We’ve all been there. You have a big event coming up and you want to look your best, inside and out. The pressure is on, so you whip out your planner and begin scheduling weekly sweat sessions to help you “work off” those extra calories. Let me stop you right there though.
You should never guilt yourself into losing weight for a special occasion. Trust me, I am here to save the [wedding] day!
Sweating is the body’s safe and natural way to heal and stay healthy and has been known to help flush the body of substances like alcohol, cholesterol, and salt. When we sweat, the body releases these toxins by using sweat as the conduit.
Although sometimes embarrassing if you’re at school, work, or spending a night out on the town, sweating is a necessary part of protecting ourselves from overheating. The sometimes satisfying drips of perspiration are proof our bodies have a built-in mechanism for keeping cool, which can help open up and unclog pores. Sweating also increases blood circulation.
When you sweat, you green-light some positive reactions in your body too. For example, a infrared sauna’s gentle, 120-degree warmth can relax your mind and loosen up your muscles, an after effect similar to the high of a yoga class, minus the advanced poses and mantras.
One of the new ways to detox our bodies and live #thesweatlife is to use infrared saunas. You may have used a traditional sauna in the past where heat is warming the air, which in turn warms your body. By using infrared heat therapy that releases electromagnetic radiation, an infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you, which can be absorbed by the body as much as 1.5 inches under the skin.
The appeal of saunas, to most, is that they cause reactions similar to those elicited by moderate exercise, such as vigorous sweating. An infrared sauna produces these results at lower temperatures than a regular sauna, thus making it more accessible to people who can’t tolerate the heat of a traditional sauna. An infrared sauna produces sweat that is 70 percent water and 30 percent toxins, as opposed to other sweat from workouts of traditional saunas that is 97 percent water and 3 percent toxins.
No strangers to the power of sweat, CYL Sauna Studio in Green Hills is a luxury infrared sauna studio where clients enjoy sweating in their own personal infrared sauna pod in a private sauna suite. Owner, Kayla O’Nan, has been operating her location for 5 years and has seen a steady growth in the infrared trend. “Infrared saunas over the past few years have gained popularity for their anti-aging and wellness benefits. Health focused celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Lady Gaga and Gweneth Paltrow are big promoters of this natural wellness method too.”
Although paying to sweat may seem like an odd idea when you could go outside and run around in the heat, perspiring on purpose has many benefits. “It’s very popular for brides and grooms to seek us out when they are trying to lose weight and detox before their big day. We also book a lot of private events in case a larger wedding party might like to participate as well.”
The stress of having to deal with family, wedding planners, guests and much more on your big day can sometimes be overwhelming. Unwinding in a soothing, stress-releasing, warm environment is definitely a recovery routine we can get on board with.
An average infrared session takes about 30- to 40-minutes, during which time the body is exposed to heat and what is called “far” infrared light. “Far infrared light is part of the sun’s invisible spectrum and has the ability to penetrate human tissue. It is completely healthy and safe for skin exposure,” Kayla explains.
In fact, there is a growing body of clinical evidence that supports the use of far infrared as a non-invasive health-promoting therapy. Many researchers have also found convincing evidence that when far infrared is applied to local areas or to the entire body, there was a beneficial blood circulation-enhancing effect in human skin.
“It’s just a great place to find Zen and relax as well too,” Kayla says. Each room at CYL Sauna Studio contains a custom sauna table with the solo sauna pod on top and has soothing spa music playing throughout. “Sweating at CYL along with your normal workout routine can also help speed up the process of getting your body to your ideal wedding weight,” Kayla adds.
With more and more options becoming available in our area to recover, sweating it out in an infrared sauna should not be overlooked. “I hope more and more people will find it a valuable addition to their regular health and fitness routines.”
