Jan 27, 2015 | Uncategorized
Health experts everywhere are saying more than ever that using a sauna or steam room regularly benefits your health, increases your immunity and quality of life. So if we told you you could get even more out of the experience, would you want to know more? Of course you would! We at Eurospa, specialize in boosting the immune system with and making a better spa experience with essential oils. And today, we want to share how!
Saunas are known as fixtures in spas, gyms and even some homes. The benefits range from relaxation to weight loss and cleansing! If you are considering adding sauna treatments to your health or wellness routine at home, it’s important to know the benefits.
Here are some easy ways to boost the health benefits of your sauna time!
Expectoration
One health advantage that can only be provided through the heat of saunas is the expectorant effect, when adding a menthol based essential oil to the mix, such as eucalyptus oil. These oils thin and open the mucous membranes in your body, including in your sinuses, throat and lungs. If you suffer chronic congestion or sinus infections, using eucalyptus, peppermint and rosemary, can help loosen and clear the mucous from your nose, chest and throat.
Pain Management
Heat has an analgesic, or pain relieving, effect due to its ability create more effective blood flow. Painful conditions caused by inflammation such as arthritis and fibromyalgia can be temporarily managed through heat treatments like those found in both saunas and steam rooms. Massaging essential oils, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary or even wintergreen, in small amounts and diluted with coconut oil, on to the muscles before and after entering the heat will further your results even more! For managing pain, saunas may be preferable for people who are negatively affected by humidity as are some sufferers of acute rheumatoid arthritis.
Relaxation
Saunas are said to provide a spectrum of emotional and physical relaxation benefits. Wet and dry heat simulate sedative effects that generate feelings of calmness and relaxation, and some people who suffer emotional or mood disorder may find relief with regular trips to saunas or even steam rooms. Along with a carrier oil, massage lavender, wild orange, ylang ylang or lemon myrtle along your chest, shoulders and back of the neck. This will boost relaxation and allowing the oils to work as a mood balancer with the heat for heightened relaxation.
The heat of saunas also promote muscle relaxation, which can provide pain relief from muscular injuries such as those from overuse or exercise. As you can see, the heat of saunas and steam rooms can have added benefits when putting different essential oils into the mix.
At Eurospa, we strive to create and distribute the highest quality eucalyptus products possible for home and spa. Your health is our priority. See how we can help you today!
Nov 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
As the fall and winter months unfold, getting a cold or flu may feel unavoidable to you and your family. But rest assured, there are definitely some natural and simple tips to reduce illness during cold and flu season for you and the whole family.
Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is the number one prevention and treatment for illness as it is an amazingly effective antimicrobial agent, producing 200 to 300 different antimicrobial peptides in your body that kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. The best source for vitamin D is direct sunlight exposure, but isn’t always available for many or practical during the winter. The next best thing to sunlight is the use of a safe indoor tanning device. If neither natural nor artificial sunlight is an option, then using oral supplements is your best bet.
Healthy food intake
The following foods are extremely beneficial for your overall health and strength of your immune system. Be sure to get a balanced amount of each.
-Fermented foods such as kefir, kimchee, miso, pickles, sauerkraut, etc.
-Raw, organic eggs from free-ranging chickens
-Coconuts and coconut oil
-Locally grown fruits and vegetables
-Mushrooms, especially Reishi, Shiitake, and Maitake, which contain beta glucans (which have immune-enhancing properties)
-Garlic, a potent antimicrobial that kills bacteria, viruses AND fungi
-Herbs and spices with high ORAC scores: Turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, cloves
Drink Water
Keeping hydrated allows the body to both function efficiently and to flush toxins and bacteria from your system. Water is essential for the optimal function of every system in your body.
Sleep
Make sure you are getting an adequate amount sleep. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or enough restorative sleep, you’ll be at increased risk for a hostile viral takeover.
Steam
The body loves a chance to release stored toxins in the skin and other organs. Either create a good steaming shower and add our eucalyptus oil shower spray to the mix or do the same in a quality sauna or steam room. This will also fight bronchial infections, respiratory struggles, improve circulation and alleviate pain from fibromyalgia and arthritis.
At Eurospa, we are committed to your health and the health of the world around you. Please take close care of your immune system this season and talk to us about our other products available for personal and spa use!
Sep 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
If you are one to work out regularly, it’s safe to assume that you like to both look great and feel your best! If that’s true, then you’ll want to make sure you are helping your muscles recovery quickly. We know this is important to you, so we’ve compiled our list of the best ways to help your body recover after a good work out! Enjoy and Eurospa know how these tips have helped you!
STRETCH BEFORE & AFTER
Gentle stretching before AND after a workout is a key component not to be dismissed. Trust me, I’ve been there and sometimes you just don’t want to ‘waste your time’ stretching. I want to emphasize the gentle part for a minute as well. Especially before a workout, your muscles are not warmed up. This will cause them to be more tight and stiff – like a dry rubber band. Over stretching or stretching to forcefully will actually weaken the muscle, making injury more likely. Once your workout is complete – consider stretching in a sauna (still gently) and really make use of the extra heat. More about saunas below…
HYDRATE
You lose so much water during exercise and while it’s best to replace it during exercise, refilling your personal hydro-tank after exercise is a great and simple way to speed up your recovery time. Water supports every metabolic function and transfer of nutrients in the body. Having plenty of water will improve each and every bodily function. Adequate fluid replacement is even more vital for endurance athletes who lose larger amounts of water during hours of sweating and peak activity.
REFUEL
It’s SO important to make sure you eat within 60 minutes of a hard workout. You just depleted your energy stores and now it’s time to refuel them if you expect your body to recover, repair tissues, get stronger and be ready for the next challenge. Some great go-to foods for a speedy recovery are protein shakes, bananas, nut butters, hummus and red peppers, yogurt, berries, fish and all green plants. Let’s just face it – green plants are the food to eat pre and post anything!
HOT COLD
Take alternating hot and cold to the next level. The old advice of ice pack and heating pad have great purpose but are better for targeting certain areas. Try taking a really hot shower and then switching to the coldest setting for about 30 seconds (or how long you can handle it) and switching back to hot again. As well, if you have access to a steam room or sauna – go stretch in the heat for 5-10 minutes, go out and take a cold shower (or use the ice bath if it’s available) and the return to the sauna. Repeat the process 2-3 times for best results.
DID SOMEONE SAY SAUNA
Of course I did. I would almost go as far as saying that I’m one of the biggest sauna fans in the world. It’s for good reason too. The health benefits that saunas deliver make me wonder why more people don’t invest in building one in their own home! {If you DO want one built, talk to a contractor today and you’ll be on your way to better home health in no time!} But back to muscle recovery… If you’re already going to be stretching and alternating hot and cold in that gift of a sauna – enhance the experience further and add Eucalyptus oil or Spray! For the oil, mix the essential oil into another base, like almond or jojoba and you’ll quickly have a muscle recovery rub! The oil penetrates deep into the tissue (more so in the heat of the sauna) for an anti-inflammatory effect. When using the spray, simply spritz into the shower steam or the sauna/steam room. The oil in the air will then enter your lungs and be carried off to nurture the needier parts of your well-worked muscles.
You are working out and exercising to better your health and look your best. Congratulations! That’s a big commitment you should be proud of! Please take care of yourself with proper diet, rest and recovery as you live your life to it’s absolute fullest!
Aug 13, 2014 | Uncategorized
If you are working out, you probably want to look and feel good. In order to get the most out of your workout, it’s important to act in ways that help your muscles to recover
quickly and healthily. We need to be careful not to neglect the most important aspects of our routines as a result of our busy lives. Yes, let’s find ways to be fast and efficient, but it’s also smart to have a few tips on hand to make recovery both faster and smoother! So – keep up your (healthy) routine and enjoy some of these all natural, post workout recovery tips!
STRETCH
Gentle stretching before AND after a workout is a key component not to be dismissed. Trust me, I’ve been there and sometimes you just don’t want to ‘waste your time’ stretching. I want to emphasize the gentle part for a minute as well. Especially before a workout, your muscles are not warmed up. This will cause them to be more tight and stiff – like a dry rubber band. Over stretching or stretching to forcefully will actually weaken the muscle, making injury more likely. Once your workout is complete – consider stretching in a sauna (still gently) and really make use of the extra heat. More about saunas below…
WATER
Water is so easily lost during exercise and you’ve to to replace it during and after the workout to not only hydrate those cells, but also to speed up recovery time! Water aids your metabolic function and supports the transfer of nutrients in the body. So staying properly hydrated will improve each and every body function. This is even more vital for endurance athletes who sweat more during periods of strenuous and peak activity.
GROOVE
Music is a great tool that can help us through a tough workout, at least by distracting us from the burning feeling in your legs. But on a more serious note, listening relaxing tunes can surprisingly aid in your workout recovery. So my recommendation is to listen to the faster heavier beats during the workout and switch it up to the slower tempo songs while you stretch and cool down, as the slower music can reduce blood pressure and pulse rate, which is especially useful after an intense workout!
FEED
Are you feeding your body with the right fuel? Machines require fuel and so do our bodies. You’ve got to make sure you eat within 60 minutes of a hard workout. Your energy stores have just been depleted pretty badly, so you’ve to restore them if you want your body to recover, repair, gain strength and be prepared for the next challenge! So great go-to and simple snack ideas that will speed your recovery along are protein shakes, bananas, nut butters, hummus and red peppers, yogurt with berries, fish and all green plants. Let’s not forget the obvious- green plants are the foods to eat pre and post anything, really!
HOT & COLD THERAPY
Take alternating hot and cold to an even better level. The traditional advice of alternating applied ice and heat have great purpose but are better for targeting specific areas. Instead, try taking a really hot shower and then switching to the coldest setting for about 30 seconds (or whatever you can handle) and then switching back to hot again. You could even include the sauna with this one. Sit/stretch in the sauna for 5-10 minutes, go out and take a cold shower (or ice bath if that’s available) and then return to the sauna. Repeat this process 2-3 times for best results.
SWEAT IT OUT
Sauna is the word on the street these days for health and fitness advocates all over the world. For good reason too. The health benefits that saunas deliver cause me to wonder why homes all over the world don’t invest in installing one in their own homes. If you’re already going to be stretching in all that heat, enhance that experience further and add Eucalyptus Oil Spray to the heat and even steam. Simply spritz the spray into the steam or heat. The oil in the air will then be activated by the heat, enter your lungs and be carried off to nurture those needy parts and well-worked muscles!
Congratulations. You are working out more regularly and committing to bettering your health. You will soon be looking and feeling better and that’s something to be proud of. Please take care of yourself with proper diet, rest and recovery as you life your life to it’s absolute fullest!
From all of us at Eurospa, we toast to your health!
May 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
Whether they are fathers, sons, brothers or friends, we love the dads in our lives and our biggest wish is for them to stay around, right? If you don’t have a dad to celebrate this year, consider thinking of an loving father-figure in your life, or someone else’s, who deserves to enjoy the honor of this special day! He’s given himself to create life, and now it’s time to show your appreciation! But what can you do to better his life, especially when he seems to already have it all?
Let’s start with health. Life is only as beautiful as the quality it holds. I’m not suggesting you buy him two first class tickets to Bali, but I will give you some creative ideas that will leave him feeling relaxed, healthy and rejuvenated!
Here are some perfect Father’s Day gift ideas for the dad that has it all!
1. YOU. I know you’re busy, but you may just be the perfect gift of all! Take time out of your busy schedule and surprise him for lunch. Just show up. Put your phone away and be all ears. Giving our full, non-judgemental attention is one of the best ways to say ‘I LOVE YOU’. That makes a man happy and being happy keeps the whole self more healthy!
2. Personal training sessions AND massage. Why both? Well, going to the gym, whether fit or not, can be a chore and many people don’t want to exhaust themselves doing so. By coupling it with massage, you say, “Yes, I know it was hard, but you’re worth it… and here’s a relaxing reward for your hard work and dedication!” It’s not bribery. It’s incentive!
3. Yoga class punch card. Yoga isn’t just for the ladies! In fact, the truth is, men could use a lot more flexibility in their lives and yoga is great for those overworked mind and bodies. Of course, do your research, and make sure it’s a class he’ll be comfortable with. Added bonus? Throw in a manly mat for him to take with him. Either it’s his thing, or not… you’ll know!
4. Round up your family and invest in a home sauna. This, I have to say, is one of my favorite gift ideas for everyone, but especially dads. Used all over the world, saunas offer both body health through detoxification and circulation and mind health through relaxation and being able to unwind after a long day. These are relatively inexpensive and have long lasting benefits. Physically, nothing is more invigorating than a deep, healthy sweat. His tension will fade and muscles will unwind. It just takes a few minutes a day for him to both feel and look better!
5. Essential oils for health. Specifically, eucalyptus oil. If you don’t already know the benefits of this miraculous oil, it’s fantastic for respiratory, muscle and circulatory health. You can get the eucalyptus oil shower mist and encourage him to spray it around the home, car or office for the disinfecting properties. To enhance his health and cleanse his bronchial passages, he can spray it into the shower steam or sauna heat for even further use. This spray is an all round health and crowd pleaser!
I hope that these ideas have gotten you excited about honoring the dad’s in your life. We’d love to know how you’ve used them or if you have any other ideas you’d like to contribute. At Eurospa, we are committed to everyone’s health and all points of life! Let us know how we can make your life a better one!
