Clearlight Infrared Saunas, Author at Clearlight Infrared Saunas

Hot Yoga at Home: Hot Yoga Poses and Tips for Beginners

Hot yoga is a popular practice for both physical and mental health. As the name implies, hot yoga is the practice of yoga in a heated setting. Hot yoga sessions are typically more vigorous and intense than the average yoga practice, as the heated environment helps the body go deeper into stretches while detoxifying in the process.

Many use hot yoga as a way to connect with their bodies physically, mentally, or spiritually. If you are new to the practice, it can seem a bit intense with the increased heat and new poses. Find tips for how to get started and how to do hot yoga at home effectively!

How to Do Hot Yoga at Home

Outside of a class, you can easily practice hot yoga on your own. Whether in a heated room or in a home sauna, solo hot yoga is a wonderful way to connect with your body and learn its limits without pushing it too far. From the clothes you wear and the yoga mat you use to the space you’re practicing in, make sure you use the proper equipment and high-quality materials to ensure your safety and comfort during any hot yoga session.

Boost the benefits of hot yoga by practicing in an infrared sauna. Both infrared saunas and hot yoga offer the health benefits of detoxification, weight loss, flexibility, and reduced stress. Doing hot yoga in a home sauna is the perfect scenario to boost your health benefits even further!

Tips for Hot Yoga for Beginners

Bring Extra Towels

Chances are, you’ll sweat a lot during your hot yoga session. Be prepared for extra moisture by bringing towels to keep yourself and your equipment dry. Working on a slippery yoga mat can be uncomfortable and a safety hazard.

Eat Light

Because hot yoga poses are more involved and vigorous than your average yoga class, it’s important to fuel your body before a session. Eat a healthy meal about 2-4 hours before your session to avoid cramps, nausea, or fatigue.

Practice Breathing

Honing in on your breath is important in hot yoga. Breathing exercises help bring you to a state of mindfulness and concentration, which can help you push through the heat of your hot yoga session and get comfortable.

Stay Hydrated

Sweating is great for detoxing, but can be dangerous if you don’t hydrate before and after practicing hot yoga. Drink water, replenish your electrolytes, and put moisturizer on your skin to ensure your body doesn’t lose any hydration.

Common Hot Yoga Poses

Hot yoga can be done with any poses you prefer. If you’re looking for a more guided yoga session, Bikram Yoga is the most common way to practice, where rooms are heated to 105°F (40°C) with 40% humidity. In this practice, 2 breathing exercises and 26 hot yoga poses are performed over the course of 90 minutes to activate muscles and increase blood circulation throughout the body.

1. Pranayama Deep Breathing

Pranayama increases focus and expands the lungs for respiratory health. It enables maximum oxygen to reach the muscles and organs and improves blood circulation. Breathing also helps calm the mind before a hot yoga session.

2. Half Moon Pose

The half moon pose focuses on strengthening the body’s core muscles. It also increases the spine’s flexibility and improves kidney function. This pose helps firm the body and tones the hips, buttocks, thighs, and abdomen.

3. Awkward Pose

This helps tone and shape the legs and torso while relieving joint and back pain. The awkward pose can also help improve slipped discs or other spine-related problems. It stretches your hips, spine, and chest muscles as well.

4. Eagle Pose

Eagle pose opens up the largest joints in the skeletal system. It improves the flexibility of the hips, knees, and ankles while improving blood flow to the kidneys. This hot yoga pose also helps increase your focus and improve balance.

5. Standing Head-to-Knee Pose

Theis pose strengthens the hamstrings and leg muscles and can improve the flexibility of sciatic nerves. It also tones the muscles of your abs, back, biceps, and triceps. This pose can also help with concentration and mental strength.

6. Standing Bow Pose

Standing bow pose develops balance, firms the upper thighs, and improves lower spine strength and flexibility. It is also great for cardiovascular health as it stimulates blood vessels and supplies fresh blood to the entire body.

7. Balancing Stick Pose

Balancing stick pose stretches the heart muscles, rejuvenates the brain, and boosts concentration. It strengthens your core and back muscles while gently stretching the entire spinal column. It’s also great to help burn calories.

8. Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose

This pose strengthens and stretches the sciatic nerves, increases the ankle and hip joint flexibility, and releases tension in lower back muscles. It’s believed to improve the functioning of the abdominal organs and their functions.

9. Triangle Pose

The triangle pose helps revitalize the veins, tissues, and nerves. This hot yoga pose helps reduce lower back pain and strengthens your knees, ankles, legs, chest, and arms. It can also reduce anxiety and improve digestion.

10. Standing Separate Head To Knee Pose

This pose aims to tone the abdomen, waist, hips, thighs, and buttocks while also improving mood. It has been said to stimulate the thyroid gland and to regulate both the metabolism and the immune system.

11. Tree Pose

Tree pose is a great stretch to help improve posture and balance. It increases the flexibility of hip joints, knees, and ankles, which improves overall joint health. This hot yoga pose also strengthens internal oblique muscles.

12. Toe Stand Pose

The pose strengthens and opens up your knees, joints, abdominal muscles, hips, ankles, and toes. It can also help increase focus and improve posture. The toe stand stretch can help keep you calm and balanced, as well.

13. Savasana

Savasana relaxes the body halfway through the hot yoga poses. It helps release stress, depression, tension, and fatigue while relaxing muscles. It also improves mental health and concentration and stimulates blood circulation.

14. Wind-Removing Pose

This hot yoga pose massages the digestive system to aid digestion. It also helps strengthen the arms, improves hip flexibility, tones the abdomen and thighs, eases tension in the lower back, and enhances blood circulation.

15. Sit Up Pose

The sit up pose increases your flexibility and stretches the spine, legs, and shoulders. It can also help firm the lower body and improves blood circulation in the legs. This pose also stimulates the kidneys and pancreas.

16. Cobra Pose

Cobra pose improves appetite, digestion, and metabolism. This hot yoga pose helps regulate blood pressure, enhances liver and spleen function, and helps make the spine both stronger and more flexible.

17. Locust Pose

This pose is ideal if you are prone to slipped discs and sciatica. The Locust pose strengthens the upper spine and relieves tennis elbow. It can also help reduce varicose veins on the legs and help firm the buttocks and hips.

18. Full Locust Pose

Similar to locust pose, full locust pose is great for slipped discs. It increases the elasticity of your rib cage and tones your arms, thighs, abdominal muscles, and hips. This pose also helps fix bad posture and reduce backache.

19. Bow Pose

The bow pose expands the lungs by opening the chest and shoulders and strengthens and revitalizes the spinal nerves. It can also help improve digestion and improve the function of the liver, kidneys, and spleen.

20. Fixed Firm Pose

The fixed firm pose stretches and expands your rib cage while stretching the leg muscles, knee joints, ankles, lower back, and hips. This hot yoga pose is also said to help regulate the thyroid and adrenal glands.

21. Half Tortoise

This hot yoga pose releases tension in the neck and shoulders. Additionally, it helps tone the thighs and abdomen and gives a relaxing stretch to the spine. The half tortoise pose also assists in increasing the flexibility of the hips.

22. Camel Pose

Camel pose stimulates the nervous system by compressing the spine. It improves the flexibility, strength, and posture of the neck and spine while stretching the abdominal organs, thus aiding in digestion.

23. Rabbit Pose

This hot yoga pose increases the mobility and elasticity of the back muscles and spine, thus reducing neck and back pain. The rabbit pose also helps circulate fresh blood and oxygen to the nerves for optimal performance.

24. Sitting Head-to-Knee Stretching Pose

The pose increases blood circulation to the liver, pancreas, thyroid, and intestines. It can help reduce allergies and is helpful for digestion. This hot yoga position can also help boost the immune and lymphatic systems.

25. Spine Twisting Pose

The spine twisting pose improves the elasticity of the spine and helps prevent slipped discs and arthritis. It calms the nervous system and relieves tension while increasing the supply of oxygen to your lungs.

26. Blowing in Firm Pose

Lastly, this hot yoga breathing technique helps boost detoxification during a yoga session. It uplifts and rejuvenates your brain at the end of a hot yoga session due to increased blood circulation and oxygen to the brain.

Tying hot yoga is an invigorating experience. It is a great place to connect with your body and mind as the heat requires you to take your movements slowly and with intention. The next time you are in your infrared sauna, try these hot yoga poses and tips to get one of the best physical and mental exercises!

Halotherapy Methods: Dry Salt Therapy vs Wet Salt Therapy

With practices found centuries ago utilizing the health benefits of salt, salt therapy continues to grow as a popular treatment and is becoming more available to those who want to try it. Halotherapy is one of the most beneficial therapies with benefits including respiratory and skin health, and it can be easily accessible thanks to the many different types of application. From dry halotherapy to wet halotherapy, read on to see how you can try halotherapy and reap all the health benefits at home!

What is Halotherapy?

The practice of salt therapy, or halotherapy, uses pharmaceutical-grade microsalt to promote a range of health benefits once inhaled. Many believe that when people inhale this salty air, it can help stimulate their respiratory system, reduce inflammation, fight infection, clear blockages, and reduce discomfort. The treatment is intended to recreate the atmosphere of salt caves with a high concentration of micronized salt in the air. Halotherapy can also be applied as a saline solution, in which users soak in the solution to reap the benefits.

There are two main types of salt therapy: dry salt therapy and wet salt therapy. Dry therapy involves small salt particles dispersed in a dry room while wet salt therapy requires a saline solution that is either soaked in or applied as an aerosol spray. Both methods of halotherapy can be improved with the addition of thermotherapy, or heat therapy, in the form of an infrared sauna or bath to enhance the number of health benefits with every session. In addition to the respiratory, skin, muscular, and mineral benefits of salt therapy, heat therapy can offer improved blood circulation, detoxification, and more for a comprehensive experience.

Types of Halotherapy

Wet Salt Therapy

Wet halotherapy treatment comes from the principle of mixing water with salt to gain therapeutic benefit. You may notice that breathing ocean air opens up your sinuses, which in turn temporarily improves your health. The Centers for Respiratory Health, formerly known as the Lung Institute, maintains that salty ocean air can improve conditions like lung disease and cystic fibrosis. This is done, in part, by thinning the mucus in the body and decreasing sinus pressure. Wet salt therapy also mimics the climate in the salt caves of Europe where the air was quite moist.

Wet halotherapy has been used for many years in natural settings:

In Twelfth Century Poland, bathers used naturally occurring salt water for better health and wellness.
The Dead Sea’s most notable characteristic is its water with extremely high salt concentration. Bathers from around the world visit the Dead Sea for its therapeutic effects.
Over the years, wet salt therapy users have breathed in moist salty air from salt caves or natural water falls.

Wet salt therapy delivered through a halotherapy generator, also known as a microsalt generator, is one of the most effective ways to achieve better respiratory health. Breathing in air that has a high concentration of wet salt will deliver the salt deep into the lungs for maximum benefit. The halotherapy generator can be placed anywhere, but it is most effective in a confined space like an infrared sauna or small room to help keep the salt microparticles concentrated in one spot. Wet salt therapy allows for a greater range of salt particle sizes ranging from 1-10 microns. This allows the salt to enter more of the lungs for maximum benefit.

Though not as comprehensive as using a halotherapy machine that helps provide both internal and external salt therapy benefits, you can also do external wet salt therapy at home through a salt bath and recreate those settings enjoyed in 12th Century Poland and in the Dead Sea. Epsom salt, pink Himalayan salt, and sea salt are all popular options that can help your body absorb trace minerals, improve skin conditions, and provide temporary muscle relief with the help of a hot bath.

Dry Salt Therapy

The dry method of halotherapy is where microscopic particles of salt are distributed into the air in a room free of humidity. Users spend 20-30 minutes inhaling the salt particles that help remedy ailments and create a calming effect. With dry salt therapy, the particle size ranges from 1-3 microns. The smaller range of salt particle size means the salt will not enter as much of the lungs as compared to wet salt therapy.

To do dry salt therapy at home, the most effective method is with a halotherapy generator. Try to wear minimal clothing to allow for maximum skin exposure to the salt particles, and take deep breaths in through your nose to inhale the salt into your respiratory system.

Benefits of Salt Therapy

Salt is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and can help with excessive mucus, pathogen agents, digestive issues, depression, skin conditions, and immune system oversensitivity. Microsalt is especially effective when used for respiratory and skin conditions. Halotherapy also helps improve mental health and boosts mood. Salt contains negatively charged ions that help balance serotonin and leave you feeling invigorated, positive, and stress-free.

In the respiratory system, the main halotherapy benefits (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hydrophilic, and mucokinetic) help stimulate the body’s process of cleansing the system to eliminate foreign particles such as pollutants and allergens to restore proper respiratory functions. For the skin, salt therapy helps regulate pH levels and enhances the reparative and regenerative properties, and some salts provide the body with trace minerals. It can also boost the production of collagen fibers for rejuvenation and lymph cells for an immune system boost.

If you are considering starting halotherapy, take all the different options in mind from dry salt therapy to wet salt therapy. Every halotherapy method has different health benefits that can help enhance your life. Salt therapy is relatively safe to use but can cause irritation depending on sensitivity to salt, so speak with your doctor if you notice any adverse effects. Otherwise, this all-natural treatment is a great way to help improve your health and wellness, whether soaking in the Dead Sea or using a HALOONE® halotherapy generator in your infrared sauna!

How an Infrared Sauna Can Help with a Healthy Summer Body

You might see a lot of people pushing for “summer bodies” that are purely in appearance and can require unhealthy approaches to achieve. Here’s the real truth to know: every body is a summer body. Summer bodies can be any shape, size, or look, and your main focus should always be feeling healthy and happy. While it might be hot outside and adding even more heat might sound daunting, an infrared sauna is the perfect wellness tool to help you achieve that feeling. This summer, focus on health, and see how an infrared sauna can help with healthy weight loss, detox, skin health, immune system, and more to have you be your most confident self this season.

Weight Management

Though every body is a summer body, many focus on weight management for the summer. Whether looking to lose weight or maintain weight, it is important to take measures to safely reach a healthy weight while avoiding fad diets or workouts. Using an infrared sauna can help you maintain a healthy weight, from summer and beyond, whether you use the sauna after a workout or on its own.

There are many claims stating that sitting in a sauna can help you burn a lot of calories in a quick amount of time, but infrared sauna weight loss is more of a gradual burn. This means your body is more effectively and efficiently losing weight that will have a greater impact than potentially harmful “miracle” weight loss solutions. The infrared heat increases your heart rate and boosts your metabolic rate to burn approximately 1.5 times your regular calorie burn. For example, if you typically burn 40 calories in 30 minutes, a 30-minute sauna session will burn 60 calories.

Body Detoxification

Over the summer, people tend to do a lot more than in the cooler months as warmer weather allows for more activities outside of the house. This can mean things like extra traveling, a potentially unhealthier diet, and more time spent around crowds. All of these summer activities are a lot of fun, but can add a bit more wear on our bodies as they are exposed to more things – including toxins.

Infrared saunas are a great tool in your summer health to help detoxify these impurities, as one of the biggest infrared sauna health benefits is its ability to increase your blood circulation, target fat-stored toxins, and stimulate the sweat glands, all of which help remove built-up toxins in the body. Whether you’re trying to recover from a hangover from a summer cookout or are trying to detox from an indulgent summer vacation, sweating in a sauna can help your body’s detoxifying process as it rids itself of accumulated toxins.

Refreshed Skin

Your skin holds on to the dirt and toxins you’ve encountered throughout the day, especially during the summer when you are in contact with sunscreen, pools, beach towels, and sweat. If not washed off or removed from your body, you face the risk of building up toxins and causing breakouts. While sitting in an infrared sauna in the summer might just sound like another hot activity, there are many detoxifying benefits to sweating it out.

Using an infrared sauna for skincare is a great and natural way to cleanse your pores and help eliminate blemishes. Sweat helps remove deeply embedded impurities and dead skin cells, leaving you with clean and glowing skin in summer. It is important to cleanse your face after sweating it out in your sauna – you don’t want the dirt and toxins to clog your pores again right after! Use a gentle cleanser to keep your skin refreshed, and finish it off with a moisturizer – one with SPF is especially important if you plan on enjoying that summer sun.

Improved Immune System

Summers often bring about summer colds, and they can put a real damper on your seasonal activities. Along with keeping our immune systems healthy by ridding our bodies of the toxins, working up a sweat helps prevent us from getting sick. There are many viruses and bacteria that thrive at our regular body temperature, but die off when our bodies heat up to above 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using an infrared sauna can help boost your immune system and protect you from summer illnesses. The heat from a sauna helps promote the production of white blood cells, improves blood circulation, creates an artificial fever, and releases toxins – all actions great in helping your body stay healthy. With summer plans meaning spending more time around friends and crowds or being in close quarters with other travelers on planes, having a boosted immune system is key for enjoying all your summer events.

Endurance to Heat

In most places, the summer heat can be fairly intense depending on the month and the weather. Sometimes it seems unbearable when it gets to those higher temperatures. But, after some time spent in the heat, it typically becomes more tolerable. That’s where a sauna comes in. Using an infrared sauna can help you become more accustomed to the heat, thus increasing your enjoyment of the weather.

When using your infrared sauna, it is recommended to start with shorter sessions so your body can acclimate to the higher temperatures. Go in for increments of 5 minutes until you feel comfortable with a full session, and if you are ever feeling faint or lightheaded from the heat, do not push yourself to stay in longer. Always have water on hand to stay properly hydrated, and take breaks as needed. Once you get out, the 90-degree weather will feel like nothing compared to the 180-220 degree heat of your infrared sauna!

This summer, your best body is a healthy one. Using an infrared sauna, whether it’s after you workout at the gym or in your own personal sauna at home, can be one of the most useful tools to help you achieve your health goals. And with numerous health benefits year-round (not just in the summer!), starting your infrared sauna regimen this season will lead to many more seasons of health and wellness in your future.

How to Burn Fat Naturally: From Sauna Use to Diet

If you are setting a health goal to lose weight and burn fat, you’ve probably seen plenty of fad diets offering to help you do it quickly. However, healthy and sustainable fat loss takes time and dedication to keep it off. Through the process of learning how to get your body to burn stored fat, not only will you reach your goal, you’ll also set up your body for a healthy future with the new habits you’ve picked up. Keep reading to learn more about healthy, safe, and long-lasting ways to burn fat and why they work, from mindful diet and exercise to using an infrared sauna!

Regular Health Habits

Infrared Sauna Use

Infrared therapy has been shown to penetrate deep into fat cells to increase blood flow to the area and promote detoxification in fat tissue for healthy and sustainable fat loss. A weight loss study revealed that an increase in core body temperature resulted in a decrease in body fat. This study concluded that using an infrared sauna three times a week for 30 minutes per session helped drop an average of 4 percent body fat over a four-month period.

Adequate Sleep

Sleep is an essential part of any health effort, and making sure you get a proper amount of rest can help your body burn fat. Research suggests that insufficient sleep slows down the body’s metabolism, thus affecting calorie burn. When metabolism is less effective, the body may store unused energy as fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol, which also prompt fat storage.

Reduced Stress

Stress triggers the release of hormones such as cortisol, which can remain in the bloodstream for longer under constant stress. Cortisol signals the need to replenish the body’s nutritional stores from the preferred source of fuel, which is carbohydrates. Insulin then transports the sugar from carbohydrates from the blood to the muscles and brain. If the individual does not use this sugar in a moment of stress, the body will store it as fat.

Hydration

Hydration is key for losing weight and burning fat. Chronic dehydration can prevent you from burning more calories throughout the day, and it can also take a toll on proper metabolism function. According to a 2016 study, upping your water intake may increase lipolysis, the process by which the body burns fat for energy. Try to drink your recommended amount of water a day to help your body perform at peak performance.

Mindful Eating

High Protein

Found in a variety of delicious and nutritious foods, protein can curb your appetite and burn body fat – including visceral fat. According to one study, eating a high-protein diet helps your body boost metabolism and retain muscle mass. Protein will also help you feel full for longer, thus helping reduce overall calorie intake.

High Fiber

Soluble fiber absorbs water and moves through your digestive tract slowly, helping you feel full for longer. One study found that increasing soluble fiber intake significantly decreased body weight and belly fat, independent of calorie intake. Having a fiber-rich diet can help decrease hunger, burn more fat, and aid in weight loss.

Healthy Fats

Burning fat by eating fat might not sound like it would work, but a diet with healthy fats has been shown to assist with sustainable, long-term weight loss. In fact, diets enriched with olive oil have been linked to greater weight loss and less belly fat than diets without. Just be sure to avoid trans fats and still keep an eye on healthy fat calories.

Reduced Sugar & Refined Carbs

Refined carbohydrates are quick to digest, and they convert to glucose rapidly. Excess glucose enters the blood and provokes the hormone insulin, which promotes storage in the adipose tissue, also known as body fat. Reducing refined carbohydrates, processed food, and sugar in your diet can help reduce fat gain.

Probiotics

One emerging area of research is focusing on the role of bacteria in the gut on weight management. The human gut hosts a vast number and variety of microorganisms, including around 37 trillion bacteria. Some types can increase the amount of energy someone gains from food, leading to fat deposition and weight gain.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that involves regular short-term fasts and consuming meals within a shorter time period during the day. One study found that over 3–12 weeks, the intermittent fasting method reduced body weight by up to 7% and decreased body fat by up to 12 pounds.

Exercise

Cardio

Swimming, running, dancing, and any other aerobic exercise that conditions your lungs and heart can also help improve your metabolism and burn fat. Research suggests 20 to 40 minutes of moderate to intense cardio per day is ideal for burning visceral fat and reaping other fat loss and metabolism-boosting benefits. Daily aerobic exercise, like running, can help you jump-start fat loss.

HIIT

High-intensity interval training (HIIT), is a type of high-energy workout that combines bursts of intensity with short periods of rest to keep your heart rate elevated. HIIT exercises burn more calories in a shorter amount of time than other forms of exercise and have been shown to increase fat loss. One study found that HIIT burns up to 30 percent more calories than doing other forms of cardio for the same amount of time.

Strength Training

Strength training in the form of weight lifting, yoga, or other resistance equipment is a great way to decrease unhealthy belly fat (the kind around your organs), increase muscle mass, and burn more calories while at rest. One study showed that 10 weeks of resistance training may boost the number of calories burned while resting by 7 percent by helping give the body a metabolism boost.

Learning how to get your body to burn stored fat in a healthy way is key to keeping it off and improving your health in the long run. Use these fat burning tips to help you reach your weight loss goals and form some great habits along the way. It may seem daunting to change up your diet, exercise, and daily habits, but take it one step at a time and you’ll see progress!

Tips for Relieving Sore Muscles and How to Speed Up Recovery

Muscle pain can be, well, a pain to deal with! If you’ve done an intense workout or have simply woken up with a sore back, you’ve probably been on the search for how to relieve sore muscles quickly. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help get back to a pain-free life fairly quickly when you take the proper precautions and find the treatments that work best for you. Read on to find the best ways to help relieve sore muscle pain and how to speed up the recovery process. And since prevention is also important, you’ll even find some tips on how to prevent feeling intense muscle pain in the future!

Sore Muscle Recovery

Infrared Sauna Use

Using an infrared sauna helps promote a temporary increase in blood flow to muscles and can aid in sore muscle recovery. This increased blood circulation from infrared heat carries off metabolic waste products and delivers oxygen-rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscles so they can recover faster. The deep heat helps bring relief and healing to muscle and soft tissue injuries as pain is reduced and range of motion is improved.

Thermotherapy

Thermotherapy can be a huge help in sore muscle recovery. Applying heat immediately after exercising can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, and it can help relieve sore muscles after the pain has set in. A study from 2013 found that while both dry and moist heat helped with pain, moist heat may offer even more pain reduction. After applying heat therapy, cold therapy helps relieve pain in muscles and joints by reducing swelling and nerve activity.

Epsom Salt Soak

Soaking in Epsom salts has been shown to reduce muscle pain and inflammation. This is because of the high levels of magnesium in Epsom salts that help relax sore muscles. The moist heat you get from sitting in a hot bath is an added bonus. If you do not have access to a tub for soaking, you can soak a washcloth or towel in hot water mixed with Epsom salt and apply it where you feel sore muscle pain for 20 minutes.

Massage

Not only are massages relaxing, but massage has also been found to alleviate delayed-onset muscle soreness and improve muscle performance. A study from 2017 suggests that massage is most effective when performed 48 hours after exercise. If you really want to get at your sore muscle pain, you can opt for a deep tissue massage or a sports massage. These massages might not be as relaxing, but they provide some great specialized muscle work.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is essentially a form of self-massage. Research has found that foam rolling can relieve delayed onset muscle soreness. It may also help with muscle fatigue and flexibility. Foam rollers can be purchased wherever you buy exercise equipment. To foam roll, you place the roller on the floor underneath the sore muscle and slowly roll your body over it. You can search online for videos on how to foam roll for different muscle groups.

Hydration

Upping your fluid intake can help speed up the healing process and encourage your body to flush out toxins. Plain filtered water works great. Drink 10 or more eight-ounce glasses per day, and hydrate a bit extra if you’re feeling particularly sore. Try ultra-hydration options like low-sugar electrolyte drinks or coconut water, as the added electrolytes can be a boost for sore muscles as they replenish minerals and hydration lost while sweating.

Topical Products

Arnica has been used as a natural remedy for muscle soreness for years. Although more research is needed, one 2013 study found that topicals containing arnica effectively relieved pain and inflammation brought on by intense exercise. Topical CBD products can also alleviate muscle soreness via skin-based endocannabinoid receptors. Both arnica and CBD provide localized relief when applied to irritated areas.

Anti-Inflammatory Supplements

Adding supplements to your health routine can help reduce inflammation and aid in sore muscle recovery. For example, curcumin is a compound found in turmeric that has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is high in antioxidants, thus helping reduce the pain of delayed onset muscle soreness and speed up sore muscle recovery after exercise. Fish oil and other omega-3 fatty acids offer similar benefits.

Sore Muscle Prevention

Exercising

If your muscles are sore from working out, don’t let muscle soreness stop you from exercising more. Muscle soreness is a natural process that helps your body get used to any new motions while working muscle groups. Once over this soreness, it won’t happen again unless you increase the intensity. If the pain is severe, exercise at a lower intensity or switch to another muscle group for a day or two, then gradually work your way up to higher intensities. While working out, it’s also important to practice proper form, stretching, and cooling down to help prevent muscle injury or soreness:

Dynamic Stretching: A 2012 study found that static stretches may inhibit muscular performance. Static stretching involves stretching a muscle to the point of minimal discomfort and holding it for a period of time. Instead, opt for dynamic stretching where you repeatedly move your muscles and joints, such as walking lunges and arm circles. Dynamic stretching is great for your body as it increases your heart rate, improves blood flow, and improves your flexibility.
Cooling Down: Dynamic stretching before working out is to prepare your muscles, and cooling down helps prepare your muscles for recovery. A cooldown after a workout helps your breathing and heart rate return to normal. It can also help keep blood flowing to the exercised muscles, which can aid the repair process and potentially improve delayed onset muscle soreness. Cool down by walking or riding a stationary bike for 5 or 10 minutes.

Mindful Movement

If your muscles are sore from wear, such as pulling a muscle, then being mindful of your movements can save you a lot of heartache (and muscle ache). Be wary of how you move, and definitely avoid movements that have caused injury in the past. Muscle strain and sleeping/sitting position are two main culprits for sore muscles. To avoid muscle strain, move slowly and learn the proper ranges of motion for your body. Doing yoga (or hot yoga) can help you loosen your muscles and strengthen them to avoid future injury. To avoid muscle soreness from sleeping or sitting, ensure your bed or seating area is set up properly with enough structure and cushion that give your muscles proper support.

Sore muscle pain can really put a strain on your everyday life, so finding relief quickly is key. Use these tips for sore muscle recovery (and sore muscle prevention) to help your body heal quickly and be ready for handling any activities coming your way! Taking care of your muscles is important, so be sure to drink those electrolytes, stretch with some dynamic yoga, and sit in a sauna to help take care of them.

How to Choose the Best Infrared Home Sauna for You

Are you looking to add a sauna to your home? Making the decision to buy a sauna is a great choice if you are interested in your health and wellness, and if you’d like a touch of luxury in your life without having to go to the gym or spa. Now that you’ve made the decision to buy a sauna, what goes into finding the best home sauna for you? Read on to find which considerations to factor in, from sauna size to which additions you’d like to include to truly make your sauna the best infrared home sauna for you.

Things to Consider for the Best Home Sauna

Types of Saunas

There are two main types of sauna, traditional and infrared. Traditional saunas use high heat and steam to create a hot environment. Using this system requires more maintenance in the long run, as the wet-dry system has more opportunity for wear and bacteria collection if not cleaned properly. These saunas might be nice at a spa or gym when someone else maintains them, but in your home they might become quite tedious to care for.

Infrared saunas, on the other hand, use radiant heaters to warm the interior. These infrared systems require less energy to heat and penetrate the body, which makes the experience more comfortable and lowers your electric bill. There are plenty of health benefits with an infrared sauna that are more pronounced than when using a traditional sauna. For all these reasons, an infrared sauna is the best home sauna choice when it comes to your wellness and ease of use when in your house.

Home Sauna Construction

You can either build your own home sauna or purchase a pre-built model. A pre-built infrared sauna is a great option for people who want a simple installation. You still get all the bells and whistles of an infrared sauna, but without the planning! These saunas come in many sizes and can be placed anywhere inside or outside where there is a stable, flat surface and room for ventilation. Prebuilt saunas only require light assembly and are ready to go once you have them connected to a power source.

Building your own DIY infrared sauna is always exciting, as you can customize it to be exactly what fits your needs. These saunas take a higher level of planning, as they require careful calculations and measurements so they can fit seamlessly into your home. Building your own sauna is great for creating an at-home spa experience that perfectly fits your home decor. DIY saunas are more popularly done indoors and in bathrooms or pool houses.

Home Sauna Size

Once you’ve decided on which type of home sauna to purchase, it’s time to decide which size is best for your needs. Consider the number of people who will be using the sauna at a time, how big of an area your space allows, and if the sauna will be used for any activities such as hot yoga.

For personal use, 1-2 person saunas may be ideal to save space and energy. Larger families will benefit from the space of a 4-5 person sauna models, but a single person will also enjoy the benefits of a large sauna for more room to spread out and make the sauna even more functional. Custom saunas typically range between 25 and 80 square feet, but can be designed to fit a much larger capacity. We recommend a sauna ceiling no higher than 7 feet to keep heat close to the occupants.

Home Sauna Placement

Choosing where to put your home sauna is an important decision – will it go indoors or outdoors? Outdoor saunas of course require an outdoor space. Choosing an outdoor sauna is perfect for those with backyards – especially if a pool is nearby for a quick dip after a sauna session. Things to take into consideration with an outdoor sauna include space, proximity to a power source, privacy, and potentially a structure to help protect the sauna exterior from natural elements.

Indoor infrared saunas are becoming increasingly popular as they provide luxury and health benefits right in the comfort of your own home. No matter where you live, you can likely make an indoor sauna fit in your space. From placing one in the corner of a small apartment to having an entire room dedicated to sauna use, choosing an indoor sauna allows for a range of options for everyone (and every space) to enjoy.

Accessories & Amenities

Finally, the last decision to make picking the best infrared sauna for your home is the fun part: choosing your accessories and amenities! Here, you can really customize your home sauna to your needs. The sauna health benefits in its base form are wonderful, but why not kick it up a notch with some upgrades for the ultimate personal sanctuary? Some of these upgrades include halotherapy (salt therapy) generators, chromotherapy lights, red light therapy towers, vibration resonance therapy (sound therapy) speakers, digital keypads with smartphone control, and audio sound systems.

These accessories and amenities offer a wealth of additional health benefits when added to your infrared sauna experience. Some of those additional health benefits include:

Chromotherapy: Improved mood, sleep, circulation, and skin health
Halotherapy: Improved respiratory, sleep, and skin health
Red Light Therapy: Improved weight loss, muscle recovery, mood, and detoxification
Sound Therapy: Improved emotional balance, stress management, and heart health

Getting an Infrared Sauna for Your Home

Investing in an infrared home sauna is also an investment in your health. Adding regular infrared sauna use to your daily wellness routine will give you lasting health benefits to help improve your filter. On top of the health benefits, having a home sauna is a nice added touch of luxury to your life! You can easily have a spa day at home, recover from a home workout, or meditate before bed in one convenient spot.

With a Clearlight infrared sauna, you are sure to have the highest-quality construction, features, health benefits, customer service, and more.

Gym vs Spa vs Home Sauna: The Best Type of Sauna for You

Depending on your end goal, where you use a sauna might have a bigger impact. If you are an athlete looking to recover after a workout, use your gym sauna. Looking to relax? The spa is where to go! And for all-around daily health, how about a home sauna? No matter where you have access to an infrared sauna, you’re sure to enjoy the benefits of incorporating sauna sessions into your health routine. Read on to see how best to enjoy a gym, spa, and home sauna and see which fits your needs best – it might be a combination of all three!

The Gym Sauna

How to Enjoy a Gym Sauna

Using a sauna at the gym is a wonderful way to boost your workout and remedy things such as muscle soreness, recovery time, fatigue, and performance. On top of post-workout recovery, gym saunas help boost your exercise health benefits as they can help you sweat, burn calories, keep your heart rate up, boost metabolism, and burn fat. If your gym has a sauna, don’t hesitate to use it as infrared saunas are the perfect companion for your workouts!

It is recommended to use the sauna after your workout and not before. A short sauna session before a workout can help loosen muscles and improve range of motion while also helping boost metabolism and heart rate. However, a pre-workout sauna session that lasts too long can make you and your muscles a little too relaxed, which can potentially lead to injury while exercising.

Whether you choose to use the sauna before or after your workout, the biggest thing to do is listen to your body! Your body will tell you if you’re spending too long in the gym sauna. Working out is already a strenuous activity on the body, and you don’t want to push the limits with prolonged heat therapy. Look out for signs such as dizziness, lightheadedness, and headaches, as they might be signs that you are dehydrated or overheating. Always make sure you have your water on hand to hydrate after your workout and sauna sessions.

Gym Sauna Etiquette

Shower before entering
Adhere to clothing rules
Don’t bring in sweaty gym items
Be aware of your time or space
Put your electronics in your locker
Keep your workouts outside of the sauna

The Spa Sauna

How to Enjoy a Spa Sauna

Using a sauna at the spa helps you have a perfectly relaxing and rejuvenating spa day. Many spas offer free sauna access to use during the day of your appointment and it is open to use before, between, and after your spa treatments. If you’re already at the spa, you’re likely already getting some bodywork done such as a massage, body scrub, or facial. The spa sauna can really help enhance these services.

If you are getting a massage, using a sauna before your treatment can help relax your muscles, making it easier to work any areas that might be too tense or painful to massage otherwise. Using a sauna prior to your massage can also help you get in a relaxed mindset that can help you enjoy your massage even more. Sometimes, however, there isn’t time before your appointment to hit the sauna. That’s totally okay! Even relaxing in a spa sauna after your treatment can help prolong your relaxed state. And whether you’re enjoying the sauna before or after your massage, both approaches help your muscles recover faster after intense muscle work.

Using a spa sauna when you have a skin-related treatment is a little more restrictive, but you can still incorporate it into your spa day. Saunas help improve skin by sweating out impurities and increasing blood flow. Always use a sauna before one of these treatments to avoid skin irritation as skin treatments typically already come with intense exfoliants and heat. You also don’t want to sweat off any of the products used! If you do use a spa sauna before your skin treatment, keep the session short to allow your skin to cool down before your appointment.

Spa Sauna Etiquette

Shower before entering
Adhere to clothing rules
Be quiet for other guests
Don’t bring in electronics
Keep track of appointment times
Shower after to prepare for treatment

The Home Sauna

How to Enjoy a Home Sauna

Enjoying a home sauna is a wonderful way to experience health benefits daily! While having your own home sauna might seem like a luxury, it is a great investment for your overall health and can be easily added to your routine. While gym and spa saunas certainly have their merits, having a sauna at home allows you to sweat it out whenever and however you want. Take up as much space as you want, wear whatever you want, listen to music if you want – cater your sauna experience to you. From using it after a workout to enjoying a session before bed to help you relax and sleep, you get all the benefits of a spa and gym sauna right at home.

One of the biggest things to consider when finding the best home sauna for you is space. Luckily, there are a number of infrared sauna sizes available to find the perfect fit. If you are in a smaller space, perhaps a 1-person sauna is the way to go for your private zen getaway. If you’re looking for more space to fit your family and friends, or just a sauna where you can stretch and do hot yoga on your own, a 4- or 5-person sauna would be perfect for your needs. If doing a solo session or having company, you’ll reap the sauna health benefits regardless of size.

Having a home sauna means having a little bit more responsibility than using a spa or gym sauna. To ensure you have prolonged enjoyment of your sauna at home, be sure to clean it regularly and practice proper sauna maintenance. The more you keep up with your home sauna’s health, the longer you’ll be able to boost your health!

Home Sauna Etiquette

Shower before entering
Bring a towel
Clean the sauna after using
Keep up regular maintenance

No matter where you use a sauna, you’ll experience some great health benefits. From muscle recovery at the gym, total relaxation at the spa, or simply with casual everyday use at home, incorporating regular sauna sessions can help you achieve your health goals while providing a place to unwind. Use the tips above to find the best type of sauna for you.

The Healthiest Habits We’ve Learned Over the Last Years

Over the last couple of years, we’ve been faced with a lot of changes – many pertaining to our health. The way we work, eat, get social, and simply live have all faced some sort of shift to adapt to the way things are today. But change doesn’t have to be bad or scary! In fact, it can be something we continue to grow on to build out our best lives possible. As we get into the swing of things in 2022, what are some of the best healthy habits for life we’ve picked up in the last couple of years, and how can we continue to apply them for a healthier future?

Bettering Our Immune System Health

With a couple years of thoroughly washing hands, wearing masks, and keeping distance, everyone had a bit of a crash course on the importance of our immune system and the steps we can take to keep our bodies healthy. On top of that, many of us started to look into more ways we can naturally support our immune health even further by changing our daily habits. Exercising more, eating better, getting enough sleep, taking supplements, and doing immune-boosting activities such as using an infrared sauna all became part of our new health regimens.

This year, maintain those habits you’ve been forming to turn them into healthy habits for life. Your immune system is constantly working hard to keep you healthy, so return the favor by treating it right and taking steps to prevent sickness. Give yourself a health challenge to get you motivated to stick to your goals for lasting habits.

Cooking More at Home

Once going to restaurants became a bit harder to do, delivery and cooking at home started to become more popular. While ordering delivery is nice from time to time, it isn’t as sustainable of an option as cooking at home with its higher costs and less healthy options. With more time spent at home, that means more time spent in the kitchen as well. This has allowed us to learn how to mindfully prepare meals for ourselves and understand the ingredients that go into what we eat, which helps improve our health, energy, and more.

This year, keep using that kitchen and preparing nutritious meals at home! With so many recipes out there, you’re sure to continue finding new food you love. To kick it up a bit, start incorporating things like weekly meal prep or meatless Mondays to mix things up.

Embracing Our Relationships

Being social definitely required some creative approaches over the last couple of years. Family reunions turned into Zoom calls, happy hour became having a drink with a friend over FaceTime, and work meetings started with, “Can everyone see my screen?” Being apart made us realize how important our relationships are and how much it means to be in contact with those we care about. By getting creative with communication, we’ve found better and more efficient ways to be social in times we can’t physically be together.

This year, stay social! As some things shift back to “normal”, you’ll see more people in person and have a different approach to your social life. But still keep those family Zoom calls to see relatives who may be far away, have a glass of wine with a friend over the phone to catch up after a long week, and talk to those who make you happy.

Finding New Ways to Exercise

Maybe you went to the gym all the time, and then those plans were halted. Or maybe you always worked out at home and needed a change of scenery after being home all day long. Or, perhaps, you were looking for new ways to get some fresh air. No matter your reason, your exercise routine probably had to adapt – which is actually better for your physical health! We’ve had to get creative with our workouts by taking online group classes, starting to do more outdoor activities, or setting up a home gym. It was a great way to find new ways to get our blood pumping.

This year, keep finding new and exciting ways to get active. Start going on hikes or bike rides to exercise outside and explore new areas. Or keep building up your home gym to up your at-home workout game. And while you’re at it, use an infrared sauna after working out to feel those health benefits even more.

Improving Mental Health

Mental health has seen a huge shift over the years, even before the last two years threw the world for a loop. What was once shrouded by a stigma is now embraced, and the last couple of years have really stressed the importance of being mindful of our mental health. With the changes that rapidly took over our lives, high stress levels and burnout became very real side effects. This caused many people to address their mental health and find solutions and support to help make life more manageable.

This year, continue to make time for yourself and do mental check-ins. If you are feeling down, reach out to find support and find ways to give yourself a boost when needed by slowing down and doing something like meditation or journaling. Infrared sauna use can also help improve mood and mental health, making it great to help unwind.

Setting Boundaries

Finally, one of the best healthy habits we’ve learned is that it is important to set boundaries. These boundaries had to be set to keep life manageable as we navigated unknown times. It wasn’t always easy to set them, but the results are well worth it. Boundaries were set for: yourself, work, relationships, making plans, and more. In doing so, we have been able to better identify our wants and needs, find a better work-life balance, and make realistic commitments.

This year, continue to feel comfortable setting boundaries that work for your life. The art of saying “no” is an important thing to learn so you have the physical, mental, and emotional capacities to do the things that are enjoyable for you. Balancing your needs helps you be present for other parts of your life.

Life throws all kinds of things at us, and all we can do is adapt and learn how to make changes that will benefit us in the long run. We’ve certainly learned a lot the last couple of years, and hopefully some of the positive things we’ve taken away from all of this will leave us with some of the best healthy habits for life. Remember these habits as we get into the new year and continue to build upon them so you have the best and healthiest future ahead.

Work from Home Tips for Extra Energy & Motivation

Working from home has become the norm for many in the last year, and was a major shift in how we all work. In fact, 7 in 10 white-collar workers are still working remotely after all this time. Separating work from home has been easy for some and difficult for others, but the difficulties can be lessened with a bit of self-care and structure. If working from home has become part of your work schedule either recently or for the last few months, these tips will help you stay energized throughout the day when your home and office are in the same space!

How to Stay Healthy While Working from Home

Go for a Walk

Adjusting to working from home means adjusting to a calmer environment, which also could mean adjusting to a more sedentary work style. You might not have noticed it in the office, but once you don’t have coworkers’ desks to visit, conference rooms to rush to, or the printer to check, you’ll realize the lack of movement at home. Go for a walk every couple of hours or so to get your blood pumping and your body moving. Walking can help you stretch your legs, burn some calories, and get you out of uncomfortably sitting in a chair all day.

Use a Sauna

If you have access to an infrared sauna while working from home, it can be one of the most helpful health tools. Since sauna sessions can be as long or short as you need them to be, it can be a great way to break up your day. Start off with a mini session before, during, or after work to help you feel energized and have mental clarity – you can even use essential oils to awaken the senses or to help you feel relaxed. And if you had to, the dry heat of saunas allows you to bring in electronics, which means you can even answer work emails or take a call while in it (though we recommend you have some time for yourself!).

Your sauna is also a great place to meditate when you do get that time to yourself. Even a 10-minute meditation and some stretching in your sauna can help. And with working from home typically being sedentary, sauna use can help you burn more calories than just simply sitting at your desk.

Stretch Often

If you don’t have a sauna at home, still make it a point to get up out of your chair and move your body from time to time. Stretching is so important, especially when working from home when many don’t have the same desk setup as when they did back in the office with ergonomic chairs and keyboards. Set a timer to stretch at least every two hours. Stand up, touch your toes, roll your neck, stretch your wrists and fingers. This helps your body increase circulation and can also help prevent you from forming poor posture.

Meal Prep

When you work from home, you don’t have access to your company’s office kitchen stocked with snacks at all times. And you likely don’t have company-sponsored lunches. This means you and your pantry are fully responsible for those midday work snack attacks! Meal prepping at the start of every week can help combat the issue of not having anything in the fridge to snack on when you need a little boost. Making your own meals also helps you stay on track with eating healthy, which in turn can help you focus better and have more energy.

Drink Water

Staying hydrated while working from home is something that is easily forgotten. If you’re used to the easy-access office water cooler at the office, you might find it harder to keep track of your water intake when you have to make a trek to the kitchen. Either set water reminders throughout the day to fill up your cup or get a big water bottle and set timers to encourage you to finish the water by the end of the day. Staying hydrated will help you feel better and sharper throughout the workday.

Talk with Someone

This one is for your mental health. In the office, you probably talked to multiple people throughout the day. That face-to-face contact and direct conversation is something that is lost when working from home. Over time, the lack of physical presence of other people can make you feel isolated and alone. Make it a goal to hear someone’s voice every day, whether that means scheduling a meeting with your coworker, calling a friend, or even simply going to the grocery store and saying hi to the cashier. Speaking to someone can really make a difference!

Work from Home Motivation Tips

Stick to a Schedule

One big difference between working in an office and working from home is the change in structure. In the office, there is a social expectation to be somewhere at a certain time and looking a certain way. At home, things might not be so rigid. While the increase in freedom may sound nice, it is also important to stick to somewhat of a schedule and a routine to keep you from losing motivation. It doesn’t have to be anything too involved, simply get up at the same time every morning, put on an outfit other than PJs, and set work hours that don’t blend with home hours.

Reward Yourself

Working from home can start to feel a bit monotonous – if you let it. Monotony definitely has an impact on your motivation, so it’s best to keep things interesting in your home office. Break up the day and boost your motivation to complete tasks by rewarding yourself from time to time. For example, reward yourself for finishing a presentation by getting a fancy coffee from the coffee shop. Or reward yourself for getting through that long call with 15 minutes of you-time in your infrared sauna. Make your reward anything you’ll look forward to after a task.

Go for a Walk (again)

Yes, a second recommendation to go for a walk! But this time, it’s for motivation while working from home. Sometimes all you need is a break from your desk and some fresh air to get you back into the right mindset to knock out your next task or project. Dedicate some time every day to walk around the block a few times and leave your work at home. Use your walk as a time to connect with yourself and take a break from your computer. If the weather isn’t great, try replacing your walk with some yoga or meditation inside to give your mind a break.

Whether you are recently starting a new work-from-home position or have been working remotely for months, these tips can help you feel more structured, organized, energized, and motivated in your home office. The switch from office to home is definitely a learning experience that can be handled by putting extra effort into taking care of yourself. Movement, mental health breaks, and schedules will hopefully make your work-from-home experience a bit more enjoyable!

Is it a Cold or Allergies? Symptoms to Check & Natural Remedies

As the temperatures drop, many people are faced with stuffy noses and itchy throats. But is it a cold or allergies? A cold is an infection caused by a virus. Allergies are your immune system’s reaction to a substance like pollen or pet dander. But because the two conditions cause similar symptoms, like sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, and fatigue, it is easy to get both ailments mixed up. Knowing which is which can help you get the right treatment to help you feel better faster. Read about the differences between cold and allergy symptoms and find natural remedies for each.

Handling Allergies

You’re probably experiencing allergies if these symptoms apply: your mucus is clear or watery, your eyes are itchy or watery, your symptoms stay the same and last, and your symptoms show in certain situations.

When facing allergies, mucus typically stays clear and watery, as opposed to mucus during colds that thicken and may change color. It is also uncommon for colds to result in itchy or watery eyes, which are typically caused by irritation from allergies. As far as other symptoms go, allergies are unfortunately longer-term than colds. If your symptoms stay the same and they’ve lasted longer than a week, you are likely dealing with allergies. Luckily, allergy symptoms tend to be milder in the long run when compared to some of the more intense symptoms of a cold.

Symptoms may feel more intense for the first day or 2, but they will typically mellow out and stay the same day after day and can last several weeks or longer. Allergies also show up only in certain situations, from seasonal allergies in the spring and fall to being in an environment with allergens – such as being in a home with a dog or living in an area where pollen counts are high. A pro of allergies vs a cold include being able to remove yourself from a high-allergen situation to lessen symptoms.

Common Allergy Symptoms

Sneezing
Running or stuffy nose
Itchy, watery eyes
Itchy ears
Headache
Dry cough
Circles under eyes
Fatigue
Clear or watery mucus

Natural Allergy Remedies

Have an Infrared Sauna Session

Far infrared heat (FIR) has been shown in studies to relieve eye itching, nasal itching, nasal stuffiness, rhinorrhea (runny nose), and sneezing. Spending time in an infrared sauna can reduce your allergy symptoms with the FIR technology. Infrared saunas also help detoxify your body to reduce the number of toxins and allergens that may be present. You can diffuse essential oils in a sauna for a relaxing and detoxifying experience that further helps relieve allergy symptoms. Be sure to stay hydrated during and after your infrared sauna sessions.

Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Adding spices and anti-inflammatory foods to your diet can help clear up spring allergy symptoms. Your spice rack is filled with natural remedies for seasonal allergies. Look for anti-inflammatory items such as ginger and turmeric to add to your meals, and sprinkle some cayenne pepper to help clear nasal passages. A bowl of chicken soup is a great way to use these ingredients. Research also indicates that a mug of green tea can help you find allergy relief.

Take Probiotics

A weak immune system can lead to more intense reactions to seasonal allergies. One way to strengthen your immune system and treat allergies naturally is through probiotics. Probiotics help boost your immune system by introducing healthy bacteria to the gut, and studies have shown that the addition of probiotics to your diet can lessen allergy symptoms. You can add probiotics to your diet through fermented foods or probiotic capsules.

Be Active

Working out with a stuffy nose or scratchy throat doesn’t sound great, but it can be effective in naturally relieving seasonal allergies. Have you ever stood up and walked around with a stuffy nose to have it clear up? Working out does something similar. Working out increases blood flow and reduces inflammation which helps alleviate symptoms. Be sure to listen to your body and work out indoors to avoid outdoor allergens if they are affecting you.

Handling Colds

If you have a cough, low fever, headache, or mild body aches, you’re likely dealing with a common cold. Colds are so prevalent because there are more than 200 cold viruses that spread.

Colds can sometimes be difficult to identify because different viruses cause different symptoms. Even so, a hacking cough, a fever, and achiness aren’t problems you usually see with allergies. The exception: Allergies can sometimes trigger a cough, but often coughing from allergies tends to feel and sound a bit different than coughing from a cold. One tell-tale sign of a cold is the color of your mucus. As immune cells fight back against the cold virus, they can make your mucus discolored or thick.

Another differentiator between cold and allergy symptoms is that cold symptoms change every few days. You may start out with a fever and stuffy nose, then have a sore throat for a few days, or get a cough or sinus pain before getting better. Colds tend to last for a shorter amount of time, on average lasting 3 to 7 days, but sometimes as long as 2 weeks. Allergy symptoms will last longer, as allergens tend to be present longer than just a week, especially if you are dealing with seasonal allergies.

Common Cold Symptoms

Low fever
Sneezing
Running or stuffy nose
Headache
Hacking cough
Muscle pain
Body aches
Sore throat
Fatigue
Yellow, green, or thick mucus

Natural Cold Remedies

Use an Infrared Sauna

Just as using an infrared sauna for allergy relief, it can also help relieve cold symptoms naturally and help speed the rate of recovery. As mentioned before, far infrared heat has been shown to reduce respiratory symptoms often seen in colds. Spending time in an infrared sauna can reduce cold symptoms and can also help detoxify your body to reduce the number of toxins present, thus helping you get well sooner. When suffering from a cold, it is especially important to stay hydrated to replenish any hydration lost from sweating in the sauna.

Steam in a Shower

The steam in a hot shower helps moisturize your nasal passages and aid in decongestion, especially when paired with aromatherapy. Peppermint oil is effective in reducing inflammation to improve quality of life for those suffering from nasal and bronchial allergies, and using eucalyptus oil is great for its antimicrobial properties. A warm shower before bed also helps promote better sleep, which helps speed up recovery.

Get Adequate Sleep and Rest

Getting plenty of rest, relaxation, and sleep (around 8 hours) is critical to your health. Your body is going through a lot, and a tired body means a weakened immune system, leaving you more susceptible to illness. A rested body helps your immune system work better. A healthy immune system can help shorten your sick period. Reducing stress will make it easier for your body to function properly and fight illness if need be.

Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking water is always one of the top health recommendations, and it’s especially important when feeling under the weather. When it comes to being sick, hydration is key to improving your overall health and lessening the impact of spring cold symptoms. By staying hydrated, you also allow your body to detoxify impurities that may be exacerbating your symptoms. Try adding electrolytes or vitamins when hydrating to boost the health effects further.

If you are feeling under the weather, take a look at your symptoms as they might help you identify the underlying issue. Be sure to discuss with your doctor if your symptoms are severe, regardless of whether it is a cold or allergies. Plenty of rest, detoxification, hydration, and having a healthy diet can help relieve your symptoms and can help build up your immune system to prevent future colds and allergies.