”

Posted in Exercise & Weight Loss, Natural Healing, Sports Medicine | Leave a comment

Take Care of Your Self, It’s the Only One You’ve Got!

By Phoebe | Published: April 1, 2011

In The Importance of Self Care for Health And Stress Management, Elizabeth Scott, M.S., writes that “taking time out for self-care can contribute to long-term feelings of wellbeing.” She goes on to say that “taking a break from stress amidst a tub of warm bubbles or under the hands of an experienced masseuse can help you feel like you’re taking a mental and emotional vacation.”

This, I can tell you, is most definitely true. Last week a couple of friends and I took an overnight trip to Harbin Hot Springs, where I treated myself to a Breema massage and soaked in the hot water as much as my 24-hour visit would allow. As most of the tubs require silence, I had a wonderful amount of quiet alone time in which to reconnect with myself and with nature. And all that time in the hot water loosened up my tight muscles, calmed me down and returned me to the city feeling more peaceful and refreshed than I had in weeks.

Posted in Connecting People, Natural Healing, Self Care | 1 Response