Why you should consider a flotation tank

Float pod

Today is a repost of a story I wrote for a lifestyle blog while working for a healthcare company; the original post is here (Actively Northwest, May 4, 2014). Many of my previous posts are no longer live on the original site, so for posterity, posting the content below. I'm still passionate about floating, and recently signed up for a membership at FloatSeattle. 

Float your way to relaxation

Flotation tanks are making a come-back, and they’re great for relaxing and improving focus.

As a kid, I’d lay in the grass on a warm summer day, look at the billowy shapes above, and wonder what it would feel like to float on a cloud.

Flotation is the next best thing.

What is flotation?

I can’t help but hum Also Sprach Zarathustra when entering a float center – the “pod” looks like something out of 2001-A Space Odyssey. First introduced to the public in the early 1970s, flotation was developed by neuropsychologist John Lilly in the 1950s to examine the impact of sensory deprivation on the brain. 

Several modifications later, today, a typical “float center” has several private rooms with a shower and the sci-fi looking pod, which is filled with body temperature water and a high concentration of Epsom-salt (along with a dash of chlorine for safety). Floating fell out of favor during the 1990s, but is gaining momentum again as people look for ways to power down and unplug.

Why do it?

Today, flotation tanks today are largely used for relaxation. But numerous health benefits are also cited, from lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels to pain relief. Endorphins released from the anti-gravity effect are said to be mood-elevating, and some people use flotation to improve focus and for visualization. Some studies say flotation helps with depression and sleep disorders, in addition to stress reduction.  

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned the hamster wheel in my head. I haven’t mentioned that I also constantly fidget – I twirl my hair, tap my foot, crack my knuckles… Inside a float tank, I can’t do anything. It’s just me, alone with my thoughts, and my breath (which at first, seems very, very loud). There is no stimulus. I can’t fidget. There are no distractions.

What’s it like?

While my first float was more years ago than I’m willing to admit, I’ll own up to feeling edgy as I drove to Seattle’s Urban Float in Fremont (editor's note: this location is now closed). The kind of stillness I expect makes me nervous. But Urban Float is a delight to enter, and my private room is warm and comfortable. 

After showering (and they have Everyday Shea products, so no harsh chemicals), stepping into the pod feels like a soft caress – just 10” or so deep, the temperature of the water is perfect. I choose not to have music (earplugs help block external sound and keep the salt out of my ears) and after closing the lid, I turn off the soft blue light from inside the pod. Then… nothing. Well, a little bit of itching. And incessant thinking. 

But eventually, even my brain slows down, the itching stops, and I relax. I am weightless. It’s a lot like meditation without any effort. It’s nearly complete sensory deprivation, and yet I feel completely supported.

An hour goes by and it feels both too short and at times, too long. Ambient music plays five minutes before my time is up.

My takeaway at the end of my hour? “My body is amazing. Everything functions impeccably. I am completely supported.” I hadn’t planned on a new mantra, but I kind of like this one. I feel toxin-free (in addition to buoyancy, the salt pulls toxins away from the body) and very relaxed.

Urban Float provides everything you need – shower products, towels, earplugs. There’s a hairdryer in the one bathroom (perhaps the only drawback is there’s only one loo). An upstairs lounge – for before and after your float – has filtered water or hot tea, with low lighting and comfortable furnishings. It’s a good idea to sit a bit before heading out.

The impact of floating can last for days. I breathe easier, and my body flows a little more smoothly. My daily 60seconds of mindfulness come easily and effortlessly.

Give it a try

Flotation centers are popping up all over. In Seattle, we have Urban Float and Float Seattle (editor's note: my current favorite, with three locations in greater Seattle), and in Tacoma, Northwest Float Center. In Portland, there’s The Float Shoppe. North of the border, the Float House recently opened in Victoria and Vancouver.

If you like this post or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching—you can find me here.

Berry delicious

Fresh-picked raspberries; pic does
not do bowl size justice...

It's the season for fresh berries, and here's a great tip for preserving that just picked flavor: make fruit leather! We tried this a couple of years ago and a friend liked it so much she said we should package it and sell it. Dang. Now that's a vote of confidence. 


Easy, healthy and delicious snack

While I can't take credit for making it myself, I picked the berries and then watched the procedure, and it's pretty darned easy. Blend fresh berries with SCOBYs  from your homemade kombucha, spread thinly on parchment paper or silicone drying sheets, and place in a dehydrator on low for about 10-12 hours (or in the oven if you don't have a dehydrator).

Finished product, coming off the silicone sheets

You can read some fun editorial along with instructions in Bon Appetit (go figure!), or on the Wellness Mama blog. Unlike Bon Appetit, though, we didn't use kombucha in the mixture, and we didn't add any herbs for flavor, as Wellness Mama did, nor did we add sugar (I don't think it's needed). 

Once the fruit mixture is sufficiently dry, wrap it in wax or parchment paper (if you used silicone sheets), then store in glass or plastic. This deliciousness will keep indefinitely; it'll last an entire year if stored in the freezer, assuming you can keep it around that long. Not only does it taste like fresh raspberries, but you'll do your microbiome a favor with the probiotics from the SCOBY. 

Thirst quencher

And here's a quick idea for a refreshing beverage, thanks to my cousin Gin, co-host of the YouTube channel, Almost Homestead. They have a cabin in the Cascade Mountain foothills, near Mt. Index, and they have great tips for living more sustainably. 

An easy and refreshing beverage

Place fresh fruit or berries in a Mason jar, add some sugar and fresh cut ginger, fill with water and put the lid on. Let it sit a couple of days, giving it a shake here and there, and then drink. It's a flavorful sparkling soda, with no nasty additives. You can refill with water and add more sugar to the mix at least a couple more times. 


We interrupt this program... 

Honestly, this post could have been about self-preservation after the few weeks I've had, but berries are a much lighter and prettier topic. And this blog is all about growing, after all, whether it's growing things or growing self. 

Onward. 

If you like this post, or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching—you can find me here.

Mindfulness habits to do every day

I'm cheating a little this week in my commitment to write a post a week. Back when I worked for a health insurance company, I wrote wellness posts for their lifestyle blog. Most of those posts are no longer available, and there were several I really liked, including this one. It originally posted on Nov. 3, 2013, and for posterity, I'm posting it here (with a few minor modifications). 


60 Seconds of Mindfulness

I have a hamster wheel in my head. The speed and velocity of the spinning depend on whatever's going on in my world at a given time—I have a busy job and I'm in a training program that takes up many of my non-work hours. Conscious effort is needed to slow the spinning, and maintaining any kind of regular meditation practice is a continual challenge. 

On a whim, I picked up an Eckhart Tolle CD about meditation while shopping at my local food co-op. Author of The Power of Now, I'm only loosely familiar with Tolle's work. I've found while conceptually I like his work, I don't love his writing. But I digress.

While I don't always practice it, I've long subscribed to the notion that the point of power is in the present moment. The CD's subtitle is, "practicing presence in every moment of your life," so I thought I'd give it a shot. 

The nugget came early in the CD. Tolle says even those who achieve great states of consciousness when they meditate may still have gaps in their daily lives. He suggests finding ways to bring presence into everyday life, recommending mini-meditations—something you can do wherever you are. For example, every time you get in your car, take 30 seconds to practice being present. 

Mini-meditation? I was intrigued. Now I have a daily practice of two 60-second meditations, once before I leave my driveway for work in the morning, and again when I leave work in the evening. I knew I needed a reminder until I formed a habit, so I put a sticker on my dashboard that reads :60. An unwitting passenger might see this as a note-to-self to do the speed limit on the freeway, but I know differently. 

My 60-second meditations change daily, but I typically focus on one of the following.  


Presence

To stay present in the moment, I may focus on my breath, noticing my inhales and exhales. Sometimes I check in with how I feel both inside and out. For example, when I'm aware of my current anxiety, as I focus for 60 seconds, it dissipates. Or I notice that the temperature is cold, and I'm suddenly more cognizant of my immediate physical surroundings. I may hear birds or traffic, and rather than worrying about my to-do list, I'll focus on what I hear. 

Gratitude

I have so much to be grateful for, yet it's sometimes easy to forget when the day-to-day gets in the way. I direct my attention here: I have a great job, a comfortable home, a partner who loves me, and I'm healthy. Some days, it's just the little things (like fuzzy slippers, dry shoes, or having money for lunch). 

Setting intentions

What do I want to create or accomplish today? Intentions look to the future, but they're stated as if they already exist. These help keep me focused and mindful throughout the day, responding rather than reacting to whatever shows up.

Stating affirmations

Affirmations are a bit like exercise. Do them enough and they can help shift your thinking, break a habit, or reinforce your stated intentions. Even something as simple as, "I'm capable and I can do this" in moments of self-doubt can have exceptional results. 

It may only be two minutes a day, but it works. I started this practice a few months ago, and I've noticed I'm more focused and calm. I can also apply this technique if the day starts getting the best of me, anytime, anywhere. While the hamster wheel may still spin, it's spinning less often and not nearly as fast. 


If you like this post, or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching—you can find out more here.

Self-care: Colds suck

A quick post tonight. I kind of made a promise to myself to write more frequently - say, every two weeks, minimum, but here it is three weeks since my last post.

Not wont to make excuses, it's been a tough couple of weeks. Lots of things wayyy out of the ordinary happening at work, and acquired a nasty little cold in the middle of it which makes minimum functionality challenging at times.

My arsenal (in part)

So every chance I get, I aim to do something that helps me get well more quickly. For example, I:

• Ingest herbs, vitamins and probiotics: goldenseal root and olive leaf tinctures, some mix of stuff I get at the health food store, adding A & C and doubling D and zinc, and probiotic caps along with kefir and kombucha (tea and coffee actually count, too)
• Rinse my sinus cavities with a warm saline solution: I use a glass container the size of a large mason jar to mix my salt and water, because really, what's the point of a miniscule netipot?  
• Drink lots of liquids: my wellness tonic, water, tea, coffee (though diuretic, caffeinated beverages are still liquids and help hydrate)
• Skip the sugar (mostly; today I succumbed to snickerdoodles made by our new person at work)
• Eat good food (my go-to sick food used to be Campbell's chicken noodle soup, but I gave that up. I've since found Wolfgang Puck's organic version; I also picked up a roasted organic chicken at Whole Foods so I don't have to cook)
• Steam clean my head - in the shower, and over the stove, with a towel over my head and a pot of steaming water with eucalyptus or tea tree oil
• And from childhood - Vicks VapoRub smeared on my chest at bedtime (eau de Vicks is a lovely scent... not, but it does offer some comfort in the olfactory memory)

That first day or two, I found myself empathizing with those who actually have a lung disease (my mom and a dear friend being two). Of course, there's no real comparison, but it occurred to me just how awful that really must be, because even this felt a little like hell. My throat felt fiery and my chest felt like it was underwater and full of sand.

But after those first coupl'a days, I saw incremental improvement. Despite extra stress, I think my tactics worked; some people I know have had this thing for weeks. They can have it. I'm done. It's no magic bullet, but I hate being sick and believe my body lets me know what it needs to be well, and has, largely, what it takes to get there.  

So there you have it. I haven't written but I will revisit this unstated (this time) commitment and aim for regular posts beginning... soon. 

Onward.

Update 4/5/15 - Cold symptoms went away quickly, except for a cough - which could also be related to allergies; we're full-on into spring now and I react to weeds and grass. Dang cough. Anyway, I still stand by my process outlined above, as I do tend to stay generally healthy when others around me are fighting illness. 

Busting up some aging myths

The perils of aging are largely myths.

"What makes people believe they don't have any power or control over what happens to them?" Forrest asked as we were chatting about older friends and family who are dealing with health challenges. We realized we were somewhat confounded by how little some of us seem to know and understand about our own health.

It struck me that we grow up conditioned to think that aging is negative, a bad thing. We learn:

• We'll get sick. 
• Our bones get weak. 
• Bodies give out. 
• Things break. 
• We won't be as vibrant. 
• Sex lives wane. 
• Memories fade. 

And so many more.
We accept them as fact.
We don't question.

Stuff happens, some of it preventable, some not, but either way, it doesn't mean we're without power to have an impact. So here are a few thoughts, as I consider my own journey.

We are not our genetics.

That list above? Not necessarily true... We are not our genetics, although we can be if we believe we are and act accordingly.

We can influence what happens to us, and what we believe and how we act can make all the difference. It's not to say they won't happen; as we age, the odds of developing ailments increases. We can't control all of our environmental influences.

Yet there is much within our control. Beliefs matter.

We are what we eat. 

The old adage, "we are what we eat," is actually pretty true. If we put junk in our bodies, we feel ... well, like junk.

What we consume makes a difference, no matter what our age, but we might feel the impacts more as we get older, as we whittle away our defenses. So many illnesses or conditions are considered preventable and are now linked to diet - Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, to name just a few... Food also has a huge impact on brain function, how we feel emotionally and how much energy and strength we have. A few insights:

• Sugar - any type of sugar - contributes largely to inflammation, which is the root cause of many disorders and diseases. 
• Processed food is full of sugar and various chemicals (thousands of untested additives are on the FDA approved list for use in food!), and generally, the western diet is highly processed. 
• Sugar substitutes are even worse. Sodas, any type, are not helpful. Try sparkling water with a splash of juice, some bitters, or herbs for a refreshing alternative and to stay sufficiently hydrated.
• As so many food experts now advocate, and to paraphrase Michael Pollan, as I often do, eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. 
• Simple carbs like white flour or white rice are stripped of fiber and nutrients and quickly turn to sugar once ingested. A better option is whole grain; even better, the ancient grains. Grains in any form should be a small part of our diets; make sure your breads or cereals have just a few ingredients and you know what they are. 
• Potatoes and other starchy foods get a bad wrap, but they're actually nutrient dense. Add a little butter or sour cream and you're golden. Just eat sparingly. 
• Fat is good. Well, good fats are good. Fat is satisfying and helps our bodies use many of our vitamins.
• Lastly, conventional agriculture is pesticide- and antibiotic-heavy. If you can, know your producers, buy from a farmers market, shop the organic section or make smart purchases using the Clean 15 / Dirty Dozen lists.  

Use it or lose it...

While the research and thinking around exercise continues to change (how much, how often, how intense), the importance of moving our bodies has not. To thrive, we need to be active.

Sitting is one of the worst things we can do, and from my own experience, know it causes all kinds of less-than-fun discomforts. There's evidence now it can even shorten our lives, and certainly it contributes to countless ailments.

Sitting too much keeps me from running - temporarily (sing it: the hip bone's connected to the thigh bone... or a version there-of, in my case, sitting caused limited range of motion in my hips, underachieving glutes, overactive calves and impossibly tight Achilles tendons in both feet).

It's never too late to start moving. But if you haven't moved your body for a while, it's best to start slow. Yoga or stretching, strength and balance exercises, coupled with standing desks if you have a desk job are all essential to bone, muscle, mental and even emotional health.

     And then there's style...

I have no interest in getting old. That said, as we all are, I am aging. There's a big difference between old and aging. Unless I want to pay a small fortune, I can't do much about my sagging jaw line, but I don't have to look old, either. Good style never goes out of date.

Cosmetics, used strategically, dressing appropriately for your lifestyle (but throw away those "how to dress at any age" guides, especially if they tell you to change your style based on your age), and an updated hair style just feel good. I intend to stay relevant even when I'm an advanced age, and personal style shows you 'get it.'

...And lastly, life-long learning

Don't ever lose your curiosity. Challenge yourself. Even as a teenager, I recognized the value of "being comfortable being uncomfortable" with a wall poster reminding me at every look.

Explore. 

Travel.

Ask questions. 

Read. 

These keep us vibrant, relevant and engaged. Be deliberate and intentional. We can learn and grow from everything and we're never too old to learn something new. Brain science is growing exponentially and none of it suggests that we have to lose capacity as we age.

As 'anonymous' once stated (I wish I knew who really said this), "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, well-preserved body, but rather to skid broadside, thoroughly used up, and loudly proclaiming, 'wow, what a ride.'"

(If you like inspiring quotes, here's a pretty good selection.)


While this is hardly a comprehensive list (I didn't even mention play, laughter, or spending time in nature; oh, and don't smoke...) to help you age gracefully - or disgracefully, if you prefer, I think it busts a few of those myths I grew up hearing. Hope they do that for you, too.

Sated: Full fat or no fat, please

Today I read yet another article explaining how we've been doing it wrong. For years, doctors gave us the wrong advice about what to eat and what to avoid. Unwittingly, maybe... but their tune is changing, and we'll all be better for it. Avoiding fat isn't the answer to better health. Eating real, whole foods is.

I grimace whenever I see a health "authority" recommending a low fat diet or when I can only find non-fat products on the grocery shelves. Regardless of the changing tune, there's still a lot of misinformation out there. I read it in articles online and off, I see it at work in our cafes - where low fat is king. And I see it in random places where it seems to me it's a "shouldn't be." Most low fat foods also have unhealthy additives, not to mention they're low on the satisfaction scale.

I followed the no-fat path for a while. When Joe Piscatella's book, Don't Eat Your Heart Out, came out in the '80s, I gave up just about everything. I stopped eating red meat - no more fast food burgers for me! No butter, no oil. No bacon! And just non-fat dairy. I was determined. I hated the way high fat foods felt in my mouth.

I eventually fell off that wagon, but I stayed on that track for a number of years - a move to Vancouver and regular visits to a naturopath only made my diet more extreme - I gave up all dairy, corn, yeast, wheat and caffeine, among other things.

Now, many years, lots of research, and trial and error led me back to whole foods. Foods with natural fats are flavorful and satisfying. They're not laden with fillers or chemicals. And I'm not talking about deep fried foods, nor chips or foods made from highly processed or genetically engineered oils. Just whole, real foods. Cream. Butter. Grass-fed beef. Olive and coconut oils, and rich, creamy avocados. Nuts and seeds. And yes, even bacon occasionally - ideally when I know where it's from. Appropriately proportioned, these are healthy, satisfying choices.

My new favorite thing? Kefir. Most grocers sell just a couple of brands, and mostly low fat or non fat. But the real prize is from our local Grace Harbor Farms. This stuff is rich and delicious. If you're not in the Northwest, perhaps there's a local dairy near you with something similar. It might be worth exploring. Kefir has the added benefit of being fermented, full of probiotics - the good bacteria our bodies need. Greek yogurt is also a healthy option, but I think the best advice is to read the ingredients on the containers you pick up. If it's full of stuff you can't visualize or pronounce, it might be good to pass up.