Infrared Sauna benefits Archives

Week 8: Don’t Be a Lame Duck!

– – Training Week 8 started Saturday with a 45 minute yoga flow session.

I also tried out a short hike in the afternoon at Falls Lake with That Man and the puppy, but my leg started hurting after about 2 miles. (Heavy sigh.)

Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine.

But I REALLY want to stop being so, well, lame. Literally.

Sunday, anticipating that I would NOT be ready for my already-posted 9.3 mile hike on the Mountains to Sea Trail along the Eno River, I got one of my regular hikers to take over and lead the hike for me.

All reports are he did very well 🙂

And I did more bleeping yoga. And 45 minutes of *very mild* treadmilling in my home gym.

Monday, I did another Infrared sauna session (see Week 7) and then joined Lenore and some other hikers for a 5ish mile hike in Hollow Rock Nature Park and Duke Forest.

I was feeling lucky, so I didn’t wear any ankle support, but I also didn’t add any extra weight to my pack.

I also thought about bringing hiking poles – which I almost never use.

In fact, the last time I carried hiking poles, was years ago hiking in Italy with a group – where they “strongly encouraged” everyone to rent poles. (Mine never left my pack.)

I was encouraged to use hiking poles in Italy.

I forgot to bring my poles on Monday, but did end up finding a sturdy hiking stick along the way, which helped support the bad ankle crossing streams and rock scrambling.

I did okay, and we had fun exploring! When I returned home, I snarfed some ibuprofen and applied a bag of frozen veggies to the ankle.

Part of my adventure for the past few weeks is that my asthma meds have run out, because my prescription order for new ones have gone missing from the Port of Los Angeles. (Read story from CBS here.)

Cargo Container Theft in LA Is a Big Problem

Anyway, I’ve had to get creative with alternate asthma treatments. (Learn more about vitamins and supplements that help your asthma.)

That means my challenge lately has been to try to stay in shape and at the same time avoid triggering massive asthma attacks or further injuring my leg.

So, I’m just focusing on what I CAN do – and planning for new hikes when I’m on the trail in earnest again. 🙂

That Man's REAL girlfriend :-) — That Man’s REAL girlfriend 🙂

Tuesday, I broke out the Pilates!!

AND I also treadmilled a couple of miles, and took another 2-3 mile urban hike with That Man and his (real) girlfriend, Colleen.

Wednesday I was supposed to join Heidi’s hike on another 6 mile section of the MST at Falls Lake, but it was a rainy day and slipping in the mud while nursing an injury seemed like a SPECTACULARLY bad idea.

If it seems like a bad idea.... — If it seems like a bad idea….

So I did the stoopid yoga again, PLUS Pilates and took myself on a soft-surface hike in Bond Park for about 4 miles – wearing compression on my ankle AND my knee.

Thursday I did my long-form yoga and took another Infrared sauna session.

Rock scramble at Rock Hollow. There's a trail there somewhere... — Rock scramble at Rock Hollow. There’s a trail there somewhere…

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that Chromotherapy is included in the Infrared sauna sessions.

Colored light is turned on in addition to the Infrared inside the sauna to complement the treatment.

What is Chromatic Light Therapy?

Chromotherapy is a centuries-old concept that uses the visible spectrum (colors) of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases, on the premise that each color is associated with a different bodily response.

Color has been used to treat all kinds of medical conditions since ancient times. Color light therapy history dates back to ancient Egypt, India, China, and even as far back as the Mayan culture.

10 Benefits of Color Light Therapy

Color light therapy is attributed with many benefits, ranging from emotional to physical, including:

- - - Reduced Swelling and Inflammation
    - Pain Relief
    - Accelerated Healing
    - Increased Range of Motion
    - Decreased Muscle Tension
    - Improved Circulation
    - Regulated Mood
    - Improved Sleeping Patterns
    - Relief of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
    - Anti-Aging Benefits

Although thought of as “alternative” medicine, a recent scientific study from the NIH explores Chromotherapy’s history, uses and effectiveness in treating different disorders or illnesses.

In fact, today the medical benefits of color light therapy are being investigated and implemented in major hospitals and medical research centers worldwide.

The other thing I did on Thursday was to go and consult my new friend Joe at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary, NC.

I’ll let him introduce himself to you as he did to me:

“Hello –

Joe's actual face :-) — Joe’s actual face 🙂

My name is Joe Villecco and I’m a physical therapist with B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary.

As the new year begins, I can’t tell you how many people I talk to about starting new habits and ways that they can do that.

For many of my patients, running or traditional gym workouts are just not their cup of tea. I have frequently recommended hiking in the past but with no resource to point them to!

Enter, the I’d Rather Walk blog and Meetup! “

(What Joe didn’t tell me until later is that he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and has his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from SUNY Oneonta, where he also became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.)

Joe at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary

I took the opportunity to visit Joe at his office, and talk to him about my leg problems.

I stressed out my leg with too much activity all at once.

He examined my leg and moved it around a bit, gauging pain level etc. – and assured me that it was NOT a stress fracture in a leg bone. (Yayy!!)

He did say that it was probably a stress injury caused from jumping up activity too much all at once.

So anyway, yeah, I know exactly when and why that happened – beautiful weather, lots of fun hikes posted, FOMO.

Joe recommended only bumping up your activity by 10% each week to avoid injury. Now I have to carefully build back up to my previous level.

More About B.E.S.T Physical Therapy

In addition to his other qualifications, Joe is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy (OCS) and completed his Orthopedic Residency through Evidence In Motion in 2018.

Orthopedic Clinical Specialists are experts in evaluating and treating musculoskeletal conditions – an honor that is held by < 5% of all physical therapists in the United States!

At their practice at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary, they focus on a 3-step approach.

Step One – is to reduce pain and improve function as quickly as possible to return to activity.

Step Two – is complete symptom resolution and working on correcting weaknesses, mobility deficits, movement impairments, etc.

Step Three – is to create a daily at-home plan to attack ongoing weaknesses to reduce the risk of any future injuries or problems.

During a typical visit, they use various hands-on techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility, and then they go on to use individually designed corrective exercises to further improve any weaknesses.

The goal at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy is always to get you back to what you enjoy doing as soon as you can, and Joe truly loves to see his clients leave the clinic more resilient and with a higher quality of life than they had before!

For those of you who might also be interested in seeing if some PT might help you, I’ve invited Joe to come give a short talk and some pre-hike stretches at one of my regular Meetup hikes in March.

Keep your eyes peeled for that notice!

Winter hiking isn't the most scenic, but it's still great exercise! — Winter hiking isn’t the most scenic, but it’s still great exercise!

Now, I’m sure all of this stuff about my total lameness is entertaining – but for those of you who are NOT lame, Week 8 training should be kicking your butt!

If you go back to the beginning and look at the 8 Weeks to Awesome plan, by this time:

- - Your weekly Long Hike should be about 10 miles, and
  - Your Strength Building hike should include an extra 25-30 lbs in your pack.

Regular weekly maintenance (whatever level you are) should look like this:

- - (3 days) Strength training workouts,
  - (2-3 days) 1.5-2 hour moderate endurance hiking or jogging workout, and
  - (1 day) high intensity workout – like fast hiking or running
  - Stretch every day

Sample Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday	Strength	Stretch
Tuesday	Endurance	Stretch
Wednesday	Strength	Stretch
Thursday	Endurance	Stretch
Friday	Strength	Stretch
Saturday	Hi Intensity	Stretch
Sunday	Endurance	Stretch

Some people think a daily workout is too much, but it’s okay as long as you vary the intensity – for instance, don’t do two really long, high intensity workouts back to back.

And as I learned (the hard way), don’t go jump up your activity by more than 10% per week!

Friday was the ankle mobility exercises Joe gave me plus more yoga, kickboxing (without the hi-impact parts), upper body weights, and another leisurely 2-3 mile walk with That Man and his furry side-kick in the forest.

And so ends Week 8.

….and I’ll bet you thought this was going to be my last Training Log post! Nope.

Because I’ve been so lame this week, I’m adding a Bonus Week to the training log, including a special event. 🙂

So you’ve got that to look forward to!

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal should include a rest period just before the event. For any kind of training – ongoing or towards a goal – it’s a good idea to only bump up your activity by 10% each week, or you risk injury.

I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful in your training process – or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing. It might work for your goals, too.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 7: But Wait – There’s More!

Most recently updated February 26th, 2022

– – Training Week 7 began with That Man and I taking advantage of the last forecast day of mild, Spring-like weather with our first bike ride of the season.

We biked about 25 miles on some of our favorite local greenways, including the American Tobacco trail.

Some of our local greenways have fun tunnels!

A gorgeous day, and lots of other people were out enjoying it, too.

Biking hits a different set of muscles than hiking, so I was worried I would be sore the next day – but I wasn’t! The training must be working 🙂

Sunday morning it was back to a colder and rainy weather forecast, but I had a big group signed up to hike the 6.5 mile Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park before the rain set in for the rest of the day.

Monday I was planning to just do some kickboxing and weights, when Lenore posted a hike at Umstead so I signed up … but, it was not to be!

Work intervened, and I ended up doing the kickboxing and weights, and also a short urban hike with That Man in the cold sunshine later.

Which was probably a good thing to do on Valentine’s Day anyway 🙂

Tuesday we were back to the MST at Falls Lake for a 9.3 mile hike with a small group from the trailhead on Baptist Rd to Little Lick Creek Bridge and back again.

View from the middle of Little Lick Creek Bridge.

A great hike, as always!

That said, my ankle started hurting badly on the last half of the hike, even though I didn’t remember doing anything to it….

I was relieved when the hike was over, so I could go ice it and put my foot up!

Hiking a bridge on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park.

Wednesday was to be my Strength-Building hike for the week, and I had a good crew signed up for a 6-7 mile hike on Loblolly trail in Umstead State Park.

Technically the Loblolly Trail is an out-and-back from the trailhead to the edge of the park, but I add on a portion of the Schenck Forest Loblolly and the Reedy Creek Greenway to create a 6.5mile loop.

This route is primarily natural trails with a portion of the compacted dirt multi-use trail and paved Reedy Creek trail.

The Loblolly route is not as rocky as the Company Mill Trail, and has less elevation gain, though there are a couple of long uphill climbs.

But even with ankle compression – and a sleeve on my opposite knee that was hurting from compensating for the ankle – it was just too painful to continue more than a mile or two.

Fortunately, I had a group of strong hikers who were familiar with the route, so they were able to continue on without me.

I went straight to the pharmacy to get the strongest ankle brace I could find – and more ibuprofen 😉

Between that and rest in the meantime, I’m determined to be ready for my next posted hike!

Thursday was going to be a kickboxing day, but I opted for some heavy core yoga work and arm weights instead, to keep from stressing my ankle.

I tried an urban walk, just a few miles, on Thursday evening, and found that there hadn’t been much improvement – so I decided to try something different.

Friday after more core yoga, I made an appointment to take a session in an Infrared sauna.

I mainly wanted a sauna to work up a sweat to take the place of the cardio workouts that I can’t do until my ankle is healed.

But, Infrared is very different than a traditional sauna, and I also discovered that the Infrared sauna has a lot more to offer than just a good sweat.

Before we get into the benefits, let me explain exactly what an Infrared sauna is.

The use of sweat bathing or “hot air baths” were a part of Chinese, Native American, and Eastern European culture, and have been used all over the world for centuries.

Traditional Saunas | Traditional Finnish Saunas — Traditional Sauna

These traditional saunas use heat or steam to create an atmosphere that will raise your core body temperature by raising the temperature of the air inside the sauna.

The appeal of saunas in general is that they cause your body to react as if you’re exercising, with sweating and an increased heart rate.

Infrared saunas use infrared light to heat your body without changing the air temperature around you.

Infrared saunas are built using three different sauna therapies:

- - Near IR impacts the surface of the body, namely the skin.
  - Mid IR affects the muscles, and
  - Far IR permeates far into the body to reach the organs. (ref)

Benefits of Using an Infrared Sauna

1. DETOXIFICATION

Sauna therapy, especially far IR, is excellent for detox. By using an infrared sauna, you can rid your body of built-up and dangerous mold, chemicals, and heavy metals.

2. CIRCULATION

Mid IR sauna therapy improves circulation and can give muscles a greater degree of flexibility, increased range of motion, decreased stiffness, and less joint pain.

3. REPAIR AND REGENERATE CELLS

Near IR sauna therapy promotes faster cell regeneration and tissue growth, which speeds up the skin’s healing process. By activating heat shock proteins, infrared sauna therapy also repairs cellular damage in the body.

4. LOWER INFLAMMATION

Near IR consists of extremely short wavelengths, which lowers inflammation. The short wavelengths can improve the quality of your skin and diminish the appearance of unwanted blemishes.

5. BOOST IMMUNITY

Near IR sauna therapy increases blood circulation and oxygenation in blood cells, strengthening the immune system, improving cellular health, and aiding in muscle recovery.

6. WEIGHT LOSS

Studies show that a single far IR sauna therapy session can burn up to 600 calories. In cases of patients who must remain sedentary, a sauna could be used as a substitute for traditional exercise.

8. ACTIVATE MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY

There is evidence that heat exposure is very healthy for your energy-producing mitochondria.

9. INCREASE BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF)

The Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein in your brain that helps keep your brain young and healthy. Studies show that heat exposure can help boost your levels of this all-important protein in your brain!

In some studies, people who used Infrared saunas experienced an improvement in their asthma symptoms.

Improve Wound Healing and Chronic Disease

Infrared saunas are unique in that they can help to improve wound healing – though you shouldn’t use one with an open wound.

Specifically, research out of NASA has shown that infrared light significantly increases tissue growth and cell regeneration due to our mitochondria readily accepting infrared light (ref).

This increases the cellular activity needed for wound healing.

In the study, wound size decreased by as much as 36%, and cell growth was enhanced by 150-170%.

Harry Potter's scars — Infrared sauna can help with healing wounds and scars.

The young woman who helped me at my local spa said that she had scars on her abdomen from several surgeries, and that the Infrared sauna made them heal and disappear very quickly!

Several studies have looked at using infrared saunas and found some evidence of benefit, in the treatment of chronic health problems, too, such as:

- - high blood pressure,
  - congestive heart failure,
  - dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,
  - headache,
  - type 2 diabetes and
  - rheumatoid arthritis

However, larger and more-rigorous studies are needed to confirm these results. On the other hand, no adverse effects have been reported with infrared saunas.

Cost for one 45 minute session at my local salon is around $40, though you can get discount packages.

If you try Infrared Sauna and really like it, you can even get one for your own home at relatively small expense.

I went for another short urban walk with That Man on Friday evening – around 2-3 miles – and found that there was some improvement in my ankle already!

Was the improvement due to the Infrared sauna treatment? Hard to say, but it probably didn’t hurt.

So, I think I’ll do a few more sessions in the Infrared sauna – at least until the ankle is a lot more healed up.

Who knows, I may see some other improvements as well 🙂

Week 8 is coming up – the last week of the training!!

It might be difficult with my bum ankle, but I’ll find a way. If I can do it, so can you!

Perhaps I’ll go back and read my article on training back from an injury and take my own advice 🙂

And focus, focus focus…..

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal is a planned process, but you should be able to respond to unplanned events like injury or weather changes without giving up your training entirely. Just keep going – but safely, of course.

I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ