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. 

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! 

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

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! 

Stay Wild,

Danielle

MS, RDN, LDN

Hello Wonderful, Wild World...

Okay, here goes…  HI GUYS!!  I know what you’re thinking.. ANOTHER girl with a blog.  I know.  In my defense, since I’m constantly sharing nutrition, yoga and other wellness-related info, I’ve been playing around with the idea of starting a blog for a while and finally decided to just go for it.  I mean, why the heck not?  “YOLO,” as the kids say…   Joking aside, I feel like I have things to share with the world that other like-minded folks out there would dig and we could share ideas back and forth and be inspired by one another.  So I’m going with my gut on this one.

A lot of what held me back from starting this adventure sooner was simply not knowing where to begin.  How do you start something like this?   So I decided to just start at the beginning with the “why” of this Dietitian Gone Wild blog and where I hope to take it.  If you wait for everything to be perfect before you begin, you’ll never begin and, to be honest, I’m kind of a spontaneous, risk-taker type anyhow.  I take pride in that.  That’s why it’s Dietitian Gone WILD and not Dietitian Gone Timid.   

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So, that’s where I want to go first with you...  The name.  Why “Dietitian Gone Wild?”  Well.. a lot of reasons actually:

The first reason is related to "wild" foods.  By this I mean whole and natural foods.  If you read the Nutrition Philosophy on my site, you’ll know I believe in Holistic Nutrition and, for me, that means replacing the processed, hormone and pesticide containing foods in our diets with more whole, clean, REAL food because that is what leads to a more optimally functioning body.  I mean, why would we assume we could feed ourselves crap and expect our bods to function optimally?  Seems kind of like a "duh," right?  Still.. easier said than done and that's where I want to be available to help.  If you’re looking for a calorie count, I’m probably not your girl.  I’m all for listening to our bodies and healing our bodies and then seeing the positive rewards.

The second way “wild” resonates with me piggybacks on the holistic nutrition philosophy I mentioned above.  To achieve positive health outcomes, I believe we need to look at the entire picture.  Not just our diets or our exercise routines, but mind, body and soul.  In today’s society we are STRESSED O U T.  Like, really stressed out.  And workaholics.  And over-stimulated by the increase in communication thanks to technology.  We do NOT stop and just… chill.  We don't get out into nature enough.  We don't PLAY enough.  And unfortunately,  our bodies respond to this in a big way.  More research is beginning to look at the benefits of mindfulness and mediation on reducing stress and improving our physical health outcomes and I strongly believe incorporating these into our lives can help our bodies function optimally.  We need to find what it is that lights up our soul and fires up passion within us and do more of those things!  I WON'T believe we’re on this earth to work hard and die.  I believe we need to find that wild within us (which is unique for all of us) and embrace it fully!

And the final way “wild” speaks to me has to do with my personality, which you'll get to know a lot better if you (hopefully) continue to check out Dietitian Gone Wild.  Most Registered Dietitian’s are very strong Type A’s.  And in a lot of ways, I am.  I've always been a good student/dedicated employee, picked things up quickly and paid attention to details.  However, in a lot of ways, I am NOT Type A.  I am very go-with-the-flow and adventurous and spontaneous and all that good stuff.  Blame it on the Gemini, if you're into that sort of thing.  I believe in being healthy and that it’s hugely important, but I acknowledge that we’re human and sometimes you may just need a pizza and a beer and that THAT’S OKAY.  That’s part of the “feeding our souls.”  We need to have FUN and let loose every now and then.  Letting loose and having fun looks different to everyone, so I’m not suggesting everyone needs pizza and beer sometimes (even if I want to), but I’m just saying we need to find the balance.  Embrace your wild and learn how to balance it out.  And if you need help with that, well… I know a dietitian who's up to the task (wink, wink). 

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So hopefully by now you’ve caught on that sarcasm is one of my favorite pastimes, but in all sincerity, I am VERY passionate about health and wellness.  I believe my calling is to share this passion and help others via this route.  I created Dietitian Gone Wild for that purpose and with it I hope to share recipes, health tid-bits, holistic concepts, yoga talk, travel and how that can feed our souls and lots, lots more!  I want to use this as an outlet to inspire and get inspiration back, because generally what we put out into the Universe, we get back.  So feel free to chat me up!  Leave comments, follow on social media, email me.. WHATEVER!  Looking forward to beginning this adventure and hope to have you along for the ride.

Stay wild,

Danielle

MS, RD, LDN