HOW HOT IS TOO HOT IN THE HOT TUB?

July 29, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

On our trip to Yellowstone last week we saw this beautiful deep azure natural “hot tub” that looked ready for bathing. But, hold on! It was 160 degrees!  Seeing all of the natural hot pools that where too scalding hot to use made me think about how hot is too hot in the hot tub.  At Olympic Hot Tub Company, we start all new owners at 102 degrees. Children generally prefer it cooler-say around 100.  As it gets colder 104 feels about right to most people.  The temperature is really a personal preference.  What feels hot to some might feel tepid to others.

What you want to do AFTER the hot tub soak will determine the length of your soak as well as the temperature of the water.  If you want to feel energized, 10-15 minutes at 102 will be invigorating. Many people soak in the morning with a cup of coffee at this temperature for a terrific full body and mind wake up.  In the evening that same temperature will put you to sleep if you stay in 20-25 minutes.  At that point you’ll feel enervated and ready for sleep.  See more about health and hot tubbing on Olympic Hot Tub Company’s Health Benefits page.  A good thermometer is a must or having a control panel on your hot tub with a temperature reading.

This blistering heat wave we’re having in Seattle now-it’s supposed to be 101 degrees today-reminds me of my own summertime cool down technique. Sit in the hot tub. Yes. Sit in the hot tub. First turn it down to around 98. Your skin temperature is 92-94 degrees. If you sit in 92 degree water, you’ll actually feel chilled after awhile. You’ll get goose bumps.  But, try 98 on a hot day like the ones we’re having this week. You’ll be able to stay in quite a long time and afterwards will feel refreshed for hours as your body cools.  It’s not like the short refreshment of a shower where you’re hot and sweaty 15 minutes later in heat like this.  It’s a deeper cooling. I’ve been know to stay in the hot tub for an hour at that temperature while reading a good novel.  If your tub is in the direct sun, wait until the sun is not directly overhead, wear a sun hat and sunscreen on your face.

Be sure to check with your doctor if you suffer from any physical aliments that are adversely affected by heat.

SANUM PER AQUA/ Latin for Health through Water.

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HOT TUBING BENEFITS FOR PROFESSIONAL AND “WEEK-END” ATHLETES

July 6, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

Both professional and “weekend” athletes can use a hot tub to help repair sore muscles and start the healing process for injuries. Neck and back pain, sports injuries, muscle pulls, spasms and soreness are often eased simply by a quick dip in the hot tub. Summer is the time when most weekend injuries occur. Even gardening can result in muscle strain and back spasms.  Golf is notorious for injuries-especially to back, wrist and elbows.

Your hot tub can also be used for preventive medicine. Water’s therapeutic powers lie in its ability to alter the body’s blood flow. According to an article in Tennis Magazine, “When you immerse yourself in the hot water of a spa or hot tub, the temperature of your skin and muscles rise, causing blood vessels to dilate which increases blood flow to the skin and muscles. Turn on the jets and let the pulsating water massage the skin, increasing blood flow even more. The result? Your skin and muscles loosen and relax from the increased blood circulation.”

Improve your athletic performance by using your hot tub both before and after you exercise:

Before You Exercise. Soaking in a hot tub before exercising relaxes your body and loosens muscles, making exercise easier and reducing the risk of injury. A pre-exercise soak will also help improve performance. In fact, some golfers swear it has actually taken a couple of strokes off their game.

After You Exercise. Soaking in a hot tub after exercising is a great way to wind down and relax your muscles. The hot, swirling water embraces you . . . massaging your neck, shoulders, arms, back, thighs, calves, and feet. But most importantly, hot tub use after you exercise will greatly reduce or even eliminate the stiffness typically felt the next day. You’ll enjoy your workout & sports time more knowing you won’t be sore the next day.

Important Note. If an injury occurs, it is essential to apply ice to the swollen area first. Never get into a hot tub when you have swelling! Allow ample time for the swelling to reduce before soaking in your hot tub. The warm, circulating water will speed healing to any damaged tissue as well as bringing much-needed nutrients via blood flow to the problem area.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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STUDY SHOWS SOAKING IN A HOT TUB REDUCES KNEE PAIN AFTER KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY

July 3, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

HOT TUBBING FOR HEALTH KNEE PAIN STUDY. A study funded by our trade group, APSP (Association of Pool & Spa Professionals) found that patients who had total knee replacement surgery who used hot water exercise returned to normal function faster than those who used land exercise alone. This warm water therapy study also showed those patients had greater range of motion and less pain and swelling throughout the recovery process.
Reduced pain and faster healing after surgery is just one health benefit of hot tubbing.  Although the sturdy is two years old, the findings bear repeating. See the complete story in the health & hot water section on the Olympic Hot Tub Company website. You’ll be amazed. If you or anyone you know has had knee replacement surgery, hot tub soaking is a great way to return to full function with less pain and less pain medication. Why suffer more than you have to?

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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HOT TIPS FOR SUMMERTIME IN THE HOT TUB

July 2, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

Most of us living in the Northwest are unaccustomed to hot summer days.  Today is supposed to be 80 degrees and I’m sure a lot of you are already wilting at the thought.  Your hot tub can be a blessing in the heat. If that sounds like a contradiction, it’s not!  Turn the temperature to 99 or 100. Your skin temperature runs between 94 and 96.  If you turned the tub to 94, you’d feel chilled sitting still. Really!  You can stay in for a good long while at 99 degrees-past the prune fingers and toes stage.  When you get out, you’ll feel refreshed for hours.  Something about the heating of your body on a sustained basis and then the cooling feels so much more refreshing than a shower. I’ve been know to lie in the hot tub on a really hot day for the better part of a good novel. Here are a few more of my tips for safe summer hot tub soaking:

*Drink plenty of water before and after soaking. I love chilled San Pellegrino from my local Trader Joe’s. Avoid alcohol until AFTER your soak.  Alcohol is dehydrating and is a depressant on your system.
*Cool down before you heat up. Wait until you stop sweating and your pulse returns to normal after exercising before getting into the hot tub.
*Enter and exit the hot tub slowly. Ease in gradually. Exit carefully. A sudden change in posture and temperature can cause lightheadedness.
*The maximum recommended safe temperature for a hot tub is 104 degrees. Soaking time at this temperature should not exceed 15 minutes. For summer, try 100 degrees or even 99 degrees in order to feel refreshed not enervated in the heat as I noted above. Kids under 12 usually prefer lower temperatures in the summer.
*Check with your doctor if you are taking medication or have a health condition that may be affected by extreme heat.                                                                                                                               *Wear sunscreen or a broadbrimmed hat if your soaking in the direct sun. Even better get one of our umbrella hats. Look stylish while you soak.
*Never leave children alone in the tub.

 The best tip of all: have fun, relax and enjoy yourself!  

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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A HOT TUB ON THE DECK DELIVERS A “STAYCATION” EVERY DAY

June 9, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

Our Olympic Hot Tub Company customer, Nancy Juetten-who from her home office runs a very successful public relations business and is famous for her do-it-yourself Publici-TeaTM Workshops, sent me an email recently about how she uses her hot tub to separate “work” from “home” -a hard thing to do while running a home based business. But having a hot tub has helped! Read her email:

“My husband and I both operate small businesses from home offices, and that means that getting away for a vacation doesn’t happen nearly as much as it used to –when we were working for bigger companies and earned paid time off.

One of the ways we address that situation is by making our home as spa and vacation-like as possible. We have a fabulous hot tub (a Hot Spring Spa Aria Model) that sits just outside our office door. It’s the perfect place to get away and relax … in our own backyard. We find that we have some of our best conversations while soaking in the hot tub. You have to unplug and let the soothing water soak your troubles away so you can think big thoughts and ponder possibilities as opposed to problems.

The home we own has our office spaces downstairs. Our family space is upstairs. We try to keep separation between the two since we have a 12-year-old son who also demands and deserves our attention.

This seems to work pretty well for us. And, since the weather in Seattle is beautiful in the summer, that takes away the sting of not flying away to exotic places when we really are pretty happy to vacation in our own backyard.”

Making the separation from work if you do work at home is a challenge. Nancy handles it well and knows when to “quit working” for the day.  She is adept at using her “down time” (not that anyone running a home-based business has down time!) to dream and think of new ideas..something that doesn’t usually happen when you’re sitting at a desk with a computer screen.

Her email reminded me of another couple who worked at home. The purchased a Hot Spring Spa so that they could “quit work” at 5:30, shut off the computers, leave their desks and go out to the hot tub. When they came in the house 30 minutes later, they were “home” for the evening.  They used  the hot tub in a very ingenious way to save their sanity and give themselves a “home life”.

More and more people work from home these days. If you’re working from home, a hot tub is the best addition you can make to your “home office”.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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HOT TUB EXERCISES FOR FEET-WEAR HIGH HEELS? SUFFER FROM ARTHRITIS OR PLANTAR FACIITIS? THESE ARE FOR YOU!

May 29, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

Here’s an email from my friend Amy Goetz-foot reflexologist extraordinaire, AKA The Barefoot Phoenix. She’s the best “foot worker” I’ve ever found and you will see from her email that she is really dedicated to helping her clients maintain pain-free, healthy feet. Trust your feet to Amy for a relaxing foot massage.  She’s based in Seattle and does occasional workshops where she teaches the art of foot massage.

Amy wrote:

Hi Alice:  “I thought of you as I was doing my foot exercises the other day in the hot tub. Here are some simple ways to remain pain free on your feet, or help combat any pain you are currently experiencing.
The 4 Most important ways to move each foot are:
1. Ankle circles. Slowly rotate the ankle in both directions 10-15 times. Ankle circles stretch and strengthen all the major muscles that move your foot and will release tension from over use, standing, exercise, and lack of use (sitting).
2. Point and flex. Slowly point your foot as much as you can, gently hold this extreme for 2 seconds, release and flex your foot as much as you can, again hold at this point for 2 second and repeat 10-15 times per foot. If you find yourself starting to cramp gently ease off and reverse movement and the next round do not go to such an extreme.
3. Inversion and eversion. Slowly rotate the arch of the foot towards your head hold this movement for 2 seconds and reverse so the arch faces away. I like to call this one “conducting the orchestra” as the movement in the foot resembles arm movements used in conducting. Again repeat this exercise 10-15 times and if your foot is starting to cramp gently ease off and reverse the movement.
4. Calf Stretching. The easiest calf stretch leaning against the wall put one leg back until you have a nice stretch in your calf muscles. Another option could be holding on to the railing of the stairs drop the back half of the foot off the stair and allow calf muscles to stretch hold for 10 second then raise up on to your tippy toes to reset the muscles and slowly drop down again into a stretch. Repeat this process slowly moving in and out of active stretch 5-10 times. An easy way to integrate this into your daily life is to stretch while brushing teeth or cooking or when walking do a couple of stretches on the stairs or at the curb while waiting for the light.
If you experience cramping in any or all of these stretches this is an indication that the muscles in your feet are weak and need exercise. Please reduce the number of repetitions you do of each exercise and instead cut out 2 minutes 4-6 times a day to do spend 30 seconds doing each one 3-5 times each.
If you are experiencing Plantar Fasciitis, please do the first three exercises in bed before stepping on the foot, this will wake up the plantar fascia and make your first steps less painful. Please also do the calf stretches as many times a day as you can remember.
Bonus exercises: massage your foot with the hot tub jet, especially the arch of the foot. YUMMY!”

Cheers!
Amy

The Barefoot Phoenix : walking a mystical path with practical feet.

When I can’t get to Amy’s for a foot reflexology session, I wear my new Vibram-FiveFingers Shoes.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health Through Water.

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LOSE WEIGHT WHILE YOU SLEEP-SOAK IN YOUR HOT TUB BEFORE BED!

May 6, 2009 By Alice 2 Comments

Sleep more and weigh less? Sounds like a dream. 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? 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! Remember that a hot bath will not stay hot for that long and not give you the same deep relaxation.

SANUM PER AQUA.  Latin for Health through Water.

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HOT TUB RELAXATION EXERCISE FOR ADDED BENEFIT FROM YOUR HOT TUB SOAK

April 30, 2009 By Alice 1 Comment

Many people ask me what’s the best way to “take a hot tub”? The big question seems to be:”How can I get the maximum benefit from my time in the hot tub?”-as if the hot water and jets weren’t enough! But in our multi-tasking society, it’s hard for people to think of sitting still and “being” rather than “doing” nothing.  One of my favorite ways to get the best, deep down relaxation feeling from my hot tub soak is to use the “I Am Relaxed”…deep breathing and relaxation exercise. This will give you a sense that you are “doing” something to contribute to your relaxation and may even lead to a “letting go” of the notion that you have to do anything! Hot Spring Spas are designed to help you feel the utmost in relaxation.  But if you have to do something, do try this simple exercise.

Enter the hot tub slowly.  Find your seat.  Sit comfortably and quietly.

Tell yourself that you are going to use the next 5, 10, or 20 minutes to re-balance, to heal, to relax yourself.

Surrender the weight of your body, allowing the water to support you.

Close your eyes, gently cutting out visual stimulation and distraction.

As you inhale, repeat to yourself: “I AM”.  As you exhale, say… “RELAXED.”

Continue to breath normally not trying to change it in any way. Just watch it happening and continue to repeat: “I AM” with inhalation; … “RELAXED” with exhalation.

As your mind begins to wander, gently bring it back to the awareness of your breath and your statement “I AM RELAXED.” Be compassionate and loving with your “monkey” mind which wants to be anywhere but in the here and now in your hot tub.

Continue doing this for as long as you have set.

Finish by stopping the phrase. Slowly stretch your hands and feet, your arms and legs, then your whole body.

Open your eyes a sliver at a time – like the sun coming up in the morning.

Take a deep breath and say: “Ahhhh”.

You can download this exercise, laminate it and take it out to the tub with you as a reminder to “be” not “do” for a few minutes a day.

What’s your favorite way to relax more deeply in the hot tub? Please share your suggestions for all readers.

This relaxation exercise has been adapted from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, Division of Communications and Education-Plain Talk series, Ruth Kay, Editor.

SANUM PER AQUA.  Latin for Health through Water.

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HOT TUB RESEARCH SHOWS TREMENDOUS BENEFITS FROM SOAKING

April 29, 2009 By Alice Leave a Comment

More news from the experts who have been studying hot water immersion: Dr. Bruce Becker at Washington State University and Dr. Jack Raglin of Indiana University.  Here’s a short summary of their latest findings presented at the World Aquatic Conference in Colorado Springs last October.

Taking time to relax in warm water may also, according to Dr. Raglin, separate us from the sources of stress which can lead to a decrease in anxiety.  And, in his latest research reported at the fifth World Aquatic Health Conference (WAHC), October 2008, Dr. Becker stated “We found that, with 25 minutes of soaking in a 102F degree hot tub, the autonomic nervous system alters during warm water immersion, producing changes that are parallel to those seen during relaxation and accompanying a reduction in anxiety.” Dr. Becker suggests that with the relaxation, warm water immersion may well have a positive effect on working memory and performance of cognitive tasks, including problem solving.

There’s even more good news. The National Swimming Pool Foundation recently announced the awarding of a $200,000 grant to Dr. Becker of the Washington State University, National Aquatic and Sports Medicine Institute (NASMI), based on the 5-year commitment to help establish a world-renowned health benefit research center. This grant supports efforts to continue to understand hot water immersion, and also study the aquatic exercise effects on subjects with asthma.

Stay tuned for more scientific results on the benefit of hot tub soaking. We won’t be relying on common sense, but science to tell us that hot tub soaking not only feels good, it IS good for you!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

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WORKING OUT AT THE BRAIN GYM? SOAK IN YOUR HOT TUB FIRST!

March 30, 2009 By Alice 1 Comment

Last Friday’s Wall Street Journal had an article about “brain gyms”.  Especially popular with baby boomers who want to stay sharp, brain gyms offer a number of ways to work out on 20 computer stations loaded with “mental fitness” software, including a “neurobics circuit” that purports to stretch the brain.

The Journal reports that thousands of Americans are choosing to join a small, but growing, number of “brain gyms” springing up around the country. Similar brain-teaser programs are available on home computers, sometimes free of charge. The scientific jury is still out on the efficacy of such software.

The centerpiece of most outlets is a computer lab equipped with software from companies with names like Posit Science Corp., CogniFit Ltd., Lumos Labs Inc. and Happy Neuron Inc. Like gym rats who hit the weight machines or take Pilates classes, some users of the new technology say they prefer working with personal trainers. In this context, sessions are spent doing things like mental-fitness assessments and relaxation exercises in addition to basic cognitive training.

Even community centers and retirement homes are offering “brain gyms” to help residents stay sharp.

Have you joined a brain gym or do brain “exercise” online?  If so, increase your performance by soaking in your hot tub BEFORE a session.  The increased blood flow to the brain as a result of soaking helps with alertness and mental acuity!  Do a controlled test on yourself.  Do the “exercises” without soaking for a week. Then, soak and do the “exercises”.  Send us your results!

Your health-mental and physical is your most important asset. Soaking is good for you in more ways than one!

SANUM PER AQUA Latin for Health Through Water.

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