Too Busy to Write But Not too Busy to Work Out and Infrared

Had some great inspirations last month, but there wasn't time to write. . .

But that doesn't keep me away from my work out and sauna.

I like this routine: once a week treadmill 20 minutes - or one mile which ever comes first (now it is the mile that comes first, and that makes me really happy because I save time),  pull down lats machine,  floor exercises with the swiss ball (fun abs exercises there), free weights, more floor exercises, Hula Hoop (100 reps both ways)  and then I am off to the shower and sauna.

To the sauna I come prepared: water bottle (always stays outside the sauna doors) my favorite book, just the right amount of clothing, and a big flannel sheet to line the boards.  I really sweat too much in there for a towel to do the trick.  I always make sure I have a good book with me.  The lighting is fine enough or that in there, and it still feels like an afternoon at the beach.  About every 10 minutes I reach out to grab that water bottle.

The ladies at the gym make sure the sauna is heated before I get in.  This is a nice feeling, to enter when it is warm, but it doesn't have to be heated up for me to feel good in there.

I read and start to relax.  After I finish a chapter or so, I turn off the lights lean back and give myself over to the smooth feeling of rest and sweating. It still feels like an afternoon at the beach. The relaxation is still the same, and I would not say I have gotten used to it or anything. It actually feels better than ever, maybe because I have gotten rid of lots of toxins or something. Yes it does get better all the time for me.

Benefits of Sweating

There are cultures that do it socially, listed in the article.  Group sweating!  They get together just to sweat together, to talk like some of us go to cafes,  especially in northern (hemisphere)  climates. Relaxing together is fun.

Most infrared saunas are solo, and the one I use is for solo use.  The nice thing about going solo is that you can position yourself as you like.  I mostly want my spine to get the infrared rays. It helps a lot with arthritis pain.

I have been in group sauna's too, but the sweat that I get from the Far Infrared is superior, so I don't mind the time alone.  It is meditative sometimes, most times, and it nearly always makes me feel a little happier. . like a day at the beach.

The Infrared Boost!

Ladies really this has got to be proof for someone.

So think about this: 8 years younger. .  working out 3x a week, 45 on the floor, weights, abs, cool fitness trainers. . .  plus 45 minute swim.   The results were fine.  I wasn't getting to where I wanted, but really glad that I was staying fit and fitting into my clothes.

Now: swim once a week, floor exercises and sauna once a week, and better results than 8 years ago.

The difference has to be far infrared sauna!

Granted I'm not eating granola bars either, but still.  I really think that the infrared sauna is making a huge difference in my weight loss results.   For anyone reading this who is numbers oriented, I am sorry. I don't weigh myself or take selfies of my tummy and bum.  Maybe this will help: 10 weeks ago, I thought I was going to have to buy all new clothes, in two sizes bigger than the stuff in my closet?  Now I am enjoying feeling relaxed in anything from my wardrobe, buttoned, zipped, and laced there's still room to breathe and wiggle!

I can't wait to start my next set of 10 sessions!

Noon Time Crowd

The workout is working better.

I got there at 10:30 this morning!  I don't live near so I am not a fan of driving the rush hour to do a work out.  Susy was working with a client, and there were women of all ages.  I was happy to see women who are significantly older than I looking so fit.  There were others there who were just getting a start, and larding their exercises for the first time.

I got to use the rubber bands for resistance training. I like to put the bands on my ankles and do a side step with them.  A trainer a long time ago shared that one with me.  It makes my hips feel really strong and just right when I am walking. I can feel the effects the same day!

I have a question?  Doesn't anyone in Auckland do a lunchtime work out?  I think it is the perfect time to go.  You have a snack before, lots of water during and something light after and you get to increase your metabolism and eat less and lose weight.

I think most gyms have a slow time.  At the pool it was between 10:30 and 2:00 everyday.   Here it is lunch time.

There are times when I prefer the energy of a full and active gym.  There are other times when I prefer quiet and solitude.

Nothing exciting about the infrared today except that it was very relaxing!!!!  I like relaxing with a book in there too.  Have you ever seen a water pick?  It is a dental device for cleaning teeth.   I remember seeing it on the TV commercials.  They all looked so happy using it.  But then when I got my own I got so wet with water dripping out my mouth!  That's what it is like reading in there.  I always get sweat on the book.

+K

It was Much Overdue and Yet. . .

I had gone nearly a year without the infrared sauna.

The reasons are several, but the bottom line reason is that the treatments I did last year helped me for that long. I went the whole winter last year without any spinal pain where the arthritis is.  That was just a little confusing, but welcome.  Weather conditions didn't matter.  Lifting reasonable weights didn't send me to the cabinet for Nurofen. Pain didn't come back again until this winter, and I knew exactly where I needed to go: the sauna.

I purchase the sessions 10 at a time, for a slight discount, and I go once a week to keep it going longer although I think that 2 - 3 times a week is better, a lot better.  I just don't have the cash flow right now for more than what I am doing. It's okay.  Today is cold and raining and I feel fine.  There is a little irritation but not a lot, and that is unusual for me in this climate.  Usually, (before infrared) when the barometric pressure fell the pain increased. Even when there isn't all that pain, I can tell you if the weather man is right or not just from the pressure I feel in my bones.

The contours system, keeps track of my sessions with my little membership card, and I think I have 6 more to go before I have to make another purchase.

Also I have started swimming again.  It has been two years since that, and I am so happy!

One way I know things are going well is when I feel that uncontrollable need to stretch, like a feline.  Muscles are calling out to me that they are alive and want to get on with the business of being strong and limber.   Infrared does that for me faster than anything else, even the swim.

Can't wait for my next session.

Cause I'm Happy!!!

I loved it today. . .   there is something about being on the treadmill and feeling like "is this over yet?" and  then a fitness coach comes in saying, "Hello Ladies!"   None of us said "hello coach!"  But she knew, she totally knew that it was energising for us to have that little bit of recognition. She was right.

That is why I drive 30 minutes to get to this place,  and it is worth it for me. . .  that and the Far Infrared Sauna.

What can I tell you about Susy the personal trainer who talked to us today.  She talks to us like we are all her sisters, her cousins, like we are all a close family. She expresses respect for us wherever we are at in our fitness journey.

I am sure plenty of women who go there would think "What do I need that for?" and they would be right. Maybe those are the ones who come to stay fit. They don't grow out of their dress sizes easily.  Most of us however are there to maintain or lose weight. Most of us don't have a clutch of friends to chat with when the weight loss pressure starts to hit.  Doing it alone, or doing it at all,  takes courage, and some kinds of courage need real, validating, friendly support.

Perhaps you think courage should stand on its own?  What about the young man who goes to war and hopes some young lady will be waiting for him when he gets back?  Consider as well the woman who decided she is going to have a natural birth before the real pain starts.  We all lean on someone in one way or another to make life work. Courage in community is what  I see at this Contours gym.

Remember too, no one is paying me do write this.  I do it because I want to be a real part of this courageous community.

So when Susy came back, she noticed I was not doing my floor exercises quite right. She walked right up to me, out of concern for my well being, and showed me what I was doing wrong, and how to do it right.  When I felt the difference it was making, I got so happy!  Suddenly my effort didn't feel like a gamble. It felt like a purpose surely was going to be fulfilled.

Thanks Susy!  YOU made my day.

As for Far Infrared today?  I went in with sharp pain in my upper spine and I left pain free.

In-fra-red Mood

It was the week of the longest night, and the shortest day, and I realized something:  I wasn't in a low mood.  All my life, as it happens with many, many people, during the 2-4 weeks before and after June 21st, I have lower energy, and a less than cheery mood.  Not this year.

I took a look at my diet.  It was admittedly not the healthiest I have done. I like to keep red meats and cheeses at bay.  I stay away from hydrogenated oils and other ingredients in processed foods.  We just flat out avoid processed foods.  But I haven't been eating the larger amounts of veggies and fruits that I should be eating.  I had been eating more sweets and it should have been draining my energy and such.  So I couldn't attribute my improved mood to the diet.

Although I had increased my exercise, it wasn't my best effort, like I had done when I was going to the pool 3 or 4 times a week and working out for 35 -50 minutes each time.  I miss that!  Nope.

The only thing this year that I can say was different was the infrared. I am not a professional scientist, and this isn't a research study.  It's just me. However, for me, I think I am onto something.  My back feels better and I am less depressed in the winter.

Now I want to try to look up something on it. . .   I think it is a little crazy.

Opps I Slipped-Up!

   
     No I didn't fall or anything.  These past two weeks there's been almost no exercise.  I do miss it.  Its just that things in the house have been full on.  That's good too. It means there's life and activity in my home.  I plan to go back at the beginning of next week.
   

     Getting back into exercise isn't as easy as I make it sound in this blog, but the results are good, and I have chosen to focus on that.  As far as not being in the gym goes, I am a mother and caring for my family is good for me too.  I don't begrudge them anything. Regardless, I need to get back to it.


     While I was away,  I still had a lot of thoughts about the work out and the infrared.

     I miss the infrared.  It was so good to my aching back. I still am enjoying the increased flexibility that I gained, but I can tell that I will need to continue if it is going to be a real therapy. And the relaxation that goes with it, there is none that compares except for a couple of hours or more in a Rotorua hot bath.  And that's not a bad idea either.

    Pich had called to ask me how my work out was going.  I think I need to ask her about strengthening my upper back without stressing it out.   When she called I was in the middle of cooking and couldn't give her my undivided attention. I think I will go back with a list.

     So I hope they will still be there when I get back (wink wink).
Opp