Want Better Time Together? Start By Spending Time Alone
“Pardon? Can you say that again – I was distracted.”
How often do you hear those words come out in conversation because something on the other person’s phone caught their attention? I’m willing to bet it’s far more often than you’d like. To the point that sometimes you wish you could just snap that stupid phone in half and stomp it into a million pieces.
Now that we got that out of our system, let’s move on.
Distraction Isn’t All Our Fault
In a lot of ways, it’s less a sign of personal failure and more an indication of the digital world we are consumed by that is distracting. And while some may argue that this is no fault of the technology, it seems apparent that there’s a lot of intention behind these devices and social media platforms being designed to grab our attention and keep it for as long as possible.
But this constant assault on our attention stresses us cognitively and being in an on-demand state of distraction all the time leads us to greater overall stress and anxiety to our society as a whole. And it’s no surprise that many of us have started to fight back against being plugged in all the time as we’ve seen an increase in the popularity of meditation, mindfulness, and practices that disengage us completely like floating.
Floating Helps Us Connect Deeper
Floating lets us escape from all of the external distractions for a time, allowing the mind and body time to relax and reset.
Stepping back out into the world after a float brings more colour to the world. Senses are literally heightened, including our more emotional ones like feeling connection and empathy with the people around us. This is often mostly directed towards close friends or loved ones who notice these changes the most, but we’ve heard plenty of stories about small acts of kindness towards total strangers post-float.
When you take time to take care of yourself, you develop the resilience that allows you to take care of and love others more too. It’s just like the emotional and mental health version of putting on your oxygen mask first before helping others. And floating is a great example of one way to nurture your deep health to recover better and manage stress with benefits that extend beyond your time spent in the tank.
And while it’s a practice of spending time completely alone in the float tank, the practice of floating can help with forming deeper connections with others. Friends will often come in together so that they can relax and hang out together afterwards while feeling lighter and more relaxed. Many couples also find that floating is the perfect way to start off a romantic weekend together or just a casual date night. Taking the time to process the thoughts swirling through your head and letting go of deep stress from the many aspects of your life is the perfect way to free yourself up to be more to be present for the things and people that are right in front of you.
There is an openness and joy to being able to flow in the present moment. Connections just seem to click into place. When something goes wrong, it’s easier to shrug it off and laugh it away. And when fully immersed like this, those normal distractions we all face go unnoticed. Plus, if you’re having lunch or dinner post-float, food really does taste amazing by being in this effortless state.
Benefits Backed By Science
All of these effects and experiences are more than just a collection of anecdotes - research on float therapy consistently shows reduced stress and anxiety, and increased feelings of serenity and well-being. There’s also evidence of increased creativity after floating which may be part of why spending time with others after a float can be so much more enjoyable. There is also some newly emerging research showing improvements in attention and quality of life for those diagnosed with ADHD.
Our brains are wired to be on alert for threats in our environment. It’s what has kept us alive and got to where we are today but with everything that goes on around us now - from the constant noise and bright lights to screens everywhere and busy cities - most of us can’t avoid being on edge. And being mentally overloaded all the time, there’s no wonder that it can be hard to focus on the person right across the table from you and what they’re saying.
So in whatever you accomplish, it’s important to practice the ability to tune out the distractions from the world around you, as well as the ever-present mental chatter. Floating is the ideal tool and way to recover from this and you’ll find that those distractions clear away as your focus and attention resurface, whether you come in to float on your own, with friends, or with a romantic partner.
Fundamental Steps to Launching a Health-Based Business
Article By Jason Lewis
You want to start a business that helps people live healthier, more fulfilled lives. Maybe you hope to launch a local health food store or an e-commerce company that sells wellness products. Perhaps you wish to become a nutritionist or personal trainer.
The only problem: You don't know where to start.
Getting a company off the ground requires much more than a good idea and a name. You have to consider various legal and financial factors while creating a strategy for achieving your goals. And that's just the beginning!
Below, Flow Spa has given you some practical tips for turning your dream health business into a reality.
Set Up a Business Structure
One of the first legal steps you will need to take when starting a company is to choose a business structure. There are essentially four types of structures to consider in Canada:
Sole proprietorship
General partnership
Incorporation
Co-operative
The most accessible and least expensive to establish and maintain is a sole proprietorship, but it also comes with more risks. For your health-based company, consider forming a corporation to protect the owners. This will yield limited liability, potential tax benefits, and possibly present more funding opportunities.
Write Out a Budget
No matter what type of business you start, you can expect startup costs. Your expenses will depend on your unique company, but it's critical to do your homework and write out all expenses you expect to incur. It’s a good idea to add another 20% to this number to be more realistic on what your starting costs will be.
Maybe you need to invest in market research and product development. Perhaps you will need to spend a considerable amount of time, energy, and money building and promoting your brand. The key is to know what you need to pay for so that you can figure out how to cover all of your bases for a strong launch.
Look for Grants
When it comes to funding, grants are ideal because they provide money that you don't have to pay back. There are many grant programs in Canada available to entrepreneurs (including, but not limited to):
Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit
CanExport
Canada Digital Adoption Program
Venture for Canada – Hire an Intern
Be mindful as you research and apply for grants. You must create a thorough business plan that outlines your goals and strategies. And you will also need to know what types of grants are earmarked for your specific industry and how to fill out a grant application effectively.
Explore Other Financing Options
If you need additional financing, you have other options. Explore the various small business loans from government and private organizations. Research angel investors, venture capitalists, and incubators that can help you get your health company up and going. And don't rule out the possibility of launching a crowdfunding campaign.
Build a Team
Maybe you want to operate as a solopreneur during the early business stages. But at some point, you will need help with running your company's day-to-day. Whether web development, content writing, administrative tasks, marketing, accounting, or any other responsibilities, look to online job boards to find qualified freelancers you can hire within your budget.
Promote Your Brand
Finally, you will need a solid brand to promote and build your company's reputation. This starts with creating a logo that accurately and attractively reflects the products or services you are offering. You will also need to choose what colour palettes and typography to use on your marketing materials.
Make your brand stand for something that you support.
And, of course, you will need to create an eye-catching website that is easy for people to use and navigate. Once you have these foundational elements of your branding in place, explore the various marketing channels that can help you build your business: social media, email marketing, paid ads, and local advertising is an excellent place to start!
If you have a passion for helping people improve their health and wellbeing, starting a health-based business could be right up your alley. Consider the tips above as you lay a firm foundation for your company, and keep researching other ways you can position yourself to flourish for many years to come. You will soon be making a living while helping others achieve optimal health and wellness!
Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about our float, and wellness centre? Explore more on FlowSpa.ca today!
Why Floating Makes The Perfect Resolution Wingman - Sticking To Your Goals in 2022
It might seem like New Year’s resolutions are often made for the sole sake of not sticking to them.
Many people joke about how their resolution for the new year is to not break their resolutions. And as funny as it may be to hold so much value to a particular time of year when it comes to goal setting, it’s also very clear that the challenge is real when we see all those new gym members dropping off from their workout plans 6 weeks into the New Year.
What it comes down to is that we need to place more intention into our goals as well as think about what we can do to help support us on our journey.
Getting strategic with using tools and different methods is one way to help with sticking to your resolutions. It’s human nature to revert back to the habits we already have in place, whether they are good or bad, so turning to solutions outside of our own willpower will be helpful.
Think about what your preferred method for keeping track of notes is. Do you like the traditional feel of putting pen to paper? Or do you thrive in the digital world to keep your todos all organized? Try using a journal or your calendar to help you plan the actions to take that will keep you working towards your goals.
One particularly helpful practice when it comes to reinforcing new behaviours and breaking bad habits is float therapy. Behaviour change was one of the initial inspirations for Dr. John C. Lily, the inventory of the first float tanks. Dr. Lily wrote several books on using float tanks to reprogram your brain. Floating is a great way to get deep recovery across all six aspects of our health. We dramatically reduce stress and anxiety through floating, get a chance to escape from all the noise and busyness of our lives, and also go deep on self-reflection and visualization of our future best self.
Reflecting on your goals and seeing the path forward from where you are to where you want to be is one of the keys to success.
Without planning and learning along the winding path that is goal setting, we are bound to repeat the same mistakes. And when you look deeply at your goals and uncover the core values that drive those goals, you come to find more harmony with the aspects of your existential health and live in alignment with your deeper purpose. This will ultimately also help you in seeing your goals and resolutions get fulfilled.
Self-reflection and visualization are two of the common reasons that regular floaters come in for float sessions, because the float tank is such an ideal place for those practices. Without external distractions and in a perfectly comfortable state, your mind is able to wander and also direct its attention to things that we often miss out on during the chaos of our days, like thinking about New Year’s resolutions and goals and what they mean to you.
And because of the physical and mental benefits of floating, incorporating wellness practices like floating into our routine can relieve the stress and anxiety that often is an obstacle in our way of achieving big goals. By finding better balance with stress levels and practicing deep recovery, we will find the energy and drive we need to take the steps towards making real changes in our lives.
Research continues to show how important it is to give ourselves a time out and disconnect from the constant demands of our lives. It just takes some purposeful planning to make it happen.
Floating may be the perfect way to escape the stress but even 10-15 minutes of calm breathing can help us to manage stress better, improve focus, and lower blood pressure, all of which can help us towards greater health changes.
It might seem like by simply declaring our resolutions at the start of a new year that you’ll be able to effortlessly follow through to make it happen but reworking the patterns that are we are used it is a challenge. It’s important to use whatever practices and tools you can to stay on track. Use a journal or calendar to plan out the actions you’ll take to work towards your goal, start your day mindfully with some breathing or get outside for a walk, and, of course, schedule some time to float regularly.
Making The Most of the Holidays
In preparation for the holiday season we buzz with excitement from the plans we have to reconnect with loved ones and celebrate. And usually that feeling goes overboard as we try to orchestrate a million things at once.
But holidays are also meant to be a time for us to get away from our crazy busy schedules. It should be our chance to enjoy special moments with the people we love.
It often turns out that this is one of the most stressful times of the year for us though. Trying to get to that peaceful moment where "all is calm, all is bright" tends to pack even more into the last frantic dash. The holidays don't quite feel like they live up to the name when we have a houseful of kids, in-laws, and finding the perfect gifts to take care of.
And on top of our social stressors, we've got sales and advertising coming at us from every direction on all of our devices. It can be really easy to forget about ourselves during this time with our attention pulled by the needs and demands of others.
Taking time to ground yourself and find balance amidst the holiday stressors is so important because it allows us to bring the gift of your presence to the festive gatherings. Your relationships benefit from this and you'll feel happier to be able to resist the overwhelm that comes so easily this time of year.
Despite all of your obligations during this time of year, it's also a time for reflection as we cross the threshold on another year and we recognize the importance of our health in so many ways. And not just your own health but for your loved ones as well.
For many of us, gift giving rituals feel more like a chore than a joy but that's where putting thought into the gifts we choose can make a big difference.
A gift can be an expression of how well you know somebody and that you care about that relationship you have. Nailing the right gift choice can not only have a positive impact on the relationship you have with the other person but also contribute to their life as a whole. These are the gifts that most people want the most. We recognize the importance of health and the often neglected self-care that we all need.
Gifts that refill that need for recovery and empty the tank of stress don't have to be extravagant. You can plan some quality time together to go for a hike or to go skating. Make a nice meal together, book them a massage, or pre-pay for babysitters or house cleaners to help encourage some more downtime for them. And of course, a gift card for a float is the perfect break from responsibility with serenity in the quiet darkness.
The gift of float therapy is restorative in so many ways and you'll even notice that their time spent with others is more joyful and connected because of this time out to practice peaceful presence.
Scheduling a float before a day out can be a great way to relax before sightseeing or going to an event. It's also a nice activity to do as a small group to all reconvene after your floats to chat and connect on a deeper and calmer level.
People rave over receiving floats as gifts because so many of us have always wanted to try it and experience the effects of the float tank and those who have already floated will glow with excitement over getting back into the tank for more deep relaxation.
In so many ways, floating is about something that so many of us are missing - connection. Connection to our deep health during the float session, and the lasting tranquility that comes afterwards and allows us to connect that much more with the people around us.
Floating inspires openness and ease in a way that not many therapies can for even those whose hearts are still two sizes too small.
This holiday season, take care of yourself and encourage others in your life to do the same. The gift of living in a beautiful state is the real greatest gift. And floating is one of many ways to spend more time in this state but it's also one of the best ones!
6 Deep Health Benefits of Float Therapy
Our lives are multifaceted and we know that stress is cumulative amongst the different parts of our lives.
Deep health is an important concept that I've been studying as a part of my Sleep, Stress Management, and Recovery certification along with my Master Health Coaching program.
Deep health takes into consideration our:
physical health
mental health
emotional health
spiritual/existential health
environmental health
social health
You may be familiar with how some or all of these aspects of our lives affect our health and just as each category can contribute positively, stress can affect us in each of these areas as well.
So it's just important to find ways to recover that satisfy each of these deep health components.
As I've been going through this program and learning how to coach our individual and unique recovery strategies that work for each of these areas, it's become apparent to me that floating is as close to perfect a recovery tool that we have access to because it satisfies recovery in each of the 6 categories of deep health.
What Makes Floating So Great For Deep Health?
Physical health is restored by things like good nutrition, quality sleep, and varied movement to promote physical adaptation. And floating provides great physical recovery by taking all pressure off of our body. The effects of this physical restoration get us into a state that feels like the best nap ever (and actual sleep for many floaters).
Mental health requires periods of mental recovery and creativity to bounce back from deep work and more productive time in our schedule. Float tanks are amazing places to work on creative problem solving or just let whatever patterns of creativity come up for you.
Emotional health gets recovered through the healthy expression of emotions, but just as importantly, from purposely getting into a positive and calm state and we know there's no more calm and tranquil state to get into than floating.
Spiritual or existential health recovers through introspection and thinking about our "why" and the bigger picture. This is often very difficult for us to do but when we have the time in the float tank we are often able to spend the time searching our own depths for answers to these questions.
Environmental health - Removing ourselves from environmental distractions and literal and metaphorical noise is one of the best environmental recharges we can do. It helps our nervous system get back
Social recovery looks like healthy communication and conflict resolution. But also, spending time alone is how we can bring ourselves to recharge our social batteries to bring our best to social situations.
So floating really is an amazing resource for deep recovery across all dimensions of our health.
Achieve Better Physical and Mental Health in Your Golden Years
Guest post by Jason Lewis
As you age, it's essential to take care of your physical and mental health. Whether you want to participate in senior cruises, trek throughout Canada or beyond, or stay home and take up new hobbies, you can't enjoy any of that if you don't have good physical and mental health. With a few tips, though, you can optimize your health and make the most of your golden years.
Exercising
The exercise goal if you have no physical limitations or health restrictions should be 150 minutes of aerobic exercise weekly. But, since physical limitations caused by ageing may affect you as you get older, you should exercise as much as you can without sacrificing comfort. As a general rule, seniors should sit less and be more active.
Keep in mind that the goal of exercising is to have fun while you do it. If you're struggling to exercise alone, ask a friend if they'd like to go for daily walks with you. Join a gym that offers exercise classes, like water aerobics, for seniors.
Eat Healthier
Old habits are hard to break, but your health is immensely affected by the foods you eat. For instance, if you're overweight, you could be stressing your joints and cardiovascular system. Consuming too much salt can affect your heart and kidneys.
Therefore, you should gradually make changes to your diet. Start with one change and stick with it before making other changes. For instance, start by eating balanced meals. Then, work on staying within a normal caloric intake for your age. Next, reduce your bad eating habits, such as a high sodium intake.
Learn a New Hobby
A hobby is an excellent way to pass the time. You can learn a new skill you didn't know you had. You can also ward off depression and possibly loneliness with a hobby. If you're looking for a way to meet new people, consider joining a class or a club.
Additionally, a hobby can be a way you challenge yourself and feel accomplished as you improve at your hobby or complete projects.
Start a Business
You may have spent your entire adulthood working for someone else. However, during your senior years, you may have more financial freedom. Therefore, it's a time when you can take a chance and open the business you've always wanted.
When you first begin, you need to determine which positions you need to fill. While you can spend hours reviewing profiles to find the right staff, a recruiter or staffing agency can handle this task in a time-efficient manner and find you the top talent in Peterborough, Canada.
Begin Volunteering
One of the top reasons people don't volunteer is a lack of time. With more time on your hands when you retire, you could use this time to help others.
Consider fostering animals in your home. Another option is to volunteer to tutor or mentor children.
Better Health and a Better Life
When you take steps to better health, you can enjoy your golden years to the fullest in Peterborough. Focus on your diet, staying physically active, and doing activities you enjoy.
And don't forget to pamper yourself at Flow Spa.
Black Friday Specials 2021
Black Friday Frenzy is upon us (although it seems like it's now a race to whoever can launch their sale earlier in November).
However, I see a lot of us fighting back against the craze and looking to be more thoughtful with supporting small businesses with our spending and gift-giving.
And what we all want most this year is not a shiny new object but is to de-stress.
What we all want most this year is to de-stress.
I see it every day.
This year give them what they need the most, and you've got early access to this special deal. (The links down below are private so don't share them before they go live.)
Friday-Monday only, we've got the following specials on float memberships:
Gift One Month of Basic Membership - $55 (One float credit)
Gift Their First Two Months of a Biweekly Membership - $175 (Four float credits)
For the avid floater or flexible membership, 12 floats for $500 (12 float credits)
Even though there's no expiry on these float credits, you already know that regular floats are one of the best ways to include recovery time in your schedule.
So whether you want to gift yourself with some floats, or spread the joy of floating this holiday season, now's the time.
View all the offers here:
Fight or Flight or Float?... Managing The Stress Response To Your Life
When your threat detection system goes off and your spidey sense starts tingling as the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, how do you respond?
Do you fight or do you flee?
We are all familiar with the feeling that floods in when we become aware of a threat in our surroundings.
Heart rate skyrockets, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, we get that tingling sensation as our blood flows from our core to our limbs to mobilize us for action to escape this threat.
While much less common today, this autonomic response to stress or threats was instilled to protect us from the jaguar hidden in the jungle only given away by the subtle sound of a twig snapping or the need to sprint after the deer to feed your family as it tries to get away.
When our sympathetic nervous system is engaged, we are in full-force action mode to handle anything in our way.
Working opposite to our sympathetic response is the relaxation response known as rest and digest. It helps to keep stress levels in check and takes over when we feel safe and secure. With this parasympathetic activation, our breathing and heart rate slow down and as blood can return to our core, our digestive system becomes more active again and we’re also more likely to be sexually aroused.
There are important functions to both sympathetic and parasympathetic responses in our bodies and we depend on the ability to engage in fight or flight to deal with short-term challenges.
The problem that we face today is that stress has become a constant in our lives. The kids are late for school, then someone cuts you off in traffic, so now you’re running late to get to work and you get chewed out by your boss.
And this is all before 9 am while guzzling down a stimulating pot of coffee.
Our days go by like this constantly and even if we try to stay positive, that threat detection system is used to working subconsciously to protect us.
Even before the booming threat of the pandemic, stress levels were already on the rise, especially in cities where there’s a constant din of noise, motion, and interaction keeping our nervous systems buzzing. Everybody says that they’re stressed and in a constant state of avoiding overwhelm and having to deal with COVID hasn’t helped anyone.
Finding ways to unwind and get our bodies into the relaxation response is one of the best things we can do for our physical and mental health. When the term “relaxation response” was first coined by Herbert Benson, he came up with a protocol for practicing relaxation and eliciting the response.
The original steps for the relaxation response look very similar to a beginner practice of mindfulness and that’s because Dr. Benson is often credited with familiarizing his Western audience with meditation through rebranding it as the “Relaxation Effect.”
Meditation is a tricky thing though because despite rebranding it or rephrasing the concept, most people don’t know how to get started with meditation in a meaningful way that feels like something positive.
But that’s where float tanks come in.
Most people are curious to try out the float experience and to escape from the world in the nearly complete way that only floating can allow for.
It’s not surprising given the many studies that have found floating in a float tank brings on the relaxation effect as well as the benefits that come with that. And this is in part due to how many people describe floating as a sort of training wheels for meditation. It’s like your mental filing cabinet where your brain is able to turn down the noise and sort out the thoughts that tend to swirl around uncontrollably.
People coming in to float notice in real-time the benefits for reducing stress, improving mood, and also helping to increase focus as you return to the outside world.
The float tank environment is the perfect place to turn off that stress response that is ever-present in our lives today. It’s a safe and comfortable space to engage our relaxation response and let go of everything.
Depending on how you like to float, you can completely tune out from all the stimuli that are normally present and keep our fight of flight response actively engaged. You get to choose calming music or blissful silence and the comfort of lights if you don’t want to immerse yourself in complete darkness.
The next time that you feel you're fed up with life and ready to lose it, instead of running away from your problems or getting into an argument, give yourself a time-out to engage your relaxation response. Or even better, treat yourself to a float and relax every muscle in your body while your brain gets to have a complete rest as well.
I Just Had My First Reflexology Appointment
Reflexology In Peterborough
As many of you have already heard, we are excited to introduce reflexology here at Flow Spa in Peterborough.
Heather has been doing her training in reflexology and holistic reproductive practices.
As a avid float member here at Flow Spa, when she reached out to me about partnering up to offer another service to help us all combat stress and relax deeply, I couldn’t wait to hear more.
We all know that people who float regularly have the best ideas!
So there I was, the first on board to get my feet treated by Heather this week.
The Best Foot Massage Ever
I was a little bit nervous about how it would go. Not that I don’t know how to relax well, but I’m very ticklish and my feet were about to be centre stage.
But as I sat down and lay back in the recliner, which is my favourite chair in the whole world, the pressure used for reflexology treatments was no issue for my sensitive feet.
Tension melted away and I felt super relaxed. The room set up works perfectly for these appointments and everyone has been really happy and feeling great with Heather so far.
The treatment is so relaxing that many of Heather’s clients fall asleep.
My feet and whole body were definitely thankful for this relaxing experience.
As a strongman competitor and ramping up my training, my feet bear a lot and take a beating all the time.
You’re going to love it!
New Research Supports Float Therapy For Treatments of Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia is a notoriously difficult condition to treat but new research into float therapy has opened up a promising solution for supporting those with anorexia.
While much of the news and many scientists around the globe are still inundated by the pandemic, research continues to go on towards quieter pursuits. And as we continue to face stress and feelings of overwhelm, there’s some good in knowing that all hope is not lost for the things that make us feel good.
Floating is known to be an effective treatment for reducing generalized and acute anxiety and new research into the depths of float therapy is now looking at its effects on helping with anorexia and the immune system.
Dr. Sahib Khalsa has been looking at long-term research on anorexia nervous a patients over the last four years at the Float Clinic and Research Center at the LIBR (Laureate Institute for Brain Research). Anorexia continues to be one of the most severe mental disorders in terms of mortality rate and difficulty of treatment. Looking at the effects that floating might have in the treatment of anorexia nervous is highly important and shining a spotlight on the great benefits that natural and safe therapies like floating can have.
So far what the research is uncovering is that floating seems to benefit anorexia patients in two main areas - anxiety levels and body image.
The most significant findings from the research has been showing that floating helps in reducing the anxiety levels in patients, which reflects similar results on float therapy done in studies on healthy individuals as well as those who are dealing with chronic anxiety.
Anxiety levels in the patients with anorexia were reduced by up to 20%, and the biggest effect happens on those with the highest baseline anxiety levels. So floating is great for everyone with anxiety but has the most pronounced effect on those who are in need of the most relief. This is consistent with other research that regularly finds the greatest reductions in anxiety come to those dealing with the most severe anxiety.
The findings on adjusting perceived body image, while not at dramatic as the changes in anxiety levels, is still a significant result coming out of this research. Anorexia tends to be a long lasting and chronic condition in part because there’s a misalignment between the patients’ perceived body weight and real body weight and image. The patients incorporating float therapy saw a shift in how they viewed their body and their idea body type started to realign with a healthier body type. This change was viewed after only a few floats so as further evidence comes out, this result may become even more significant for what long-term float therapy can do for patients with anorexia and body image disorders.
Because of the nature of long-term research, the full results of Dr. Khalsa’s research won’t be complete until 2023 at the earliest but this information is still promising enough at this time to take note of.
If you know anyone with anorexia, consider inviting them in for a float or sharing this article with them to explore float centre’s in their hometown. Dr. Khalsa spent much of the early work into this research establishing the psychological and physical safety of floating for patients with anorexia to be assured there weren’t any contraindications.
Try This To Bust Stress and Boost Your Immune System This Fall
As we start a new school year, we’ve all got a mixed sense of optimism and concern over what colder weather and classmates gathering together might bring.
Needless to say, it’s been stressful. And that’s exactly the last thing you want when trying to stay healthy this fall.
Stress negatively affects our immune system when it goes unchecked and staying healthy and having a strong immune system has undoubtedly become one of the most important goals we all keep top of mind.
So whether you’re a teacher, student, or concerned parent, let’s talk about how to get a handle on your stress levels to become healthier and prevent illness.
Floating Helps Improve Your Immune System
Chronic stress happens when we get stuck in a never-ending loop of fight or flight fear. The sympathetic nervous system helps us to engage with threats and we react to our environment with a heightened state of alertness. In our modern world, this threat detection system has gone haywire due to nonstop stimulation whether the threat is real or perceived. Over time if we don’t get a chance to calm down, this wears down our bodies though, making us experience symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and a compromised immune system.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had your fair share of sleepless nights lately, ruminating thoughts of the negative news and uncertainty about what’s coming next.
Float therapy works so well against anxious thoughts and by reducing our stress levels. Clinical evidence shows that it helps to reduce cortisol levels, the hormone that gets out of control when we are chronically stressed. The safe, relaxing, and quiet space of the float tank also is a miracle when it comes to reducing anxiety. By having no distractions or stimulation around us, the float pod or float cabin is like a sanctuary for the mind and with peace and tranquility, our thoughts slow down and settle into a more calm and clear state.
This state of calm is exactly where we need to get to on a regular basis to counteract the stressful situation we are living through and dealing with. By taking the time to float, or practice any other restful state of recovery, you are proactively recharging in a way that supports a healthier immune system and you’ll better handle the stressors of your daily life.
Small Doses of Stress Train Your Immune System to Become Stronger
Even better than floating alone to strengthen your immune system is through small doses of stress in safe and healthy ways. Stress isn’t all bad, it’s only when it becomes a constant in your daily life that it gets out of control and will start to negatively impact you.
Short exposure to stressors makes you more resilient.
These small doses of stress come from healthy practices like
Working out
Sauna
Contrast therapy using hot and cold plunges
Add in a relaxing float after any of these small and short-lived doses of stress and you’ll be actively training your nervous system to handle stress better, which will also improve your immune system to help you fight off illnesses.
Make a plan to include a sauna session before your next float or book in a float on a day that you’ve done a hard workout to help reset your body and recover.
Float Into A New Way To Relax and Feel Your Best This Summer
After being cooped up for most of 2020 and the start of this year, we’ve all been eager to get back to some level of normal and that means prioritizing self-care as well.
Floating is one of the best ways to improve almost any experience, whether it’s through the serenity of practicing self-care alone or to help with recovery as you get back to doing the other things your love after many months off.
The Cooldown Float
As we get back into our workout routines and local sports leagues, floating after you get your heart rate up can be a great way to bring it back to baseline.
Research shows that athletes at any skill level who incorporate floating into their training and recovery programs are able to recover faster and increase their performance more than without floating.
Because the water in the float tank is the same as skin temperature, you won’t overheat. Floating helps to reduce blood pressure so you’ll come out of the float feeling restored post-workout.
Appreciate the Little Things
The post-float glow that comes after getting out of the float tank is one of the greatest blissed out feelings that we can have. And this is a perfect time to stop and appreciate the beauty around you.
Your senses become heightened after the sensory reduced environment of the tank, so there’s no better time to stop and smell the roses, literally! As all of our senses are vibing out after a float, food tastes better, music sounds better, and sunshine feels cozier than ever after getting out of a float.
So take some extra me time after your next float this summer to snuggle with your pets or relax and enjoy the sun in a hammock. You will come to find you’ll appreciate new things about these experiences.
Floating Into The Sunset
This already sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Given how much floating relaxes us and adjusts our reactionary behaviours, many floaters will adjust their schedules for the rest of the day after a float.
Sunset is one of the most magical times of the day and we need to more often stop and bask in the awesomeness of it. Finding a good spot to watch the sunset like at the lake, during a hike, or on a patio is always a worthwhile moment to pause for and that much better after a float has turned down the chatter going on in your head.
With longer days in the summer, it’s easier to book an afternoon or evening float to unwind and still time it perfectly to get to your favourite lookout to watch the sunset.
Float when you go on vacation
As your local float centre, we hope that you think of Flow Spa as, if not a second home, at least a second living room, and one of your favourite places to go. For regular floaters, it can feel like a trade-off when going on vacation because we miss out on the comforts of our familiar float tank routines.
But just because you’re out of town or on vacation doesn’t mean you have to give up your regular floats. There are float centres starting in more and more towns all the time. It can be fun to see how other float centres operate and if you find any cool ideas, be sure to let us know!
Floating is also beneficial for resetting your circadian rhythms so if you’re feeling jet lag from travelling, it can really help you to stay on track with your schedule.
Be sure to book an extra float with us when you get back to continue on that vacation feeling and make the transition easier as you return home.
Late night floats are great for winding down
Whether it’s gathering with friends and family again after so long, or getting back into a workout routine, we’re all trying to make the most out of this summer and doing it big. It’s important not to overextend yourself when celebrating or getting out more often to stay healthy and avoid burning out as your capacity ramps back up.
Whether you’re training for a marathon or long-distance bike ride, crossing things off your bucket list, or just hanging out at late night bonfires to take back this summer, going for a float as a way to decompress and recover is going to help you to prevent exhaustion and burnout.
And this list just barely scratches the surface of all the ways you are likely going to make the most of this summer. But hopefully it gives you some inspiration to make floating a part of your summer routine as a reminder to appreciate the small things that we so often take for granted.
After a year of forgotten dreams and quiet isolation, let’s make the rest of this summer worth the wait and float to make the most of it!
Are You an Entrepreneur? Here Are Five Reasons You Need to Prioritize Self-Care
Guest post by Brad Krause of selfcaring.info
(Cover Photo via Pexels)
Ignoring self-care habits is easy to do. With the busy pace of life, pencilling in some extra “me time” isn’t always possible. This is especially true for entrepreneurs — both new and experienced. When you are your own boss, as well as the boss of others, your days can quickly get hectic. However, always having a mentality of needing to “push through” can rapidly escalate to burnout.
If you are a business owner or entrepreneur, explore the top five reasons you need to prioritize self-care.
You are human
Although it sounds almost silly to acknowledge, you are human. You are not a robot. Being human means that you need to take care of your needs daily, and that those needs ebb and flow. One day you might be feeling ready to run a marathon, while the next you may not want to get out of bed.
At all times, treat yourself as the beautifully flawed human being that you are. You cannot be expected to perform well without taking quality time for yourself. Having a self-care routine isn’t being indulgent. Instead, it is a repertoire of actions that refresh and invigorate you, and can help you be your best self.
Let go of the idea that you can get by without any form of self-care.
You are ultra busy
Often used as an argument against taking time for self-care, being ultra busy means that you need even more “me time” than most. When life is constantly full of to-dos, big decisions, and tense moments, taking time to replenish is paramount.
Although you can’t add more hours to your day, you can use strategies to practice self-care while maintaining a super-busy schedule. If you’re looking to improve your work-life balance, take small moments for yourself during the day. Pause your work and reduce stress by setting boundaries with employees and vendors, meditating, going for a short walk to regroup, and working remotely as needed. Stepping outside of the chaos for as little as 5-10 minutes can do wonders for your overall health.
Your mental health needs ongoing care and maintenance
It has been estimated that one in five Canadians experience mental health conditions. With such a high prevalence of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD, caring for your mental health is critical. Whether you currently face one of these conditions, or suspect that you may be struggling with your mental health, this is one area of your life you need to take seriously. Not seeking treatment in a timely manner can have perilous consequences.
As part of your self-care plan, prioritize time off, visits to your therapist, and stress-relieving techniques. Make it a daily goal to do at least one thing that will improve your overall mental health. There is zero shame in seeking help for emotions that you don’t know how to work through, or for a condition you’ve battled for years.
...And so does your physical health
Your physical health is equally as important as your mental health. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to live off of a steady diet of convenient (yet unhealthy) foods, get too little sleep, and practice other damaging habits (such as smoking). Each day, aim to nourish your body with pre-made meals, supplements, and positive habits.
Self-care helps you be the best version of yourself
Ultimately, taking a neglectful approach to your mind and body will lead to burnout. When you are burnt out, doing easy tasks can feel like an overwhelming challenge. Being proactive about your well-being can prevent burnout, and help you be the best entrepreneur possible.
Additionally, making the most of your time off is ideal when looking to feel your best. Numerous entrepreneurs have found float therapy to be a highly valuable part of their self-care routine. Learn more about this therapy by contacting our team at Flow Spa today.
Flow Spa offers relaxing and rejuvenating float therapy in Peterborough, Ontario. We also provide massage therapy, Infrared sauna, and sports recovery treatments. Learn more about us and the benefits of float therapy.
Float Therapy for Sports Performance
Here’s a sports trivia question for you:
What do the New England Patriots, Golden State Warriors, The Manchester United Football Club, Michael Phelps, and Peterborough’s own Cody Crowley all have in common?
Looking at this lineup it’s easy to think “well, these teams and individual athletes all have performed and won at the very pinnacle of their sport!”
And indeed, they are all winners, but that’s not all. They also used float tanks.
And they aren’t alone either.
The New Zealand All Blacks, the Chicago Blackhawks, The Seattle Seahawks, Carl Lewis, J.J. Watt, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, and many other professional teams and athletes have added floating into their training and recovery programs to gain a performance edge.
Floating is one of the best-kept secrets used by high-performing athletes and there’s lots of good research that helps to back up why athletes benefit from floating.
Raising the Bar - Performance and Visualization with Float Tanks
If someone told you that laying in complete darkness while suspended weightlessly in saltwater could give you superhuman strength, speed, and accuracy, would you believe them? It’s may not be as bold a statement as it sounds.
Research on floating and sports performance found that high-level athletes who had reached a plateau saw a rebound improvement in performance after floating in conjunction with visualization techniques. The performance increase was seen even without additional physical training.
Therefore, athletes were able to increase their performance just by floating before a competition by using that time for mental imagery of their sport. A follow-up study not only confirmed the results of the original research but showed that floating multiple times between games or competitions led to significant improvements compared to just a single float.
This confirms something that most floaters already know - the more you float the better it is for you.
Improving Accuracy in Target Sports
Beyond just looking at general athletic performance and floating, a few studies from research groups have looked at specific benefits linked to floating in athletes.
Several of these studies have tested how floating affects marksmanship in different fields including rifle marksmanship, darts, and archery.
In the rifle study, 75% of the participants saw a statistically significant increase in accuracy from pre- to post-float compared to no such increase found in the control group that relaxed but did not float.
A similar result was found in the study on darts performance with 80% of the participants' improved accuracy.
In both studies, these improvements were seen regardless of skill level.
While the archery study didn’t see any significant increase in accuracy after just one float session, It did find that the floaters had more consistent scores than the group that sat in a chair and relaxed for the equivalent amount of time. Likely due to the lower perceived exertion and muscle stiffness during the archery test.
Float Tanks Reduce Recovery Time
One of the suggested reasons for the benefits described above and how they lead to improved sports performance is through stress reduction. But there’s, even more, to take into account with how floating can help physical performance.
Going deeper with athletes on a physiological level, researchers in a 2013 float tank study looked at the effect floating has on lactic acid build-up.
Athletes are always looking for ways to mitigate the effects of lactate buildup in the muscles during and after a workout or competition as a way to maximize their performance.
It was found that floating after exercise showed a 62% reduction in lactic acid buildup compared to the control group.
The participants in the study also reported feeling less pain and were able to return to a peak performance level sooner.
In 2016 another study was able to repeat these findings in a larger sample size of athletes over 9 different sports. In this study not only was lactic acid reduced, but there was also a significant reduction in muscle soreness and improved mood and reduced fatigue in the participants that floated.
Looking at the Big Picture of Float Tanks on Sports Performance
Taking all of these benefits into account, it becomes clear why floating has been one of the best-kept secrets of successful athletes. Stress needs to be kept under control to perform at a peak level. On top of this, floating can help athletes stay sharp mentally.
And maybe the best part of all of this is that floating is helpful for athletes at all skill levels. You don’t need to be a professional for it to benefit you. whether you’re recovering from a long run or a weekend baseball tournament, floating can help your recovery to keep doing what you love.
Learn even more about sports recovery at Flow Spa here.
The Benefits of Float Therapy During Pregnancy
Answering Your Most Common Questions About Float Tanks And Pregnancy
Float therapy has become more popular with pregnant mothers as a safe way to get great physical and mental relief and relaxation during pregnancy. Let’s go over some of the most common positions that mothers like to lay in while floating for maximum comfort.
Can You Use A Float Tank When Pregnant?
Floating while pregnant has become a growing trend, which is not surprising to see as float therapy has many potential benefits for both mom and baby. Some turn to floating as it helps to relieve back pain and relieve a lot of pressure, while other new moms just love to be able to hear their baby’s heartbeat in the quiet isolation of the float tank.
Float therapy is safe to do during pregnancy although it is understandable that expecting mothers have questions about whether you can float and the best way to do it.
We always recommend that you direct any medical questions to your doctor, but wanted to take some time to provide tips for one of the most common questions which is “how can I float comfortably while pregnant?”
It is generally safe to float on your back or on your belly because of the weightlessness created by the buoyancy of the sensory deprivation tank. The situation is different from outside of the tank where laying on your back can be risky for the health of the mom and baby. *
Getting Comfy For Your Float
Try out the following positions as starting points when you come in to float. Height, body type, and personal preferences really make a difference in what you will find more comfortable. If you’ve never floated before you will be surprised at how buoyant you are in the float tank because of the 1,000 lb. of Epsom salt dissolved into the float tank solution. It’s totally effortless!
Belly down floating can help to release pressure during pregnancy. The weight of the growing uterus pushes against the rest of the mother’s organs and so this pressure release for 60 or 90 minutes during the float can offer a lot of relief.
One position that is often said to be very comfortable for pregnant floaters is floating face down with their arms across or under a pool noodle. The noodle is kept under the chin to keep their face out of the water. In this position, even if you fall asleep for some deep rest and a well-deserved nap, your head will stay supported by the noodle out of the water.
Some other expectant mothers prefer to do the same face-down position without the pool noodles, just using their arms crossed under their chin to keep the face dry.
Another belly-down option for floating is to put your elbows on the floor of the tank and cradle your chin in your hands. The shallow water is the same depth as most people’s forearms, so you can keep your face dry in this position.
An added benefit is that this position can provide additional stretch and traction to the spine.
Once you’ve gotten your doctor’s approval, if floating on your back seems like the best option for you, you can use a noodle under your low back or go without it.
The Epsom salt concentration in the water will support you and your baby very well as it is.
Potential Precautions For Floating When Pregnant
Every pregnancy has its own unique conditions and while floating is a highly safe and effective therapy, we ask that all expecting mothers speak with their doctor for approval before floating.
We’ve seen some sources online say that women should not float during their first trimester but there is no data to support this concern. It likely originated because it’s more likely for miscarriages to happen during the first trimester.
This article is for informational purposes only and you should consult your doctor before making any decisions but from reports of floaters at Flow Spa as well as the community globally, floating through pregnancy can be an incredible relief on the body and mind.
Here’s one mother’s personal blog about floating while pregnant: https://floatingpregnant.wordpress.com/
*The risk related to a pregnant woman lying down on her back on a solid, flat surface is due to constriction of blood flow to the placenta. This can interfere with the development of the baby. Also, the weight of the uterus can put pressure on major veins, causing dizziness and discomfort for the mother. In a float tank, this doesn’t seem to happen, because there is no rigid surface underneath the mother to put pressure on the circulatory system. Floating has been shown to have other positive health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and reducing stress, which can also help a pregnant mother to have healthy blood flow to her heart and to the baby’s placenta.
How Ready Are You for Change? (And Using Float Tanks to Help)
When Dr. John C. Lilly, the inventor of the float tank, entered into the darkness and solitude of the sensory-deprived environment, it sparked in him the realization that he had just ventured into a whole other world inside of himself.
Our brain rings out in response to this lack of input from the external world like a wake-up call.
Turning inward allows us to raise our self-awareness and with that, we can start to transform ourselves.
Change awaits us.
And that’s exactly what we’re all longing for right now.
The Changes We Seek To Make
What is life going to look like on the other side of lockdown restrictions?
Are you ready for a change or are you already taking steps to make changes in your life?
While there has been a lot that isn't under our control lately, something that is in our sphere of control at all times is our actions and choosing to become more aware of how we make use of the time we have. The past year has shifted the regular routines for many of us and opened our eyes to the need for change.
We get stuck in our routines and what we are used to because it's familiar and becomes automatically ingrained as a habit. Kind of like how we pull into our driveway after a long day of work only to realize that we were barely conscious of the drive home, unless we are actively trying to identify and understand our habits they will take control before even we know what we are doing. This includes the bad habits that we may be thinking about changing or feel really ready to take a stand against.
Float tanks can help you with making change by allowing you to focus on and understand your bad habits through deep introspection. This can also help you to understand the underlying motives behind the new habits you are trying to create change from.
When creating and refining the first float tanks, Dr. John C. Lily used the quiet isolation of that environment to develop a system around how to alter unwanted behaviours. He used this safe and controlled environment to focus on the negative aspects of bad habits and their underlying source.
Knowing yourself at this deeper level is one of the first steps to making long-lasting changes for the better.
What Is Your Goal?
Because we are creatures of habit, we all long for some return to normal in our lives. We get distressed when our routines are upset and we’ve all been experiencing some not so gentle disruptions to our routines over the past year.
Disruptions, like the ones we’ve experienced, do have an upside though, because it causes a degree of discomfort that makes us motivated to change. Whether we like it or not, the hiccup in our routine that has been the pandemic is something of a catalyst for change and the initiation of your mission if you choose to accept it.
Rebuild It Better
We can rebuild our lives in the way that we so desire and this past year has been a wake-up call for many who have wanted to make a change for some time. People have retired early and set off on new adventures, many others are quitting jobs they are unsatisfied with and analysts believe that a mass exodus from unhappy jobs is still coming as we move into the post-pandemic world.
Right now you have the opportunity to ask yourself, how do you want to rebuild?
Why not build a lifestyle that’s better than before? One that gets you excited to jump up out of bed in the morning.
Floating Your Way To Deeper Understanding
Dr. Lily was a different thinker in many ways, even by academic standards. Some of his work was related to how float tanks might affect our ability to “meta-program ourselves” Thinking of our brains like computers, everything that we experience - thoughts, emotions, actions - are all programs written by code in our brains. And yet, this code isn’t written from a little guy at a control station in our brain, but from our reaction to everything in our environment.
Dr. Lilly believed that if we focus on how our programs are written, we can modify the code and adjust and improve upon those programs. This is why he called it meta-programming but in simpler terms, it’s just another way to think about mindfulness and analyzing our thoughts and actions. Kind of like being your own shrink but instead of laying on a sofa and talking things out, your body is weightlessly suspended in Epsom salts as you do the talking inside your head.
Not only was it Dr. Lilly who found that floating could really help with the process of analyzing his thoughts, but many people who try floating and take it up as a regular practice for improving their health and happiness come to discover how helpful this can be.
Using Changes In Awareness To Make Change In Your Habits
We become much more aware of what is going on internally when we get to escape from the external world for a while through floating. We can use this time to let our bodies deeply relax while also exploring our programs and habits on a deeper level to sort out the cues and triggers and underlying origins of our habits.
This level of recognition is important and one of the first steps that I take when working with clients to understand the “Why” behind their desire to change.
We know that floating helps you to become more aware and present at the moment because there are no other sensory inputs from the external environment that you have to process or to cause distraction around you.
Many of the tools and techniques that we use and that are suggested in the scientific community today to improve mental and physical well-being include raising awareness, also known as mindfulness.
And it sounds simple to just pay more attention and become aware of the present moment but we are all facing the constant external pressures that make this more difficult than ever.
We feel like we’re being pulled in every direction.
Our external world is more and more distracting.
And we feel overburdened by responsibility in our lives. It’s hard to become aware and initiate change even when we still desire it.
We all crave freedom and because of the discomfort that restrictions have itched out in us, we are more mindful of the need for change right now.
Change is scary though. Starting anything new brings with it some excitement and anxiety. But our body and our brain do adapt, and rather quickly, with consistency.
And with change in ourselves, we can also help to initiate and inspire change in others. A lot of what we’re hoping for more of in the world right now.
How Ready Do You Feel For Making A Change?
It is daunting to make changes in our lives. Each of us has the ability to change if we choose to and part of that is knowing on a deeper level what you want to change first. This needs to come first before setting arbitrary goals that sound good on paper.
Are you ready for a change?
Quick Practices For Mental Health and Wellness You Can Do At Home This Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we all recognize the challenge to mental health right now.
The struggle is real regardless of who you are.
So this year it’s more important than ever to recognize the cause and notice how the circumstances of our outer world and inner turmoil are impacting us and have been for the last year.
Anxiety rates are higher than ever and so is substance abuse. Feelings of loneliness are spreading like wildfire.
We’re still in and out of situations of being told to stay home to reduce the spread of COVID and so today let’s look at some of the healthy and safe ways we can contribute positively to our own mental health and the well-being of those around us while at home.
Have Positive Conversations
Turning to the support of people close to you is important but are you having conversations with your loved ones that are actually supporting your mental health and theirs as well?
It feels great to sometimes rant and get those feelings off of your chest when something is bothering you. You want to go on and on about the things that upset you like that jerk that cut you off in traffic or the rude comment your coworker made to you at work the other day that you're still thinking about.
And the people you turn to for these conversations are often the most empathetic. They listen with patience until you're blue in the face and you feel good for a little while. But it turns out that reliving events in this way doesn't help you to work through them. What actually helps is sharing the emotion but also receiving some sort of guidance on what your next steps should be.
You don't have to go around telling all of your friends and family that you need a solution to the problems that you are ruminating on, but start to do this yourself for others and over time hopefully, they will recognize the value of doing the same for you. (Or share this article with them to nudge a subtle hint).
How to calm anxiety (when you’re freaking out). Read more in this article.
Get Outside
Spring is a truly wonderful time to get outside more and there are many mental health benefits to getting outside more often.
Nature acts as an anxiety and depression reliever in a number of ways. You've got the fresh air which our bodies crave, and the extra exposure to sunlight when it isn't raining for days on end helps with Vitamin D production in our bodies. Vitamin D also helps to boost our mood and immune system so that we can feel our best and stay healthy.
Natural surroundings can also help to create a sense of calm in our minds and to reduce the ruminating thoughts and endless internal chatter. Even if you have to go for a bit of a drive to get into more natural surroundings or away from crowded parks, it's worth it to schedule some time in nature each week or as often as you can.
Find Stillness
Social media can help us a lot with staying connected to our friends and family when we're in lockdown and facing restrictions with visiting in-person but it can also be mentally draining to constantly refresh our feeds and compare ourselves to other people.
Try taking a Tech Sabbath or digital detox. On the weekend, or one day a week when you don’t have to be at the demands of your phone for work, turn off all devices and go tech-free. Plan ahead so that this isn’t too hard to do and if you find that a full day isn’t possible right now, start with a morning or afternoon and go from there.
You’ll find this is also a great opportunity to accomplish some of the other beneficial actions like getting outside and you can even pair it with having in-person conversations with people in your bubble while you go for a walk together.
Spring Wellness At Home Guide
Making changes of any sort to your lifestyle and routine can be hard.
Download this free guide to making healthy and sustainable changes at home this spring.
You’ll get additional tips not covered in this article as well as printable habit trackers and worksheets to help you stay on track and accountable to your own goals.
5 Things You Should Do Today to Boost Your Spinal Health While Working From Home
Guest post by Dana Brown, Image via Pexels
Have you recently joined the work-from-home movement? You’re in good company. Though many people started working from home recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports cited by Small Business Trends show that more than half of businesses expect the shift to working from home to be permanent for many employees.
If you’re planning to work from home or if you already have a home office, you need to give some serious consideration to your spinal health. Flow Spa cares about your well-being, so here are five things you should do every day to boost your spinal health while working from home.
1. Check Your Posture Throughout the Day
Take a minute to honestly assess your posture right now. If you’re currently feeling any back or neck strain, take note of that, too. Now, focus on stretching your spine towards the sky without arching your back. Imagine someone’s gently lifting your head straight up toward the ceiling by a string. Doesn’t this new position feel much better?
You might be surprised to learn that before the pandemic even broke out and workers moved to their homes, many Canadians had poor posture. When you’re sitting at a desk all day, it’s natural to allow your body to slouch into a lazy position. Though it may feel good to sit this way for a few minutes, it will undoubtedly lead to aches and pains in your back, neck and even your wrists, elbows and shoulders.
To maintain good posture while sitting at your desk, Greatist advises you should keep your elbows bent at 90 degrees, draw your chin back slightly, and focus on expanding your chest to open up your shoulders. This will most likely feel unnatural at first, but the more you sit this way, the more comfortable it will become.
2. Get Regular Therapeutic Adjustments
It’s natural to feel some back discomfort if you work at a desk for long periods of time. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with the pain. Scheduling regular therapeutic float appointments, massage therapy or other services from healthcare professionals is a great way to bring your spine back into alignment and release tension in your back and neck.
3. Reduce Stress
Did you know stress can have a big impact on your physical comfort levels? When left unchecked, stress can cause a lot of unwanted effects on the body, including high blood pressure, heart disease and back pain. Minimizing stress can help make any back pain you may experience more manageable. Relaxation and meditation are two great ways to reduce levels and improve your spinal health.
You can also do much to manage your stress levels by cleaning and organizing your home so there isn’t clutter everywhere you look. A tidy and fresh environment is conducive to improved mental health and a healthy atmosphere at home. If there are any areas of your home causing you stress and anxiety, find ways to rectify the problem now so you can start reaping the benefits of a clean home as soon as possible.
4. Take Breaks to Move and Stretch
To minimize the stress and discomfort associated with working at a desk, take time to move and stretch throughout the day. It’s generally recommended that for every hour you spend working, you take 5 to 10 minutes to walk, stand up and stretch. Focus your stretches on your shoulders, back, legs and any other area of your body that feels tense and tight. Hold each stretch for at least 10 to 20 seconds for optimal results.
5. Use Ergonomic Tools to Help You Maintain Good Form
Ergonomic office chairs can help encourage good posture and spinal health throughout the workday. There are many different options from which you can choose, including high-backed chairs, chairs with armrests and chairs without armrests. Try a few different types out until you discover the style that’s most comfortable for you.
If you can keep these tips in mind every day, you’ll increase your likelihood of maintaining good spinal health and comfort while working from home. And remember to connect with Flow Spa for more tips and information that will help you stay comfortable, happy and healthy.
Take Action Towards Wellness At Home This Spring
As we consider what we can do to feel our best this spring, here are some ideas that you can start to incorporate. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a complete shift in your whole life in order to have a positive impact on how you are doing.
This spring feels a little like the same old and it’s honestly been challenging to get a system in place to nurture wellness and start to feel better.
Fortunately, we’ve made it through the coldest season and now that we want to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days, we face a situation of having to get creative by spending the majority of our time at home.
So as we consider what we can do to feel our best this spring, here are some ideas that you can start to incorporate. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a complete shift in your whole life in order to have a positive impact on how you are doing.
Gratitude
Gratitude shifts our brain to a more positive state and allows us to operate from a more optimistic state of mind. When everything around us feels a little to dainty and depressing and the negative news is overwhelming, maintaining a gratitude practice to look at both the big picture and the small things will help out.
Gratitude practices work best when we don’t repeat the same things all the time and when we either write the list down or at least spend a minute reflecting on each thing that comes to mind.
Get Outside More
The nicer weather is starting to come and that means longer and warmer days can work wonders for giving us more of what we need right now.
Fresh air is one of the ways we can revitalize how we feel and the bonus with longer and brighter days is that we’re also getting more Vitamin D from the sun. We’ve all heard how important Vitamin D is for just about every system in our body, including hormone production, mood, immunity, bone health, and strength but how often are we taking action to implement what we know?
If you’re working from home or on a more flexible schedule right now, aim to get outside every day. Being outside around sunrise and sunset can help with sleeping better and mid-day leads to the greatest UV light exposure for getting more Vitamin D production. Short breaks throughout the day can also be a great way to break up the monotony of working from home to stay energized and alert.
Connect With Others
The loneliness epidemic that is a part of our society today is not newly a result of the pandemic but has certainly been exacerbated by our situation of lockdown and isolation.
We often feel better about ourselves when we’re doing our part to lift others up, so start making a list of people that you want to stay in close contact with or rekindle a connection to and spend a part of each day reaching out to others.
Make use of technologies like Zoom and FaceTime that allow you to see and hear your friends and loved ones real time but also know that everyone always appreciates a hand written card arriving in the mail. Communicate in whatever form feels best for you depending on your stress levels.
Maintain Your Exercise and Nutrition
Over the past year as we’ve gone through waves of lockdowns and spending more time at home, which often means winning back extra hours in our days, eating right and exercising has not become any easier.
We don’t have win a physique competition or deprive ourselves of food but we undoubtedly feel better when we eat right and get regular exercise in our lives.
Find More Stillness
We love floating as a way to practice a deeper state of relaxation and meditation but something we need to focus on right now is a practice of stillness on a daily basis, or as close to it as you can realistically accomplish.
When we’re bombarded by negativity through the media and the stress that the uncertainty has brought to work, family, and housing, we need to return to a grounded state regularly. Our bodies can accomplish this if and only if it is given the stillness that it needs. This can be accomplished in many ways and doesn’t have to look like a formal meditation practice, but if that’s something you’re willing to work on, there are a whole bunch of additional benefits that will come from that.
Stillness is a deliberate slowing down. Maybe for you this means getting outside for a walk, or creating music, it could be practicing yoga, or cooking a meal by yourself or with your family. There are many shapes and forms to stillness and it often can overlap with the other strategies for wellness you can work on this spring but what it usually looks like is getting away from digital devices for a while.
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Reflecting on 2 Years at Flow Spa
We’ve made it to Year 2.
It’s been a wild journey as everyone can appreciate what’s happened in the past year.
This time last year I was having fun making a day in the life of a float centre owner video. Everything was rosey and great as we made progress each month all the way up to year one.
The momentum train was rolling and it felt like business was picking up.
Then a week later, we started to hear reports about COVID-19 become more than just some bug a few people had. There was talk that the whole country would be shut down.
And a week after that, I watched Trudeau make that announcement and my mind rebelled at the thought of Flow Spa having to close after all the traction we had just built.
I didn’t want to close the doors.
But people were also being responsible and starting to stay home and stay away.
So we entered into a strange season where the business was shuttered. I took my passion for helping others and wellness online and started to share strategies for staying well at home when your favourite stress-busters and recovery and mindfulness practices weren’t available for a while.
The vision for finding your flow stayed the same but the mission looked a bit different as we couldn’t float or meet up in person.
And so the year 2 was a roller coaster like that. Several months of no activity at all in the spa. Followed by a few months of regaining traction and things looking very good again. And then entering into lockdown yet again for another six weeks to once again lose some momentum.
Everyone talks about the long-term vision needed when starting a business. Unfortunately there’s no game plan for when a pandemic strikes a startup.
All I know is that what we do at Flow Spa makes a significant difference to the well-being of our community. People need floating when all other options for pain relief and anxiety and stress reduction aren’t the right solution for them.
The science behind why floating works is rock solid and that’s what caught my attention so much from the beginning. I’m all in for what works and is validated by science. Stillness is the key to it and since we don’t give ourselves enough of that in this on-demand world we live in, there is an essential space available for float centres to offer up that much-needed escape from it all.
So while it’s unclear how many times we’ll be sent back into lockdown, we will keep striving on this journey because as I see floaters every day come out at ease and with a sense of stillness that wasn’t there an hour earlier, I know that what Flow Spa is doing is grounded in actually making a difference for many people.
And so whether you like floating or not, even in these challenging times I hope that you can continue to seek progress in yourself with your wellness, and passions, and continue to Dream On and Find Your Flow.