Hot Tub Outdoors for Stress Relief & Mental Health

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Most people think of a hot tub as a place to relax maybe from a long commute or a hard day at the office or doing  physical work.

There is a far deeper relaxation effect that takes place outdoors. When you take time for a hot tub break outdoors, the mental health benefits may surprise you.

Dr. Jules Pretty, at the Center for Environment and Society in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex, in England makes a strong case for “being in nature”.  Irrespective of where we come from in the world, it seems that the presence of living things makes us feel good.

There are three levels of engagement with nature he says.

*The first is passive viewing of nature, as through a window, or in a book, on television or in a painting.

*The second is being in the presence of nearby nature, which is incidental to some other activity, such as walking or cycling to work, or reading on a garden seat, and (we’ve added this one) soaking in a hot tub outdoors.

*The third level is active participation and involvement with nature, such as gardening, hiking or running.

There is now strong evidence that all these levels deliver mental health benefits. The levels with the most involvement deliver the most benefits.

A recent survey of our Olympic Hot Tub Company Hot Spring Spa owners echoed Dr. Pretty’s research  regarding to his second point of engagement with nature. All of the Hot Spring Spa owners we surveyed reported immense pleasure, increased mental relaxation and peace of mind from soaking in their outdoor  hot tubs.

They all said that being in the presence of nature was the “frosting on the cake”, the “cherry on the sundae” that capped the experience and took it from the mundane to the sublime.

It was the reason they rarely missed a night’s soaking.

It was the reason why their own yards gained a bigger place in their lives.

Outside soaking brought  a new appreciation of the previously unseen natural world to hot tub users.  Hot tub owners mentioned owls, squirrels, raccoons, the wind, stars, the trees and far vistas all never before seen in their day to day lives.  So in addition to the great physiological benefits, the mental/spiritual benefits were the most deeply moving.

From my own experience I, too, have been profoundly moved by soaking in my roof top Hot Spring while viewing the stars and satellites (!), feeling the wind and the rain on my face and just letting go of all daily cares and worries.  Plus I get my best ideas in the hot tub!

How about you? Does soaking outside in your hot tub deepened your appreciation of the natural world?

Is your yard more important to you now than before you had a hot tub?

Pleasure is serious business or as the Romans said it RES EST SEVERA VOLUPTAS.  business.

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New Hot Tub Health Benefits Revealed

April 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Dr. Bruce BeckerHealthy When Wet

Body systems naturally flow better in water.

Scientific researchers are confirming what hot tub users have known for years: Soaking or exercising in water is good for blood, bones, brain, muscles, joints, kidneys and other physical systems because its special properties offer a different experience from the dry life.

Dr. Bruce Becker, Director of Aquatic Health Benefit Research at the National Swimming Pool Foundation,  and advocate of water therapy, compiled a catalog of  new studies and yet-to-be studied positive effects in the April 2013 edition of Aqua magazine. Becker says that some medical professionals such as physical therapists and orthopedists are becoming more aware of the benefits, although doctors who specialize in the heart and respiration are not yet as well informed. A project in China to build more rehabilitation hospitals includes water therapy facilities for the patients.

Many of the advantages flow from the fact that water is denser than the human body, which is why you float – you actually weigh less – in the tub. Among other things, that means better results with less impact for people with joint problems who exercise in water.

Even without exercise, just sitting or reclining in the tub is good for you. The density of the water puts pressure on your skin and the blood vessels underneath, pushing blood into your chest and helping the blood vessels relax. That means there’s more blood for your heart to pump with each contraction, which improves circulation more efficiently than increasing the heart rate.

More blood in the chest cavity plus the pressure of water also means you’re doing 60 percent more work to fill your lungs with air, which helps strengthen your breathing muscles and build endurance. That’s why track athletes see improvement in their performance after they spent time in the water.

Water conducts heat and cold four times as much as your body and 25 times as much as air, which is why 72-degree water feels much colder than 72-degree air. That means you can increase or decrease the blood flow to different parts of the body more effectively with water, just as you might use ice to reduce swelling.

Studies have shown that immersion in neutral or warm water reduces blood pressure, although the long-term effects have not yet been researched. Some studies show dramatic improvement after aquatic therapy for patients with mild to moderate heart failure. Also aquatic exercises increase muscle blood flow.

Becker believes exercise in water could delay the body’s automatic response to fatigue, which triggers moving blood from extremities, although the hypothesis has not yet been studied. Also, time in the tub might lubricate the joints by increasing synovial fluid production, which would explain the improvement that arthritis patients report.

Soaking, as you’ve probably noticed, improves kidney efficiency by increasing renal blood flow and altering renal hormones. More blood flow to the brain increases relaxation and reduces pain sensation, and it might even improve balance and sleep patterns.

While more research is needed in some specific areas, the evidence is that soaking or exercising in the hot tub can benefit everyone from elite athletes to people with chronic diseases. Tubbing makes you feel good all over, inside and out.

Health through Water, or as the Romans said: Sanum per Aqua.

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Hot Tubbing and Your Brain

March 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Human Brain X-Ray ImageIt’s  Brain Awareness Week and I know you want to read about hot tubbing and its affect on your brain.

I’ve been a longtime fan of  Dr. John Medina, who holds dual professorships at the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific. Turns out, he is an Olympic Hot Tub Company customer! He and his wife own a  Hot Spring Spa from Olympic Hot Tub.

His book, “Brain Rules” is a must read for the health and preservation of your most precious asset-your brain.  In “Brain Rules” he outlines 12rules for taking care of your brain.

#3 is STRESS as in stress reduction! He documents the effects on the brain while under stress.  Learning is far diminished and the brain can’t function at its normal rate.

Did you know that stress damages cognition in every way that cognition can be measured? And, we treat our brains poorly with our sedentary lifestyles. The human brain is designed to function when we’re walking 20 km day and eating small bites along the way. That’s the opposite of what we do to ourselves in a sedentary world punctuated with big meals at long intervals.

To survive, the brain needs increased blood flow and for that aerobic exercise is a key!  And, soaking, yes, soaking in your hot tub will help, too. 

BIG NEWS: Hot tub soaking increases circulation and helps you de-stress!

I’m not suggesting that you give up aerobic activity in favor of sitting and soaking. But think about the physiology of hot tub soaking. When you’re immersed in hot water, the volume of blood in your chest cavity and in your heart increases dramatically. This is due to the hydrostatic pressure on your body and the effects of being in a buoyant state: Your heart’s ability to pump blood goes up, while at the same time, your heart rate goes down. Your cardiovascular system becomes far more efficient, and that affects just about every function of the human body including the brain.

Stay tuned for more developments on brain function and hot tubbing. For now  BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK March 11-17 is a once a year reminder to take care of your marvelous, miraculous, incredible brain!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health Through Water.

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Sleep Yourself Skinny: How to Lose Weight by Taking a Nightly Hot Tub Soak

March 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Sleep yourself skinny; hot tub before bed for a good night's sleepSleep more and weigh less?

Is this true? Sounds like a fairy tale or urban rumor.  But, according to research conducted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, women who get at least seven hours of shut eye a night are getting beauty rest and more. They’re preventing significant weight gain over time. This study found that the likelihood of major weight gain-33 pounds or more-rose 32% for women who slept only five hours a night. These women were also 15% more likely to become obese than the longer sleepers.

Even after analysis of diet and activity levels of longer and shorter sleepers, scientists found no differences that explained why those who got less sleep weighed more. In fact, those who slept less also ate less, but they also tended to exercise less. It is possible that reduced slumber affects the number of calories burned at rest (basal metabolic rate) and translates into weight gain over time.

What’s the bottom line for weight loss? Getting a good night’s sleep is the best strategy for maintaining a healthy weight.

And, how to get that good night’s sleep? You can find many suggestions on the American Sleep Association website.  One of the best is to soak in your hot tub or hot bath at least 2 hours before bed for 15-20 minutes at 102-104 degrees. As your body cools, you’ll be ready for a deep relaxing sleep and that all important weight loss!

A bath tub will not give you the same benefit. There are no jets to relax you and the water does not say at 102-104 degrees for the twenty minutes soaking time required for deeper sleep.

Want to lose weight? Get more sleep by taking a nightly soak in your Hot Spring Spa!

We’re celebrating National Sleep Awareness Week, the annual campaign by the National Sleep Foundation that runs from March 3rd to March 10th to remind people about the importance and value of sleep.  We invite anyone who’s tubless in Seattle to  Schedule a FREE test soak at any of  Olympic Hot Tub Company’s  5 Puget Sound area showrooms today! You bring the towels & suits.  We’ll have the hot tubs hot & ready when you are. Test the sound sleep theory for yourself.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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Hammered By A Hangover? Head To The Hot Tub: 7 Ways To Feel Better Now

January 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Hammered by a hangover? Head to the hot tub: 7 ways to feel better now

Hammered by a hangover? Head to the hot tub: 7 ways to feel better now

What’s drinking?
A mere pause from  thinking! said Lord Byron.

If your senses left you last night and you did over-imbibe, read on for seven tips that will make you feel better faster.

The term hangover was originally a 19th century expression describing unfinished business—something left over from a meeting—or “survival.”  In 1904, the meaning “morning after-effect of drinking too much” first surfaced and has been used ever since as a catchall to describe that awful feeling.

The most commonly reported features of a hangover include  headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, and thirst typically after the intoxicating effects of the alcohol you consumed the night before wear off.  Add dysphoria- an unpleasant or uncomfortable mood, such as sadness, anxiety, irritability or restlessness. Let’s call it the opposite of euphoria.

You  feel rotten.

It’s the American way to “do” something when we feel bad. No waiting for a temporary hangover to work itself out. In this case, you can act now to feel better.

The body rids itself of alcohol and its toxic byproducts in four ways:

* breathing

*via the liver or kidneys

* and from sweating.

Exercise speeds breathing, increases sweat and moves alcohol-laden blood through the liver and kidneys to be processed more quickly.

You probably don’t feel like going to the gym this morning (if you do, good for you!), but jumping in your hot tub will do almost as much for you. The heat increases your circulation which will speed blood more quickly through the liver and kidneys.  Did you know that  immediately after a person is immersed, water begins to exert pressure on the body?  Cardiac volume increases by nearly one-third when you’re immersed to the neck.

Here’s what to do to feel better now:

1. Rehydrate.

Drink a glass of Gatorade or any sports drink that replaces electrolytes before getting in the hot tub. One reason you feel so bad now is because you’re dehydrated. Coffee is dehydrating and while you think that it is just what you need, it is not a helpful for a hangover.

2. Resist the temptation to take aspirin which is a blood thinner, just like alcohol and can intensify its effects!

The side effects of aspirin, Tylenol and ibuprofen can be magnified when alcohol is in your system, so it is best (even though it may be the first thing you reach for) to avoid them to kill the hangover pain.  See Tip 5 below for the best way to get rid of a hangover headache.

3. Get in the hot tub at between 102-104 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

4. Do deep breathing exercises in the tub.

5. For headache relief that’s simple and natural, try pinching your hand between your thumb and forefinger while in the hot tub.

That part of the hand is a nerve junction and an acupressure point which is supposed to release tension in the head neck. The advice is to pinch quite hard for thirty seconds every five minutes until the headache subsides.

6. Take a cold shower after your hot tub soak which will really get your circulation moving and your heart rate up.

7. Drink water or Gatorade after you soak. More of the right kind of fluids (and “hair of the dog” is NOT the right kind of fluid) will flush the alcohol from your system and revive you.

Happy New Year and feel better soon.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through water.

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Happy Hot Tub New Year

December 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

HAPPY HOT TUB NEW YEAR!

“Water is one part Oxygen, two parts Hydrogen, and the rest is magic.”

– C.S. Lewis

When we slip into the hot tub, something inside us feels like we’re coming home. After all, our bodies are 90 percent water, and a warm soak is a way to restore ourselves spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Wishing you a relaxing New YearJust as the stress of modern society is a leading cause of many health problems, a soothing retreat to our hot tub sanctuary can restore balance, harmony and well-being. There’s nothing like relaxation therapy in the water that we can feel lifting us and making us lighter.

Humans have always recognized our deep connection to water. It is central to religious rituals, from Judaism’s ritual cleansing to Christianity’s baptismal forgiveness, Hinduism’s symbol of fertility and Taoism’s symbol of humility, seeking the lowest place. The language of water surrounds and permeates our life – its ebb and flow, its waves and floods, of events and emotions.

The water in your hot tub is therapeutic, returning you to that essential, beautiful element off your life. You can add salts like Spazzaz and essential oils to deepen the experience.

Resolve for 2013 to refresh yourself frequently in that warm place of relaxation and restoration-your Hot Spring Spa.

“You have just forgotten for a while that you are water. As you let the water flow gently through your mind and your body, it will heal you at your core.” – Masaru Emoto.

Wishing you a Happy YOU Year that’s relaxing and rejuvenating.  Relax…for life.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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Hot Tub Help for Holiday Stress

December 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Whirled Peace on Earth

Hot tub help for holiday stress

 Stress increases when you’re too busy for leisure time to relax, unwind and spend quality time reconnecting with family and friends. Sound you’re your holiday season? Your Hot Spring Spa can help. Schedule some time every day to soak away you stress, boost your health, and enjoy the company of friends and family all at the same time. Here are some hints for how to use your hot tub during the holidays and more:

Early Valentine’s Day

Who cares what holiday it is? Leave a note for your loved one to propose an after-work rendezvous in the hot tub. Light some candles, put on some soft music and relax together where only the stars can see you.

The Family that Soaks Together

Take a break from the hectic holiday schedule for a family gathering in the hot tub. You’ll be making memories for the children, and even teenagers often feel like opening up in the warm flow.

Follow that Star

Who knows what you see when you look up from the hot tub on a clear winter’s night? Check the Stardate website every week to see what’s in the night sky, and use the Star Walk app for your iPhone to learn the stars in depth.

 Work It Out

Exercising in the warm water is a gentle blessing for joints and muscles. The buoyancy reduces your weight by 90 percent for free-floating comfort, relieving even arthritis or fibromyalgia, and the water resistance can build muscle strength.

Wake-up Call

Enjoy your hot tub in the morning with a cup of tea or coffee. Just 10 minutes at 102°F will energize you. Warning: Stay in longer, and you may start to feel too relaxed to “get up and go.”  Many hot tub owners prefer winter wake-ups in the tub to ease gently into their day. They report that watching the birds and enjoying a short “nature break” before beginning their hectic schedules makes them feel better all day.

The Still Hot Tub in a Turning World

Getting away from it all, alone in the water, you can relax, reflect and rejuvenate, shedding all the holiday stress and emerging  recharged.

Ring out the Old, Ring in the New

There’s no better place to be at midnight on Dec. 31 than your Hot Spring Spa from Olympic Hot Tub.  Soak in heavenly peace, contemplate the year ahead, and resolve to spend more time in the tub, alone, with family and with friends in the new year.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through water.

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Suffering From a Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing Cold? Hot Tub to Feel Better Faster

November 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Well, we’re in it now. The long season of rain, rain, rain. The temperature’s supposed to drop starting tomorrow and it will be cold & rain.

With the rain comes the season of the virus. Now it seems that everyone I know has a virus. Call if a virus. Call it bronchitis. Call it whatever. There’s nothing for it. My doctor told me last week that 10% of his practice has it. Soaking in my Hot Spring hot tub last night I started thinking about how hot tubbing is a great way to fight a cold, virus or whatever ails you.

A hot tub is typically used for relaxation. And, relaxation has some tremendous benefits, especially after you step out of your hot tub.  Why not use your hot tub to help your body fight the flu, cold or virus?

1. Hot is Good. There is some scientific evidence that raising your body temperature will help your body fight cold germs, so have the heat set at the hottest safe level, usually about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. While it may feel uncomfortable at first, you’ll soon become accustomed to the heat. And, the only way that your hot tub will help you fight off a cold or flu is if it’s hot enough to actually raise your body temperature so that you sweat.

2. Make Sure the Water’s Clean. Before you get in, check the water. If your chemicals aren’t balanced and sanitation levels are off, it’s not a good time to go in a hot tub let alone when you’re sick and your immune system is low. Get some test strips and follow the included instructions to balance everything, especially the pH levels of the water and the total chlorine count. If you’re still using chlorine-better to switch to SilkBalance in combination with ozone and silver ion cartridges that really keep water clean and healthy.

3. Don’t lie on the couch feeling miserable. Get in the hot tub! Go for twenty-minute soaks every few hours while you’ve got a cold or flu, and make sure to keep soaking until you’re starting to feel better. The idea behind hot tub treatment of a cold is to get your body temperature elevated and to keep it elevated, so try to spend as much time in the hot tub as you can, or at least as much time as you feel relaxed in the hot tub–if it becomes a pain, don’t worry about it, get out and get some rest.  And, the hot tub will help you do that.  You’ll be relaxed enough to fall into deep sleep.

4. Use a Salve Under your Nose. A small dab of mentholated salve (good ole Vicks) under your nose will open up breathing passages and help soothe the irritated skin at the base of the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing agents that help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw. Put a fresh dab under your nose when you get into the hot tub for maximum effect.

5. Blow Your Nose Often and the Right Way. Experts say it’s important to blow your nose regularly when you have cold rather than snuffling mucus back into your head. The heat from the hot tub will make your nose run which is a good thing. Keep a towel handy to dry your hands before you reach for a tissue. Be careful how you blow. Blowing too hard can cause an earache. The best way to blow? Press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other.

6. Stay Hydrated. Hot tubbing is actually dehydrating as you are sweating in the tub. Drink plenty of water before, during and after soaking. And make sure you stay hydrated for as long as your cold or flu lasts. If you can bear the thought of drinking something hot in the tub, hot liquids like herbal teas and the perennial chicken soup relieve nasal congestion, help prevent dehydration and can soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat.  Coffee is a diuretic, so avoid it while hot tubbing, and alcohol. Even your old family remedy for hot toddy-is a definitely a bad idea with or without a cold.

If you’re lucky enough to take zinc at the first sign of the sniffles, you may just shorten your sick time reports the New York Times.

Remember to consult your doctor if your cold or virus symptoms persist or you start to feel worse.

I’d love to hear your tips for using your hot tub to fight a cold or the flu. Post in our comments section below.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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Celebrate Pursuit of Happiness Week in Your Hot Tub-7 Tips To Raise Your Happiness Level Now

November 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s time to celebrate Pursuit of Happiness Week.

Of course, we as Americans celebrate the pursuit of happiness. We’re guaranteed the right to pursuit of happiness in our constitution. So many people misread it as the constitution guarantees their right to happiness and walk around miffed that happiness isn’t theirs.   It takes some work to figure out what makes us personally happy, but scientists are hard at it to help us.

What does it take to be truly happy and have feelings of joy permeate your everyday life? Six British experts have found what they say are 10 simple steps we can all take to make our lives happy (happier), reports BBC News.  The team outlined the “seeds of happiness” in the following 10-point plan.

And 7 of these “seeds of happiness” can be done in your Hot Spring Spa! What are you waiting for? Get soaking and you’ll be started on your happiness project today.

1.      Plant something and nurture it.  A scented garden around your hot tub is a great way to start.

2.      Count your blessings—at least five—at the end of each day. I like to count my blessings while I’m in the hot tub. The warm, soothing water inspires gratitude.

3.      Take time to talk. Have an hour—or even a half hour—conversation with a loved one each week. What better place than in the hot tub? You’ve heard the Latin saying “in vino veritas” (in wine there is truth) well; in hot water there is truth. Skip the wine until after you’re out of the hot tub. Hard to mask your feelings while you’re soaking and relaxing.

4.      Phone a friend with whom you have not spoken for a while and arrange to meet up. Invite them for a dip.

5.      Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it. There’s nothing better than a soak in your hot tub as the treat of the day. Remember: It’s not illegal, immoral or fattening.

6.      Have a good laugh at least once a day. Ever hear of Laughter Yoga? Try it in the hot tub.

7.      Get physical. Exercise for half an hour three times a week. Get in the hot tub after you’ve cooled down from your workout and you’ll see real gains in your flexibility and stamina.

8.      Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once a day.

9.      Cut your TV viewing by half. Soaking in your hot tub will definitely help with this as well as be a mood elevator instead of a downer.  Many of our Olympic Hot Tub Company customers have told me this has been true for them.

10.    Spread Kindness. Do a good turn for someone everyday.

Simple things. All easy to do and most start with a good soak in your Hot Spring Spa. Who knew the “seeds to happiness” start in your own backyard?

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health Through Water.

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Hot Tub Therapy Helps Combat Effects of Type 2 Diabetes

November 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Hot Tub Therapy has found to be useful in controlling Type 2 diabetes.  That’s welcome news for the millions of Americans who are diabetic.

According to the American Diabetes Association, over 15.7 million Americans are diabetic.  More people are being diagnosed as diabetic every day! Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for 90% of cases.  It’s a disorder in which the body is not able to make enough insulin or to properly use insulin to turn the glucose in food into energy.

Having Type 2 Diabetes does not mean that it’s the end of the world.

When you learn how to manage Type 2 Diabetes, you can  live a healthy and happy life.

Since November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, I thought it would be a good time to shine a spotlight on a serious disease that leads to potentially life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and possible amputation.

Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have given new hope to the millions who suffer from diabetes. “Hot tub therapy” helped a group of Type 2 diabetics reduce their blood sugar levels and improve sleep patterns. (If I had Type 2 diabetes, I’d take those improvements for starters, wouldn’t you?)  Hot tubbing was judged beneficial because the effects of partial immersion in a hot tub simulate the beneficial effects of exercise.  Physical exercise is recommended for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Soaking in a hot tub was found to be beneficial for Type 2 diabetes according to an independent study done by Dr. Philip L. Hooper at the McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Colorado. He studied a group of Type 2 diabetes patients for three weeks. The patients were required to soak in a hot tub for thirty minutes a day, six days a week, for the duration of the study. (I’m guessing that this was not a hardship!).

The results were astounding! The patients’ average blood sugar levels were reduced by an average of 13 percent. Hooper also explained that one of the subjects was able to reduce his daily dose of insulin by 18 percent after only ten days of the study.

In reference to these findings, Dr. Hooper and others state that hot tubs are especially helpful for patients who are unable to exercise, and recommends that hot tub treatments should be included as regular therapy for patients with diabetes.

Important Note. It is highly recommended that those with diabetes consult with their physicians prior to beginning hot tub treatments.

If anyone you know has diabetes, please share the good news about hot tubbing and help for Type 2 diabetes.  It’s an all natural, feel good therapy that can be of tremendous benefit at a low cost.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, ask your doctor for a prescription for a Hot Spring Spa. It can’t hurt to ask.

If you’ve been using your hot tub and found improvement in your Type 2 diabetes symptoms, share the good news.  Post a comment and let us know how you’re doing.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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