Cryotherapy at CryoLuxe: Is the Juice Worth the Freeze?

I’m about to go full Elsa on you here talkin’ about CRYOTHERAPY.  

Full disclosure: the cold DOES bother me, Elsa.  I’m trying to remember why I still live in Chicago where the weather is cold most of the year, but back to the topic at hand!  With all of the associated health benefits and my curiosity for all that is wellness related, I was super excited to try Cryo at CryoLuxe for the first time. 

Cryotherapy.jpg

Why in tarnation would someone want to do this?

Lots of reasons, actually! Before I dive into my personal experience, let me give you some background on these associated health benefits I just mentioned.  Basically, the science behind the therapy is that being cold will reduce inflammation.  Reducing inflammation helps improve circulation.  You may have heard of athletes taking ice baths or maybe you’ve even put that pack of frozen peas on an injured muscle… same concept. 

Cryo, however, uses nitrogen vapor to get.. well, REALLY friggin’ cold.  Down to temps as low as 200 degrees below zero for up to 3 minutes. Yes, you read that correctly.


There is science behind this therapy, although, more research is needed to support all of the claimed health benefits. For the purposes of this blog, I’m just going to share with you my personal experience and how I felt, but I always encourage you to do your own research! The other suggested benefits straight from CryoLuxe’s website include:

-quicker tissue repair

-less inflammation and/or pain

-sometimes used for treatment of autoimmune disorders (arthritis, MS, fibromyalgia)

-accelerated production of collagen and reduced appearance of cellulite (WHAT?!)

-metabolism boost, burning up to 800cals

 

What to Expect.

SO. Now to my first visit. I arrived at CryoLuxe in the South Loop of Chicago and was greeted at the desk by a friendly staff member.  Staff members are trained in how to operate the chambers.  I was quickly escorted to the Cryotherapy chamber and provided a gown, socks, boots and gloves to change into.  I was instructed I could keep on undergarments if I wished and guided through what the session would be like.  The staff member then informed me that I would be under supervision for the entire treatment and could ask to stop the treatment at anytime. The last 30 seconds are the coldest, FYI.  You keep the gloves and boots/socks on during treatment and just remove your robe.  Naturally, I chose to keep my beanie on because it couldn’t hurt, right? 

 

The staff member asked for my height and set up the step inside to make sure my head would remain out of the chamber (much appreciated) and I got in!  Having someone supervise you is awesome because… safety, but also because it’s a distraction!  I was chatty Cathy asking questions to try to distract myself from the severe cold.  However, I pride myself on being a bit of a bad*ss so I was determined to make the full 3 minutes.  I asked questions about recovery, benefits, how often sessions were recommended and then suddenly… my 3 minutes were up!  Seriously, it’s only 3 minutes which is pretty cool!  The cryo chamber was shut off, my gown handed to me and the door opened and the staff member left me to get changed back into my clothes.  Done aaaaand done.

Did I feel any different after?

Afterwards, I immediately felt like I’d been on a run in the cold weather.  You know when your legs are kinda tingly?  Yeah, that.  But I also felt… PUMPED.  Hello endorphins!  Or was that adrenaline?  Probably both.  This mini-high went on for a while after my session.  I also felt a sense of calm as the day went on and by bedtime I was ready for and was ABLE to get a good nights sleep! 

IMG_9086 (6).jpg

 

My other sessions following were very similar to this.  I even went on the coldest day so far here in Chicago, but that day I gave myself a break and only did 2 minutes. I still felt pretty great after!  I typically went for a session of cryo after a hard workout or when I was sore.  I remember after one yoga class in particular where my knee had been giving me some trouble… the aching was totally gone after the session.  Kid. You. Not. My muscles were less sore the next day.  And I didn’t have trouble falling asleep which can occasionally be difficult for me!  It’s hard to turn this brain off sometimes... 

Last Word.

SO, final thoughts.  I dug it!  I workout just about every day and an improvement in muscle recovery or achy joints is more than worth it to me. The energy boost after was pretty great, too.  ALWAYS check with your healthcare provider first because there are some health conditions where it may not be advised, but if you’ve ever been curious or have any pesky symptoms, such as achy joints, muscles, headaches… give Cryotherapy a try!!  Elsa would be proud. Please forgive me for all of the Frozen references. Let me know if you’ve ever tried Cryotherapy or would give it a try!




Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RDN, LDN

Cranberry Compote Sauce

I didn't know whether to call this, "Cranberry Compote," Or "Cranberry Sauce," soo.... Cranberry Compote Sauce it is!  Some of y'all may LOVE canned cranberry.  I know there's some of you weirdos out there (kidding :P ).  But every year when that cranberry comes to the table I wish I made my dang own.  And I've been majorly procrastinating because I should've made this around Thanksgiving, but point is... I made it!  And it's soooo easy.  Here we go...

IMG_0031.jpg

Ingredients:

-1 12oz bag cranberries

-1 cup coconut sugar

-1 cup water

IMG_0032.jpg

-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

-dash of pink Himalyan sea salt

-dash of cinnamon

Instructions: In a pot, whisk together water, coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, whisk in cinnamon and salt.  Then add in cranberries and lower to a simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.  You will hear the cranberries poppin'.  After about 10 minutes, use a potato masher (or a fork like I did) to mash up the cranberries to desired consistency.  Turn off heat, but leave the pot on the burner to cool for 20-30 minutes.   Enjoy as a jam on toast or sauce on meats!

IMG_0030.jpg

Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RDN, LDN

Easy Homemade Hummus

My love affair with the Vitamix continues... 

It's just....

so...

EASY TO USE.  It's almost toooooo easy, but I mean that in a great way.  This time I made some homemade hummus.

Ingredients:

-1 can chickpeas (low-sodium) WITH the liquid

-1/4 cup tahini, stirred (homemade or store bought)

-1/4 cup lemon juice (approx. 2 lemons)

-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1/4 heaping tsp cumin

-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 tsp salt

Toppings for Serving:

-paprika

-parsley

Instructions:   Set 2 Tbsp chickpeas off to the side for serving.  Place the remaining chickpeas and liquid, along with all of the other ingredients (tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt) into your Vitamix or food processor.  Turn Vitamix on regular setting starting at setting 1 and slowly moving up to 10.   Smooth until well blended; if necessary add in a little more liquid for consistency.  Pour into a serving bowl and place the chickpeas you set aside in the center.  Sprinkle with Paprika and parsley.  Serve with veggies or pita chips or whatever the heck you want! 

IMG_9850.jpg

 

Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RDN, LDN

 

Game Changer: Protein Pancakes

Whose weakness is pancakes?! ::raises hand:: How can ya not love these fluffy, delectable little thangs? Well, I shi--- kid* you not... these protein pancakes are life savers.  IMO they're just as good, if not better, than the real deal. And they're EASY to make.  They contain literately THREE ingredients, although, ya know I gotta doctor mine up.  So here's my recipe! Enjoy and let me know how much better your life is. 

 

PS- sorry vegans.. this one contains eggs. You can make vegan pancakes w bananas, though. Perhaps I'll get to that another time... 

 

Ingredients:

 

-1/2c cottage cheese 

-1/2c oats

-3 whole eggs 

-1 tsp vanilla extract 

-cinnamon 

 

Toppings:

 

-pecans

-blueberries

-extra cinnamon

-1 Tbsp organic maple syrup (optional) 

 

Instructions: Blend all of the ingredients in a blender/nutribullet, etc. Spray or oil a griddle/frying pan.  I spray with coconut oil. Light the burners on medium heat.  Wait about 1-2 mins or until a drop of water sizzles on the griddle.  When the temp is right, scoop a 1/4c serving of batter and pour onto the griddle or pan.  When the pancake is bubbled up on one side, flip to the other side.  Recipe makes approximately 6 pancakes.  Top with toppings listed or toppings of your choice! 

Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RD, LDN

Avocado Acai Bowl

Looks ain't everythang, eh?  Full disclosure here.  I F'd up.  My intention was to make a purdy purple acai bowl and here we have pea soup colored acai bowl.  All good, man!  Gotta roll with it.  Still delish and nutrish (totally a word). 

Ingredients:

-1 cup kale

-1/2 cup frozen red berries (raspberries, strawberries)

-1/2 frozen nana

-1/2 avocado

-2 scoops collagen peptides (optional, omit if vegan ;-) )

-1.5 teaspoon acai powder

Toppings:

-berries

-coconut flakes

-pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

-drizzle sprouted almond butter

Instructions: Blend 'er up.  Slurp 'er down.

Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RD, LDN

Bulletproof Golden Milk Latte Recipe

This baby...  MMMM, mmm.  It's got the best of everything all rolled into one.  First, a little background.

I am a BIG coffee fan.  Not in the sense that I need it to wake up in the morning, because I don't.  I just dig it.  And depending how you have it, there can be solid health benefits.

I typically don't even have coffee until mid-morning.  Going along with my bod's natural cortisol circadian rhythm, I'll wake up and either work out or not (listen to your bod).  I won't sit here and say that I jump out of bed singing every morning, but quite honestly, once I'm up I'm pretty alert and feel good and ready for the day.  This is assuming I didn't stay up too late or have a night of indulgences, which happens.  I'm human.. GUILTY.  Within about an hour of waking or following my workout, I'll have breakfast that, generally during the week, consists of eggs and a green smoothie.  Healthy cortisol levels SHOULD be highest in the morning, allowing us to have the most energy at this time to prepare for our day and then steadily decline with some variations as the day goes on so that by the time we rest our pretty little heads on our pillows, we're ready for some quality sleep (1). 

That's in a perfect world.  Thanks to environmental factors, stress, etc., many people's cortisol circadian rhythm's do not function in this perfect way.  There are ways to reset your circadian rhythm and this dietitian here would be more than happy to help you out with this if that's you (Danielle@dietitiangonewild.com). *Shameless Plug*  ;-)  But anywhooo...

Since I've nourished my bod well, I wake up with natural energy and fuel myself with proper nutrients to keep that energy sustained and as the morning progresses and my cortisol levels dip down a bit, that's when I'll take my coffee.  During the week I'm pretty structured and weekday coffee for me isn't that exciting.  But the weekend.... OHH, the weekend coffee.  I dress it up.

I dig the bulletproof coffee (ghee, coconut oil, the works), I dig the Golden milk (turmeric, spices) and I love my Vital Proteins beef gelatin (gut health defender) so basically I combine all of these and I have myself a time.  ::insert nerd emoji here::

Weekday or weekend, I will use Bulletproof® Brain Octane Oil.  This is a very pure form of the Medium Chain Triglyceride, Caprylic Acid.  MCT's are VERY easily absorbed, even for those of us with gut probs and may even IMPROVE gut issues (2).  They are processed in the liver and provide a quick source of energy that can provide longer satiety.  Fats are big players in hormone production and immune function; therefore, having a readily absorbed fat on board (especially for those with difficulty absorbing fats due to gut health issues) can be a game changer (2).  Not to mention, gut health and immunity and brain function are all HUGELY intertwined (3).  If you're into podcasts the Bulletproof Radio podcast, "Connecting Your Gut and Your Brain with Dr. Perlmutter" is simply fan-frickin-tastic.  I'm not endorsed by Bulletproof in any way, btw.  It's just good stuff you deserve to know about.

As a holistic dietitian, I need to reiterate that just because I'm telling you what I like to take and the potential benefits, it does NOT necessarily mean I think you NEED it.  Everyone's different.  And depending on what's going on in your bod, this may not be for you.  You may very well not see any benefits incorporating this into your diet if there are other ish's (issue's) going on that need tending to first. 

That being said, if you want to give it a go, here's my weekend coffee party recipe.  CHEERS!

Bulletproof Golden Milk Latte Recipe:

IMG_20441.jpg

-10oz coffee (it's the weekend... treat yo'self)

-1 scoop Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin

-few dashes Turmeric

-few dashes black pepper

-few more dashes cinnamon

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon vanilla bean ghee

-1 tablespoon Bulletproof® Brain Octane Oil

-Sun Potion Ashwagandha and Cordyceps optional**

Make your coffee.  Keep this coffee hot if you're using beef gelatin, as it WILL gel in cold beverages and.. ew.  Add all ingredients and blend.  Beef gelatin blended into your coffee will make it foamy like a latte without even adding any nut-based milks.  You may sub these in instead if you're not feeling the gelatin.  Pour into your coffee mug.  Maybe get crazy and throw a dash of cinnamon or turmeric on top for presentation and.. VOILA!  Enjoy with your favorite healthy breakfast.   

[Click link to getcha self some]

[Click photo link above to getcha self some]

Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RD, LDN

References:

1. Chan S, Debono M. Replication of cortisol circadian rhythm: new advances in hydrocortisone replacement therapy. Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2010;1(3):129-138. doi:10.1177/2042018810380214.

2. Rial SA, Karelis AD, Bergeron K-F, Mounier C. Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health: The Potential Beneficial Effects of a Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet in Obese Individuals. Nutrients. 2016;8(5):281. doi:10.3390/nu8050281.

3. Purchiaroni F, Tortora A, Gabrielli M, Bertucci F, Gigante G, Ianiro G, Scarpellini E, Gasbarrini A. The Role of intestinal Microbiota and the Immune System.  Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013 Feb;17(3):323-33.