Chill out: CryoSpot Cryotherapy

I recently injured my shoulder and I had to take a break from working out at The Camp Transformation Center for a couple week which was really difficulty because I have been making so much progress!

Recently I discovered The CryoSpot Whole Body Cryotherapy in OC which is owned by Vic and his sister in law Aida. Here they have been helping me speed up my recovery and work to prevent future injuries.

Aida and Vic started their business in October 2015 after they tried Cryotherapy and felt the difference and realized all the benefits it offered. They bought a machine and now help people everyday at their office!

So what is cryotherapy you may ask?

“Whole Body Cryotherapy(WBC) is a revolutionary method of cold therapy involving exposure to subzero temperatures for a controlled period of time. WBC is a non-medical, non-invasive procedure for people seeking superior health, beauty, and athletic performance”

Essentially, when your body goes into shock from the cold (which is painless) your body naturally goes into fight or flight mode and your blood rushes to your core. This process flushes toxins and picks up nutrients and now your blood is now enriched and oxygenated.

As the blood flows back, your vessels start to expand and warm up with the nutrient and oxygen rich blood back into your tissue.

When I first walked into the door for my first session I have to admit I was excited but also a bit nervous. Aida greeted me at the front desk and was so friendly. She taught me everything I needed to know and patiently answered all my questions.

Step 1 – Get dressed for the “chamber”

In the changing rooms, you remove all jewelry and metal items before you treatment. Men, I believe you wear bottoms and ladies I wore panties ( I decided not to wear anything on top! If you want to wear a sports bra make sure there are not metal components!) . You then put on a pair of socks, a robe, gloves, and rubber shoes to protect your toes!

Step 2-Get in the Chamber

The booth was taller than me but once you step inside, the platform raises up so you can peek your head out the top. After you step inside and close the door, you remove your robe and hand it out to a staff member.

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Step 3- Chill

They turn on the chamber and a refreshing light cloud of cold air surrounds your body. Is it cold? YES! But is it tolerable? Absolutely! The chamber gets to about -250 degrees F but I started out at -130. The second time I really enjoyed the treatment after seeing what to expect!

For your first time you target 2min and 30sec. My first time I went for 2min 45sec and the second visit I stayed the whole 3 maximum minutes with no problem! Once you master those 3 minutes each treatment you bring down the temperature a little bit more each time!

During your treatment time, you slowly step in place/ rotate in a circle. FYI I also overly smile during this time period and I have absolutely no idea why but its a thing that I just do! The only part that started to get cold was my knees, but the second treatment I raised my knees a bit higher in what I like to call my “penguin march” which made the feeling cold feeling go away!

Step 4- Warm up

After you are done, you put your robe back on and exit the booth and warm back up. This part feels so refreshing, I love it!

Step 5- Add on treatments

I decided to do a Cryo Facial my first time after my chamber treatment and the 2nd time I spot treated my shoulder injury. These are all separate charges!  This is done in a separate part of the room with a hand held machine. These treatments are extremely relaxing and can be used to treat issues like arthritis on your hands, skin inflammation, psoriasis, and much more! You can also spot treat any pain areas that need more attention than the whole body chamber! The facial left my skin feeling tight, minimized my pores, and any blemishes I had on my face were significantly less inflamed by the end of the day.

 

Benefits of Cryotherapy

So your probably wondering, why do people do WBC?

• Reduces Pain and inflammation
• Decreases muscle soreness (new Campers, I know your hurting right now! This helps So much!)
• Faster muscle recovery
• Boots metabolism and immune system
• Reduces stress
• Improves blood circulation
• Improves sleep pattern
• Releases serotonin and endorphins (same feeling as that post workout happiness)
• Improves skin elasticity/ reduces appearance of cellulite

Also, just a little FYI ..1 session can burn anywhere from 400-800 calories…. #yourwelcome

What do I think about Cryotherapy?

I slept like a baby the nights that I did a treatment. I felt refreshed and my soreness significantly subsided. Before I started my treatments I didn’t take any glutamine and still have not taking that mean for the past couple days just to see how my body reacts to the soreness with the treatments and I have to say I am impressed! After my second treatment decided to go back to the camp taking a break for two weeks and I kept up with the class a lot more than I expected! I decided to add this to my wholebody wellness treatment plan and signed up for a monthly treatment plan and some spot treatment sessions!

So stop by Cryospot and mention KELSEY and your first Whole body Cryo therapy treatment is only 20$ 

Don’t forget to let me know how it goes! And thanks again to Aida and Vic you guys are amazing!

 

Center Street Farmers Market: My Findings

I moved to Anahiem in October last year and I have been slowly exploring local shops and  finding new things to do downtown. My favorite place to walk around is a couple blocks away from my apartment in downtown Anahiem off of Center street in The Center St Promenade . I recently discovered that there is a Famers Market every Thursday from 11 AM to 4pm. At the event you will find live music, local grown produce, delicious food,  crafts, local business vendors and much more.

The original Downtown Anaheim Certified Farmers’ Market was established in 1995 and it is a place where consumers can buy directly from certified California growers. It is a not for profit organization that focuses on community outreach. Proceeds from the Downtown Anaheim CFM supplement community events in Downtown Anaheim, such as the quarterly Art Crawl Experience, the Flag Day Celebration (June) and the Christmas Tree Lighting & Holiday Village (December).

Last week I spent the afternoon walking up and down the market talking to a couple local vendors and learning about their business and how they got started. I wanted to share a few of my findings!

First stop: The Poisoned Apples- Hand Craft Caramels

Apples

Caramels

This stand is located on the East Side of Center street. Here you will find owners Jeff and Lisa Wallace who make some decadent sweet and salty treats you must try if you have a sweet tooth. From hand crafted caramel chocolate covered apples to handmade shortbread, their treats are all gourmet goodness. Customers say that their treats are “Dangerously Delicious” and it couldn’t be more true. When you taste them, you will crave them and want to try more and more of their flavors. You have been warned!

Their business came into fruition when Lisa decided to make her hand crafted treats for their wedding. After that Lisa was able to grow her passion and expanded to ETSY   and started to sell more and more at local farmers markets. They now have been selling online for years and offer custom orders and you can even have them create favors for you wedding or event!

My favorite was the dark chocolate shortbread caramel. If you like TWIX brand candies, this is like that but so much more.  Inside the Carmel piece, you have a buttery shortbread with a thick layer of gooey caramel which is encased inside smooth and rich dark chocolate and my favorite touch- its topped with black sea salt. Make sure to check them out and grab a couple extra treats for a friend!

Second stop: Scoundrel’s Sweets & Suds

Laura is the founder of Scoundrel’s Sweets & Suds. They make small batch, hand crafted artisan soaps, health & beauty products, and candies. Laura has been in the industry almost 2 years and has a passion for what she does. Laura is self taught and first started making soap when she was looking for a soap that would help sooth her eczema. Her soaps are made with all natural ingredients and aromatic essential oils. She currently grows her own lavender and as her business expands her hopes are to buy more land so she can grow more herbs for her product.

 

I took home a couple of bars and my favorite was the activated charcoal bar. Activated charcoal has been getting a lot off attention lately as used in acne products to draw out impurities, heal pimples, and prevent further breakouts. My skin felt so refreshed and soft after using her bar.

 

Next Up: Eco Yardscapes

 

At the farmers market I met President and Designer for Eco Yardscapes Brendan Dellerba who had a beautiful display of succulents and other items. Everyone has been going a little bit crazy for succulents this past year, including myself. From wedding decorations to coffee table accessories,  lets face it, I am a obsessed with these little guys!

Eco Yardscapes is based out of Costa Mesa and they specialize in creating unique handcrafted planter and terrariums. Ecco Yardscapes is proud to be growing the majority of their succulents themselves which keeps the look unique and a lower cost to customers!

New succulent on my patio from Ecco Yardscapes

 

Their booth was pretty busy throughout the day but Brendan was more than able to answer all my questions about succulents  and it might be because he has B.S. Ornamental Horticulture! I admit, I am guilty of killing a couple of plants in the past that I bought from the grocery store but I found out after talking with Brendan they my succulents died because I was a bit too generous with the water! Confident and armed with new knowledge, I took home a new little guy which is  Echeveria ‘Perle! With this purchase, like all purchases when you work with their company, he promised me that if i had any issues he’d be there for me!

Check out the variety they have here

 

 

 

The people behind it all + More Events in Downtown Anahiem:

On my way out I saw a gentlemen standing in the booth smiling and waving to visitors. I decided to stop and chat for a bit and I learned about how the Center Street farmers market was started and their plans to grow the community outreach program!

 

1. Farmers Park Market is relaunching this May, 2016, at Anaheim Packing District. This fresh Southern California certified farmers’ market will take place on Fridays from 4:00pm until 8:00pm and is right next door to the historic Anaheim Packing House.

 

 

 

 The Yoga Mat Studio – This is the local studio that i visit all the time and i love it! Free community classes on Saturdays at 12pm from January 9th till April 30th, 2016. These are donation based classes and subject to cancellation on rainy days and other bad weather – please check our schedule for cancellations before heading out!

 

Vendors are welcome to use my photos but please give credit to my blog / IG : @thyroidfitnesschic

Amazing Exfoliating Treatment: Exfolikate

I went into Sephora a few weeks ago looking for a product to help clear out some blackheads and congestion I had in my skin around my cheekbones and chin. The lady helping me swore by the ExfoliKate® Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. Let me first tell you i grew up with my mom being  an esthetician and I worked at a dayspa for 4 years so I have been exposed to A LOT of products! Needless to say I am very picky when it comes to my products!

I am in love with enzymes (as long as its strong and real) because they eat away at dead skin so effectively! My mom used to give my pumpkin/papaya enzyme masks so I have been on the hunt for an at home remedy! I was extremely excited to try this because it has Papaya, Pineapple, and Pumpkin Enzymes! It also has one of my other favorite exfoliation ingredients, Lactic Acid. I purchased the smallest size which is .5oz to start off with which retails at $24 at Sephora.

Skin type is it good for:
✔ Normal
✔ Oily
✔ Combination
✔ Dry

Smell:  Good and Refreshing
Texture: Gritty Paste
Price:  A little bit on the expensive side if you compared to drugstore, but this is a quality product I would recommend splurging on!
Effectiveness: This product worked wonders on my clogged pores. It gave me a tingly upon application. My face and my skin felt refreshed and more smooth after rinsing. The black heads decreased significantly after 2 applications
Overall Rating:  5 of 5

Application: When you use ExfoliKate in the shower, the steam will help to activate the enzymes, making it even more effective. 

Per Sephora’s Website- Suggested Usage:
-Use once or twice a week, AM or PM.
-Apply a thin, even layer to a clean, wet face, massaging in a circular motion for 30 seconds.
-Leave on for up to two minutes.
-Rinse and gently pat dry.

Precautions:
-This product may cause the skin to tingle and flush slightly for a short time.
-For sensitive skin, leave on for less than one minute, or use ExfoliKate® Gentle instead

Overall this is a great product and I am extremely satisfied with the results! I would recommend if you have clogged pores, mila, or blackheads to give this a try ASAP! If you purchase this from the Kate Somerville website you get free shipping and returns plus samples and a % discount on your first order with email signup!

 I am going to try some of their other products and I am excited! I will keep you updated! Have you tried any of Kate Somerville ‘s products? If so tell me what you tried as well as your thoughts in the comments below!