Mommy's Favorite Things: Brighter Performance Recovery- Cryotherapy, Compression Therapy, Oxygen Bar, Marc Pro and Infrared Sauna!



Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Brighter Performance Recovery- Cryotherapy, Compression Therapy, Oxygen Bar, Marc Pro and Infrared Sauna!



 This post will be REALLY long. But it is informative, so I encourage you to stick around!



I've been lifting/working out for 5 years now. This last year has been rough, but I'm still doing what I can. I have never been afraid to try new things in the name of health. So, when the opportunity to try out cryotherapy, compression therapy, oxygen bar, Marc Pro and infrared sauna arised, I jumped! 

It was the cryotherapy I was nervous about. I've seen/heard about it for the last few years and have definitely done my research... I was still nervous and hence the reason I hadn't tried it yet. But Justin at Brighter Performance Recovery made the process so easy and really helped to set me at ease. 


CRYOTHERAPY

NOW, what is cryotherapy you may ask? It's a chamber that fills with liquid nitrogen that gets up to -284° (Mine was only -155°) that has SO many skin and body benefits. You're in there for a maximum of 3 minutes. 



You may be asking yourself why ANYONE would subject themselves to sub zero temperatures, but the benefits are outstanding. 
  • Accelerated muscle recovery
  • Reduces arthritic and other pain
  • Treats certain skin conditions
  • Decreased muscle soreness and inflammation
  • Increased collagen for healthier skin
  • Increased energy
  • Improved sleep
  • Weight loss
  • Prevent dementia/alzheimer's
And many more!!! You can see now why it's so popular! Athletes use cryotherapy twice a day as a general help to sore muscles and to speed up healing/recovery. 

So, I was nervous. However the 3 minutes went extremely fast!! You're equipped with socks, waterproof boots and gloves. Your clothing MUST be dry and you MUST have dry skin. I wore a sports bra and shorts on my first visit, and a tank top (rolled up a little) and shorts on my second visit. The more skin exposed, the better and the more benefits. 

NOW, I won't boast about benefits since I have only been twice; in less than a week. But I will say that the endorphin rush you feel getting in and out is AMAZING! The blast of cold (dry) air in the beginning gives you energy. After you get out, your heart rate will fluctuate to raise your core body temperature and that gives you a rush of energy as well. I definitely did shiver a TAD, but it's not as cold as you think it will be. The air we think of has humidity and wind and it makes it feel so much colder. This air is DRY, I DID NOT have goosebumps, either time! 

And a bonus... you can burn up to 800 calories PER SESSION! That's where the weight loss comes in. I did find myself extra hungry after leaving the facility. 



COMPRESSION THERAPY

Compression Therapy is exactly what it sounds like... compression. It is leg sleeves that cover your entire leg from foot to groin and it compresses your legs in multiple stages and then releases and repeats. 

And now you're asking why people would squeeze their legs so tight? Well, again, MANY benefits!
  • Reduces swelling and inflammation
  • Speeds muscle recovery
  • Increases flexibility and range of motion
  • Decreases muscle fatigue
  • Improving athletic performance
And more!
Compression therapy increases blood flow in your legs and improves blood flow to the heart. 

I was not nervous to try this out at all. I have bad ankles and no cartilage in my knees. I knew I could benefit from something like this. Blood flow to trouble areas is what helps recover them. 
As I said, they're sleeves that go on your legs and then a machine hooked up tells them to squeeze starting at the ankle, working its way up and then release, and then it repeats. I did this for almost 40 minutes, while simultaneously doing the Oxygen Bar. 
When I stood up, I couldn't tell I had legs... I could FEEL them, but it was like I was on the moon with zero gravity. They were totally weightless and my legs felt AMAZING for a long time after!


OXYGEN BAR

Oxygen bar is something I'd heard of before, but wasn't necessarily interested in. It's oxygen, we already have an average of 96% oxygen in our blood, surely that's good enough, right? NO!! I was SO SO wrong!!!

I did this oxygen bar at the same time I did the compression therapy, about 40 minutes and it made the time go 'faster' as I did 2 treatments at the same time. 

Why was I wrong? I'll tell you! Benefits can include:
  • Heightened concentration
  • Alertness and memory health
  • Promotes healing
  • Strengthens the heart
  • Remedy for headaches and migraines
  • Improves sleep
  • Boosts energy levels
  • Improve mood
  • Reduces stress
As you can see there are many benefits and reasons to go to an oxygen bar! Mine was grove 'flavored' (citrusy), next time I will opt for the lavender one though. It was more of a smell than a flavor. 
And as you can imagine, it's just an oxygen nose piece like you get in the hospital! I got to keep my nose piece, they are NOT reused!!
I didn't notice any immediate feelings from these, especially since I did compression at the same time, But I DID sleep really good this night and the next. The 2nd time I visited, I didn't do the oxygen bar and I didn't sleep as well... so it's possible this helped me rest. 


INFRARED SAUNA with CHROMOTHERAPY
I'll admit, I was excited for this one! I ALWAYS used the sauna at the gym and have really been missing it. Gyms are open, but the sauna has been closed since last March. 
I have never tried an infrared sauna.

Most saunas are a steam sauna, they use rocks/stones to heat the sauna. They also get up to 200°. The ones at my gyms were usually between 170° and 185°. 
An infrared sauna is dry and uses infrared light to heat and it also only gets up to 150°.  Infrared, about 80% of the heat is used to heat your body and only 20% to heat the air. 

(note, these are my legs after the compression. The reason for all the lines).

Now for the benefits? There are SO SO many!
  • Better sleep
  • Relaxation
  • Detoxification
  • Relief of sore muscles
  • Joint pain relief
  • Improved circulation
  • Promoted weight loss
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Clear and tighter skin

I could NEVER make it more than 20 minutes in a traditional sauna, but did 45 minutes in here with ease. Was I dripping sweat? Yes. But I did it and wasn't out of breath or heart racing at all. I was very comfortable... and I HATE heat!

Brighter Performance Recovery ALSO has a Chromotherapy light inside the sauna. This rotates between colors and each color is good for different things. I'll quickly run by those now:
  • Red Light: Improves circulation and nervous systems, aids in the production of red blood and collagen cells and helps to burn fat
  • Orange Light: Enhances mood, aids in digestion and stomach problems, as well as asthma and bronchitis
  • Yellow Light: Works for internal issues and reactivates and purifies skin
  • Green Light: Calming and Relaxing and a skin balancer
  • Blue Light: Stimulates muscles and skin cells, used to treat liver conditions and breaks down bilirubin. Great for acne
  • Purple Light: Relaxes lymphatic systems and nerves, addresses inflammation and urinary illnesses and helps with eye issues
It's awesome to also get those benefits while sitting in the infrared sauna. Again, it's a 2-for-1.


THE RESULTS FROM DAY 1

As I've said, I can't boast about the long term benefits....
But the cryotherapy gave me a rush of endorphins and energy. The compression made my legs feel like I was walking on clouds. The sauna made me SWEAT IT OUT without making it unbearable. 

And when it was all said and done, I was SUPER relaxed, slept AMAZINGLY and my body felt BRAND NEW!


MARC PRO THERAPY

Marc Pro is an Electrical Muscle Stimulation unit. If you're not familiar with this, it is a device that sends shocks into your muscles. I was a little nervous to try this one on day 2, but I'd been having some lower back pain so I knew it was worth the try. 
Justin hooked me up, it is 4 sticky pads that go on your skin around the muscle or joint giving you problems and he adjusted the power every few minutes. I did a 20 minute session (immediately after cryotherapy) it was such a weird sensation during, almost felt like it was burning and I could definitely feel the muscles tighten up and then twitch. 

I felt amazing after and my muscles in my back felt great.

Benefits of Marc Pro (EMS)
  • Decreases swelling
  • Reduces muscle spasm
  • Improves range of motion
  • Increases local circulation
  • Reduces acute and chronic pain

THE RESULTS FROM DAY 2

Day 2 I did Cryotherapy, Marc Pro and the Infrared Sauna.
Same as day 1, the endorphins are AMAZING from cryo. I felt the same; cold wise, but you truly warm up quickly. Went straight onto a massage table to get the Marc Pro and then immediately hopped into the sauna.
Felt super relaxed again, didn't sleep quite as good though. As I said, I think oxygen helped with that on Day 1.

I will say, my facial skin felt GREAT immediately after and in the days following. I know the sauna is excellent for this. 
AND My leg day today was my BEST leg day I've had in a LONG LONG time!! I feel amazing!

Have you tried any of these treatments? Or are you considering it after reading this post?


Brighter Performance Recovery Info:
Addresses: 2230 Star Ct. Rochester Hills, MI 48309 , 40120 Hayes Rd. Clinton Township, MI 48038
Phone: 248-564-2847 , 586-329-4490
Instagram: @brighterperformancerecovery



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