Sauna

Anything But Mid is hosted by Amy Edwards and Whitney Stropp. Neither host is a doctor and nothing here is medical advice. Lightly cleaned for readability.

Whitney: Keep your head up.

Amy: That was a good clap.

Whitney: That was a, that was your best clap yet.

Amy: It was! I mean, I felt the pressure!

Whitney: I felt, yeah, I definitely like that clap.

Amy: I'm Amy.

Whitney: And I'm Whitney, and this may be midlife, but you're anything but mid. Woo!

We are getting it so down. What's going to happen when we do it right every time?

Amy: I don't, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's not get crazy. We're moving further into midlife, so I don't know if that's possible. So, speaking of, have you got any midlife?

Whitney: Yes. I so, yeah, I had a, a kind of, yes, I had a midlife during something that happens in midlife. I was with my mom at the doctor, cuz you know after a certain age, it's not your children anymore, it's your parents. And so I was at the doctor's office with my mom, and they were keeping us in there like our appointment was at 2:15, and at 3:00 we're still sitting in the waiting, I mean we're in a room, but like they put you in there and then

Amy: Then you sit forever.

Whitney: nobody's coming in to check, nobody's giving us a heads-up. And so finally at 3:00, like an hour in, I'm like, this is ridiculous.

Amy: An hour? You've sat in that room for an hour, that's unacceptable.

Whitney: Yes. And it's freezing in there.

Amy: Oh, for fuck's sake.

Whitney: So anyway, and I'm with my mom. Anyway, love you, Mom. Just joking. So I opened the door and I'm, and there are all these, you know, people at the desks right there, and I'm like, could somebody tell me what is happening? Like we've been in here for an hour, and they were like, oh, it'll probably be like another 10 minutes. And I was like, okay, good. Well, you know, the least someone could have done is come in and let us know or check on us. It's been an hour. And then my head, because I'm a people pleaser, I'm like, oh, I'm coming across mean.

Amy: Now, they hate me, and now it's going to take an extra

Whitney: Right. Now they're never going to come.

Amy: an extra hour.

Whitney: So so I was trying to then say something like, I know you guys are busy and your job is important, cuz we're at the cardiologist, so like everybody is having an an issue, you know? It's the heart. So I was going to try to say something like that, but the words were not coming out. And so instead what I said is, I mean, I know you have big deal jobs here.

Amy: No, you didn't.

Whitney: I did. And then I walked back into the room and I closed the door, and my mom and I started cracking up, which was bad, because then they can hear us laughing. But I'm like, big deal jobs?

Amy: That's what you said.

Whitney: That's what I said. And and by the way, all of the like seven faces that were staring at me just kept staring, like no, no emotion. I said, big deal jobs.

Amy: Big deal jobs.

Whitney: I know y'all have big deal jobs. And then I closed the door, and I'm like, big deal jobs? And of course then my mom was like, I got to write this down so that I remember it. And I'm like, why? So you can just tell all of my family members?

Amy: Yeah, so she can pass that along.

Whitney: So the words and Who has big deal jobs, anybody? Raise your hand. Big deal jobs. And then it happened when the cardiologist came in again, and he I was like, I'm going to need, I was trying to say 24-hour well, now I can't even think of it. Like service line, like a 24-hour hotline or something that we can call, cuz it's her heart. And I said, I'm going to need that 24-hour phone call. What's the problem?

Amy: Can you not talk anymore?

Whitney: Apparently the words that I want to say are coming out in a different way, and I look at my mom and I go, holy shit. You're going to have to put me down. Like I can't speak.

Amy: Don't say that.

Whitney: But then I just was, I blamed it on that hour-long wait. You'll go crazy sitting in there.

Amy: You do go crazy. Actually you're, you're totally right for your brain not functioning well with an hour. Like, I don't think they're maximizing things. Like if you leave somebody, they're not going to be able to tell you exactly what's going on if they've been waiting a fucking hour.

Whitney: Well, and this was an, not an emergency appointment, but

Amy: Well, thank God.

Whitney: but it was in a way. They moved up her appointment after getting her test results.

Amy: Oh shit.

Whitney: And you're, and it's a, it's a cardiologist, so you're like, I need to get this information. And then they sit you in a room for an hour. And, you know, like I told the big deal job people, you gotta, you gotta at least come in and check on us. And say, hey, we haven't forgotten about you. We're just running over. But just to ignore us for an entire hour

Amy: No. Unacceptable.

Whitney: is so rude.

Amy: I mean, show some level of like acknowledgement. You know, just, hey, sorry for the wait. We're having a backed-up day. It doesn't take much, is the thing.

Whitney: It really doesn't. It's so rude. And I it kind of brings me into my next thing that I was going to talk about. So I'm in a conflict with one of my children right now,

Amy: Uh-oh.

Whitney: and I'm heartbroken by it.

Amy: Oh, no.

Whitney: And

Amy: I'm so sorry.

Whitney: That's okay, but it's just one of those things. And, and it started last night, and my feelings got hurt, and then I'm trying to be like, no, I don't need to have my feelings hurt. I need to be strong, and set some boundaries, right?

Amy: Can you say what child this is, just for me? Cuz I want Is it

Whitney: It's the middle child.

Amy: The middle one. Okay, good. That's all I needed to know.

Whitney: That's on a fabulous study abroad program right now.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Whitney: You're welcome. Anyway, and we're butting heads, and he is being so entitled. And, but also my mom heart is feeling bad about, you know, standing my ground and, and keeping my boundaries. And I'm mulling it over and I'm mulling it over, and on the drive over here, I'm like, you know, in my head just thinking about it in many ways, like I can't believe this, and then this is, and then this, and then this. And then, wait, did I handle that right? Dah-dah-dah. And I kind of catch myself, and I look down at the radio, and Tom Petty, Don't Back Down, I Won't Back Down

Amy: Yeah, sure.

Whitney: is on, and I 100% know that that was dead Hunter, that was my dead husband, telling me, don't you back down.

Amy: Oh, you stand

Whitney: You stand your ground.

Amy: You stand your ground.

Whitney: And then that made me want to tell everyone, get your pom-poms out, Amy. I want to tell everyone out there, these these these women out there, these hard-working, amazing mothers, put everyone else first. They're not even on the list. Don't you back down. You set boundaries for yourself, and you don't feel guilty about it. My My intention was pure love, heartfelt. I only want the best for for my child, obviously, but even the other people that I deal with in my life, my intention is pure. And you want to come at me and make me feel like I am crazy, or

Amy: Yeah. Yeah.

Whitney: or acting like selfishly? No. Don't accept it. You look inside at your intention, and if it is good, you set that boundary and you stick with that boundary. You don't back down.

Amy: Mm-mm.

Whitney: You do not back down, and I will not back down. But my heart is broken.

Amy: Ugh.

Whitney: But I'm not going to back down.

Amy: He's, you're It's

Whitney: My heart is broken.

Amy: That's intense.

Whitney: Oh, I can't even talk about it.

Amy: Oh, my god, you're going to cry.

Whitney: It's just because I know that his the way he's digging in is is a mistake, and I don't want to have to deal I don't want to bring the consequence to him, but there has to be consequence, and he's just, you know, the the the brain hasn't fully developed.

Amy: That's right.

Whitney: He's he's just doesn't, he he really does not understand, but I have to stand my ground and let him handle the consequence that, by the way, I am I am going to be bringing the consequence, you know? It's not

Amy: You have to.

Whitney: I have to.

Amy: But, damn, when they get that age, it's like, come on! You know what I mean, like?

Whitney: It's just so stupid and, and he has, because he has dug his heel in, heels in, it, I have to now

Amy: Follow through. You have to follow through.

Whitney: follow through with Yeah, I have to, I have to teach the lesson, and it's so hard. But that's what we're supposed to do as parents, and then just to protect ourselves. Like there was there were choices made,

Amy: That's right.

Whitney: and I'm sorry you made that choice, but because of that, I have to follow through, and it is killing me. And I would love to back down. I mean, that's kind of what I was thinking about on the way over here. I'm like, how can I fix this

Amy: Of course. I'm sure.

Whitney: for him and for me, because I'm about to go over there in two weeks.

Amy: I know. But you compromise like what you really want, and it's what you really think is right.

Whitney: Yeah, I mean, the truth is it doesn't really matter what my feelings are or what his feelings are. I have to look at the facts, and the facts are this is a lesson that needs to be learned, and and thankfully I get to teach him versus he's just in the world and people who don't love him are going to teach him.

Amy: That's a good perspective. You know, like, oh, at least you get to do it and handle it in the best way possible.

Whitney: Yeah, but it is heartbreaking, and, you know.

Amy: Damn. I'm sorry.

Whitney: But again, I'm, it's coming from this weird place of guilt too that I don't need to have any guilt. That's, I didn't make these choices,

Amy: No.

Whitney: but there are consequences for the choices.

Amy: Oh, my god.

Whitney: I know everyone's dying to know what actually happened.

Amy: I am.

Whitney: I'm dying to know, and I don't know.

Amy: My mom did that to my sister when my sister was 21. Oh, my, it like, she told my sister this was unacceptable. She was like, my sister, sorry, Elizabeth, but my sister was like living with this guy or whatever, and my mother was like, no. And for my sister was home on her 21st birthday, and my mom said, here's your present. She walked her to the front door, opened the door, and was like, buh-bye.

Whitney: Yeah. You, it's so sad.

Amy: Can you ima, my head was blown.

Whitney: And her heart was broken.

Amy: Oh, I'm sure. I'm sure.

Whitney: And her heart was broken. But guess what?

Amy: It worked.

Whitney: It worked, and that, you know, I actually called Hunter's parents last night, cuz I was just like

Amy: My sister calls it the great sickness, I think.

Whitney: Yeah. I, you know, People are dumb when they're 20. They are. They're so dumb. They're so dumb.

Amy: So, yeah, you're going to say something.

Whitney: No, I can't even remember now. But, you know, the the, we're we're on the same page. I mean, the truth is

Amy: Oh, shoot. Sorry. Sorry, sorry.

Whitney: this will be something that will be remembered, and hopefully it will teach him what needs to be taught. And if it doesn't, then something else is going to come along that will continue to try to teach him the lesson. But it gets harder and harder. If you don't learn the lesson the first go around,

Amy: the the the way that life gets your attention It'll be that.

Whitney: gets a lot harder. Yeah, so, you know.

Amy: That's right. Life will be like, remember that thing? Let's do it again so you get it.

Whitney: Right. Exactly. Well, what's that they say, you know, God whispers in your ear, and then he taps you on the shoulder, and then he pushes you off a cliff?

Amy: I've never heard that.

Whitney: Yeah, it's like, I, what are you're not listening, so I'm going to get your attention. So anyway, that's what's been going on with me.

Amy: Well, thanks for sharing.

Whitney: Thanks for listening.

Amy: And for getting fired up to give a pep talk, one of your classic pep talks. You know, you never know when one's going to creep up and someone needed to hear that.

Whitney: So fired up. That's right. Yeah, I myself needed to hear it, and I will play this back many times. We're going to make it a clip. Because I have a people-pleasing problem.

Amy: Me too. And it's just and it's just hard too with your kids when all you want to do is make them happy.

Whitney: Right. I just want to love them and give them the best experience, and then when there's no gratitude, that's partly on me, because I'm you know, dead dad makes you kind of want to throw everything at them and be like, here! And then what about this? And then here! And then, and then

Amy: Yeah. Well, yeah, true. True, mine's mine's divorce, but still, like I did it, and so I feel guilty, so I'm like, okay, what can I do? You know, like, and so then you're like

Whitney: Yeah. Exactly. But we're not doing them any good that we're not helping them in any way. We're doing them a disservice, because life is not going to hand everything to you, and you need to have humility. The I'm not talking to people that are listening, I'm talking to my son. You need to have humility, and, you know, and grace and gratitude. And when people come at you without that, you got a you gotta stand your ground. So anyway, thanks, Tom Petty. and Hunter Stropp for reminding me of that on the way over here.

Amy: I know, he speaks to you through the radio, right?

Whitney: Don't you love that though, too? Like, there was a part of me that was like, "Gosh, how great." Now, I'm going to cry again. He's still here. You know?

Amy: Makes me cry, too.

Whitney: Not in the flesh, but in spirit, and I'm so grateful that I get to have those moments with him where he's still like, "You got this."

Amy: Yeah, absolutely.

Whitney: But I really Yeah. Anyway. All right, shake it off. What about you? What's your midlife?

Amy: Oh, I think I was just exceptionally hormonal yesterday, and imagine that, and so I'm 2 weeks off of the algae.

Whitney: Same, same. Okay. And?

Amy: And which was a fail, everyone. The algae experiment was a grand fail.

Whitney: Can you go a little bit more into that?

Amy: My, I mean, my sleep is completely fucked. I have hot flashes like I've never had before. I don't know if that's due a coincident to

Whitney: Okay, well hold on. Did that happen after you went off the algae, or while you were on it everything happened? Okay.

Amy: While I was on it. So could be a coincidence.

Whitney: No coincidences.

Amy: They could not be connected. Maybe I was going to have that happen no matter what. But

Whitney: But you are in pre- or I mean, in menopause.

Amy: I think I'm in menopause. My period stopped during this algae thing, so could be a coincidence, but whatever, my digestive system never got back

Whitney: Yeah. That's probably it. Oh, no.

Amy: on track during the algae, and now it's back on track.

Whitney: Have you done the blood work?

Amy: I've done the blood work, but the day I did the blood work to get a read on that, the day I did the blood work, I went back on my hormones. I went back on everything that I already had. So I was like, "Fuck this." Went back on everything. So I'm 2 weeks today from getting back on my hormones. So I'm hoping to maybe do another blood work so we can see the difference. So

Whitney: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Amy: that is my plan.

Whitney: I'm really disappointed about the algae.

Amy: Boy, me, too.

Whitney: I so wanted that to be the secret.

Amy: Yeah. We wouldn't have known unless I tried.

Whitney: No, and I'm so glad that you did.

Amy: But it is not the secret. I mean, I guess it works for some people, and maybe the woman who started the company, awesome. You know, she was great on my show. It's super fascinating, but

Whitney: No, no.

Amy: it did not work for me. It did not work for me.

Whitney: It did not work for you. Didn't feel any difference in your skin or anything?

Amy: Just worse. The differences were not better. That I didn't improve.

Whitney: Yeah. Right.

Amy: I didn't. And so, man, I'm glad to be back on stuff. I feel I'm feeling better and better every day.

Whitney: Oh, that's so good.

Amy: I feel like I was getting more tired and just I feel like I don't know. I'm doing much better. So yeah. So I'll report in on after I do the meeting with the doctor, and we'll see what the differences are. What if they're like, "Everything was good."?

Whitney: Yeah. Right.

Amy: They're like, "I have to say."

Whitney: You know, well, one thing that I have heard my doctor say many times is, you know, it doesn't matter what the blood work says really. It's how you're feeling, which is why they didn't want to test my hormones last time, but she's like, "It's how your body is feeling, and go off of that, because everybody's levels are different. No No two people are alike."

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. No, it's true. It is true.

Whitney: So your mid moment was just emotional?

Amy: Oh, so I think I've just been really hormonal and just Justin was leaving yesterday, and I

Whitney: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Amy: I got I my mind just started spinning, and I convinced myself that everyone thinks I'm their servant, and blah, blah, blah. And then, you know, I texted him my feelings and I was like, nervous to text him my feelings cuz he was leaving for a trip. And then he didn't reply right away. But it turns out like, he didn't have internet, and blah, blah, blah. And I thought, oh, my god. And then

Whitney: Mhm. You're like, "Oh no, I want to take it back." Yeah.

Amy: I spiraled into full, he hates me now, and

Whitney: Mhm. We're going to get a divorce. Oh, my gosh.

Amy: yep, and and and everything's awful, and I just I spun out. And then he was like, "Honey, everything's fine." Like, and I was like, "Oh, my god. What is wrong with me?" And then I found a dead squirrel in the ice bath.

Whitney: Oh, no.

Amy: So

Whitney: Oh, no.

Amy: I know. Moment for the squirrel.

Whitney: Did you have to fish it out?

Amy: No, I It's still there. First, I screamed a lot, and then I texted our pool guy, and I was like, "You're going to have to handle this cuz Justin's out of town, and I can't do it. I'm not doing it."

Whitney: It's still there.

Amy: Anyway, so that it was a real emotional roller coaster

Whitney: Oh, no. He just couldn't get out. I'm sorry.

Amy: I know. So it was an emotional roller coaster yesterday, so anyway,

Whitney: But also,

Amy: here we are.

Whitney: going back to what you said about feeling like you're everyone's slave, that's kind of how I was feeling. Like, everyone expects me to By the way, I'm trying to plan this trip to Spain, and I am Logistics are so difficult for me, like

Amy: Challenging.

Whitney: Like, even making an airline flight, like I get so worked up about wait. Wait, is this the right date? Okay, hold on. Wait, is are these the right flights?

Amy: Right.

Whitney: And then I had to make like some flights and some trains, and you know, and and I was just all worked up,

Amy: Oh, that's a lot.

Whitney: and I'm trying to make everyone as everyone else's trip be amazing and not putting myself on the list to the point where I am no longer joyful about the trip. Well, that is ridiculous. So maybe you were feeling like every you're doing everything for everyone else, but it's not because of them. It's because of you. That's what's happening with me. No one's asking me to make it the best trip they've ever been on in their life.

Amy: You know? Right.

Whitney: I mean, just going to Spain is going to be interesting.

Amy: Right. Right.

Whitney: Why does every moment have to be planned with something incredible? I hate myself. I am so

Amy: It doesn't. It doesn't.

Whitney: I am so annoyed with myself. I take back hating myself. I love myself,

Amy: Yeah, you don't. You love yourself. You do.

Whitney: but I hate this quality, because it only makes me miserable. It doesn't do anything to bring value to my life, and I need to let it go.

Amy: Anywhere you are is going to be the most fun cuz you're hilarious.

Whitney: Oh, thank you, Amy. My children do not agree.

Amy: So, just figure like

Whitney: I'm like, "Hey, let's get this boat. And what about this tapas and tours? And then this and then this."

Amy: That sounds so fun.

Whitney: It's very stressful.

Amy: Oh, it sounds awful.

Whitney: That's the problem is why can't I just enjoy this?

Amy: I know.

Whitney: I need to go back and remember my word for the year is joy.

Amy: Is it?

Whitney: Yeah, it's joy. And then I have this joy light-up sign that hasn't worked in years, and at the beginning of January,

Amy: Nice. Stop it.

Whitney: it just lit up.

Amy: Stop.

Whitney: That's why I said, "Okay, this is going to be my word." And so now,

Amy: That's so Shoot. That's so cool.

Whitney: I mean, I have changed It's crazy. It's crazy. But yeah, it hasn't worked in years, and now it works sporadically.

Amy: Well, so

Whitney: Which every time it works, I'm like, "Okay, joy. Joy." Yeah, exactly.

Amy: So does your joy. You're like, "Oh, I forgot. Here we go again."

Whitney: Exactly. So, I need to get back on the joy train, stop trying to please everyone,

Amy: Yeah. Oh, man.

Whitney: put myself on the list, and know that it's enough. Yeah. I don't have to you know, find a really great Spaniard on a skateboard to take my skateboarding kid around the town.

Amy: It is enough. Wow, you were doing that?

Whitney: I was looking into it. It's not off the table. But it's insane. It's so insane. So, I got to release all of that. Anyway, what are we talking about today?

Amy: Oh, God. You do. You do. Today, we're talking sauna.

Whitney: Sauna, oh, good.

Amy: Sauna. One of my faves. One of my faves.

Whitney: Because I have looked into getting one multiple times.

Amy: Okay. Well, I'm about to convince your ass. That's what I'm about to do.

Whitney: I cannot wait. Are you going to talk about both kinds or just one kind?

Amy: A little. We're going to touch on infrared, but we're mostly talking more about a traditional sauna.

Whitney: Okay, great.

Amy: But, they're they're kind of the same. It it doesn't matter. What they're doing is the same thing. So, that's great, right? That's what we want to know. So, today we're going to talk sauna.

Whitney: Okay. Great to know. Sauna.

Amy: Yes, I have actually two saunas in my house,

Whitney: And, they the same kind Like, this types?

Amy: and No. One is infrared and traditional, and one is just traditional. One the just traditional is made by Plunge, and it's really cool. And the one that's both is outside, and it is it is older. I can't remember the brand, but it works good. It gets hot, man.

Whitney: Okay. Okay. All right, I cannot wait. I'm excited cuz I've wanted to purchase one.

Amy: Okay. Okay, good. Well, sauna therapy is also known as heat stress and hormesis. I don't know if I'm I should have checked how to say that. I almost said hormeosis. It's not hormeosis. It's hormesis, H-O-R-M-E-S-I-S. So

Whitney: Yeah, hormesis. It doesn't matter.

Amy: hormetic stress, hormetic stress. Sauna therapy is a form of hormetic stress. So hormesis is the what doesn't kill you makes you stronger principle. Well, we get that.

Whitney: Oh, man. More of that? Okay.

Amy: I know, right? According to the National Institute of Health, hormesis is a biological phenomenon where low doses of a stressor, be it chemical, physical, or environmental, induce adapted beneficial effects on an organism. High doses can be toxic or inhibitory, of course, like too much heat, right? Die.

Whitney: Right. Yeah.

Amy: Often described as biphasic dose-response, it's a mechanism which boosts cellular repair and resilience, essentially strengthening the system through manageable, intermittent stress. By exposing your body to short bursts of intense heat, you trigger a cellular cleanup process known as our favorite, autophagy. Looks like autophagey, autophagy.

Whitney: Autophagy.

Amy: Boy, I've had to really learn to pronounce that one.

Whitney: Yeah, I'm impressed.

Amy: Yeah. And produce heat shock proteins, which act like little molecular bodyguards for your cells.

Whitney: Oh, okay.

Amy: Cool, right? Now, I am a regular sauna-er, okay? I have, like I said, I've got a couple here. I feel so good when I'm regularly doing it.

Whitney: You've got two. And by regular, what do you mean?

Amy: I would say probably three times a week. That is my regular. And I'll roughly do two rounds, and I try to do 20 minutes per round, but sometimes it's just 20 minutes then 15.

Whitney: Oh, I didn't know there were rounds. I thought it was just in and then you're out.

Amy: You can if you want. We're going to talk about what's kind of ideal for temperature settings and time. at the end, okay? So first off though, let's talk about the history of saunas.

Whitney: I would love to know about the historical facts.

Amy: Just a little. Yeah, me, too. Okay, saunas have been a cornerstone of the culture in Finland, Finnish culture, for over 2,000 years. They were originally wood-lined huts and stones were heated, right? We still do that part, by fire to create dry heat. And this was the only heated space that they even really had. You know? In Finland, saunas were historically considered the poor man's drugstore.

Whitney: Oh, hilarious.

Amy: So it would help like cure your stuff.

Whitney: Yeah, get things out of your system, detox.

Amy: Yeah, and it was also known as the cleanest place to bathe and even give birth. Wild.

Whitney: I know. You gave birth in a sauna?

Amy: Isn't that trippy? It's crazy, right? Finland has over 3 million saunas for the 5.5 million people that live there. And nearly 90% of Finns use a sauna at least weekly, often in their homes, apartments, or summer cottages, which sounds fabulous.

Whitney: Mhm. I would love a summer cottage.

Amy: It is a sacred and egalitarian space for cleansing, social interaction, and meditation, frequently used to escape daily stress and connect with nature. The core of the experience is known as I don't know how to say this really, but löyly, L-O with a with a double

Whitney: With a

Amy: dots on it, Y-L-Y, the steam released by throwing water on hot stones in a heated room, okay? Now, they keep it around 175 Fahrenheit, 80 Celsius. We'll talk about that. Also, cooling down is essential. They usually use a cold shower or a dip in a lake or even rolling in the snow in winter. A I think it's called avanto, is a a branch bundle. They whisk the skin to stimulate circulation even in there, right?

Whitney: Wow.

Amy: Like, what did I write here then? Which I want to do.

Whitney: Which I want to do.

Amy: Which I want to do, like a what? That's what I said. The sentence looks like, which I want to do like what, but I mean it means like, which I want to do, like what? Okay.

Whitney: Like what?

Amy: So in Finland

Whitney: You can get Justin in there, though.

Amy: Oh, he would be so into that. Like that sounds fun. I'm going to look those up cuz I do have my sauna accessories, which we'll talk about.

Whitney: Okay, good.

Amy: Now in Finland, inside the sauna, all social statuses and hierarchies are stripped away, literally.

Whitney: Stripped away. Okay.

Amy: Okay, everybody's equal and it is not considered a luxury like it is here. It is not a luxury, it is standard.

Whitney: It's the poor man's drugstore.

Amy: In, but everybody does it. It's a way of life, right? It's like normal. Like, you do it.

Whitney: Every house has one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Amy: Yeah, you do it. And and also people go naked. On Reddit, I saw a thread where somebody went to visit and the whole family was in there.

Whitney: Naked.

Amy: All ages completely nude.

Whitney: Your mom, your dad, your grandma, your kids.

Amy: Your old grandma, your young cousins, like yeah, the whole nine yards.

Whitney: Europeans, man, they're not afraid of their bodies.

Amy: Right. And it's

Whitney: When I was living over there, I was shocked. I'm hiding in the corner and they're just like, ta-da.

Amy: Yeah, the person writing the Reddit thread was like, "I was freaking out. This is weird. These two are having a conversation, like a little kid and the old grandpa and they're all naked."

Whitney: I love it though. There's no shame, and

Amy: Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of positives, right? Like, a lot of body positive. So, but anyway that's just their culture, right? So, we don't tend to go naked, at least I don't.

Whitney: I cannot. I will wear a towel. I mean, at my own house I will.

Amy: Certain parts of my body heat up more than others, and I like to keep my nipples covered. Like, they get too hot.

Whitney: Oh, that's true. That's a good point.

Amy: So, anyway, I have to wear something. So, but bottomless, no, I'm just kidding.

Whitney: Bottomless.

Amy: All right. Well, let's get into how this reacts to Long-term studies of Finnish people indicate that regular frequent sauna bathing, which means for them four to seven times a week roughly around 174° and roughly anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes, closer to 20, let's say 19 minutes, is strongly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and fatal heart events. Pretty fucking badass.

Whitney: I was just at the cardiologist with my mom yesterday.

Amy: Yeah. Maybe, maybe she needs a sauna.

Whitney: Mm.

Amy: Just easy, though. You know, infrared might be better for her because it is easier to tolerate.

Whitney: What about just a hot shower?

Amy: Yeah, I mean, that's a little like a steamer.

Whitney: I don't think I'm going to buy her a sauna.

Amy: Yeah, okay. She can come over to your place and use yours.

Whitney: That's true, yes.

Amy: All right. It also significantly reduces dementia and Alzheimer's risk, and lowers blood pressure, reduces arthritis pain, headache and flu symptoms. How about that?

Whitney: I have heard that it's incredibly great for your body.

Amy: Yeah, it is. It is. I mean, I know I just feel so much better.

Whitney: You live longer. Yeah.

Amy: Yeah. This all of course sounds good, but the bad news is that most of these studies were done on men.

Whitney: Oh no.

Amy: So as they do.

Whitney: Ugh.

Amy: But when I did look up long-term studies on women in Finland, here's what I found: cardiovascular health is improved. Frequent sauna bathing one to four times a month or more, one to four times a month or more, is strongly linked to lower blood pressure, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and improved vascular function, even if someone has heart disease. Pretty cool.

Whitney: Now they don't, we don't know if everybody's nipples are impacted like yours though, because there just haven't been enough women studies.

Amy: They get toasty. So toasty.

Whitney: Toasty.

Amy: Mental well-being. Participants reported better mental health, higher energy levels, and increased happiness. Longevity, we love it. Research suggests that regular sauna use is associated with reduced all-cause mortality. I guess that means everything you could die from.

Whitney: Yeah. Everything.

Amy: Similar to findings in men. Physical health: regular sessions, and this is again still women that we're talking about, regular sessions can improve pain, arthritis, headaches and the common cold. And it's just a good part of your self-care routine because it's considered a valuable, accessible self-care practice for enhancing mental health and fostering community connection. Now that's there because they're not doing it alone like me, listening to a podcast.

Whitney: Right. I mean, you're getting community when you're all sitting in a tiny sweat box naked.

Amy: It's awesome. I mean, Justin and I really, there's nothing else for us to do when we're in there together and so we talk.

Whitney: But talk. But some of them have music that you can play in there.

Amy: Most of them do.

Whitney: Oh, okay.

Amy: Yeah, most of them do.

Whitney: Or listen to a podcast or something.

Amy: I'll wear an earbud. It it like heats up with my skin, so it I don't feel the heat on that. But sometimes I'll just blast it right outside the door.

Whitney: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Amy: Whatever. But sometimes it's just nice to just lay there, you know, dose.

Whitney: Well, and like I think you said in your notes, meditation. Like, that that would really be a good time where you just are quiet. No technology, just you and

Amy: Yeah. And you don't have to push yourself and go insanely hot or anything like that, cuz you still get the benefits when it's lower. I went through this phase where I was doing it like 215°. That's too fucking hot. And I was dying, and so, then I was like, "Why am I doing this?" So I started studying it and sure enough, it was like, "Oh, you only need like 180, max 185." So I pulled it way down. And our one outside, the like thermometer in it was broken, so we weren't exactly sure how hot it was getting, so I bought a really easy like $13 thermometer, and that's in there now. So it's really nice. I can monitor the humidity and I can monitor how hot it gets, and so.

Whitney: Which one do you go to more frequently? The inside one, I bet.

Amy: Yeah, but yeah. Either, really. Yeah. According to my lease, I'm only supposed to do the outside, so let's just say the outside.

Whitney: Mum's the word.

Amy: So there we are. Okay. So, there's been a massive surge, massive surge because of I guess wellness and longevity in the US, massive surge in sauna interest, and infrared is more popular here than the traditional, probably just cuz it's easier to get your hands on, you know. Like, yeah. So, if you want a little information on traditional versus infrared, the main difference is how the heat is produced and how it affects your body. So, both make you sweat, right? But the experience and the physiology are a little bit different, but the benefits are kind of the same. So traditional saunas use higher heat around anywhere from 155 to 212° or 70 to 100 Celsius to warm the air all around you. And these have the most robust long-term data for cardiovascular health and longevity, specifically from like large-scale studies from ages ago in Finland, right? So we can monitor that more easily.

Whitney: Okay. But is Are you talking about the kind that I'm getting a little confused. So those are the kind where you pour the water over the stones. And then the ones where there are no stones or water, that's the infrared?

Amy: Yeah. Yeah.

Whitney: Or there hot and wet saunas and then an infrared one?

Amy: No, there's just stones, that's traditional, or infrared, that's light. And it's just different how it heats you.

Whitney: Okay, gotcha.

Amy: So like the the way to think of it is the traditional ones heat the air around you, the infrared heats you from the inside out. So it kind of heats your body.

Whitney: So there's no sauna that has I thought there was a sauna that had no stones, but was still steam.

Amy: That's infrared. Oh. Maybe, maybe.

Whitney: No, that doesn't really make sense though.

Amy: Hey, there might be that I just don't know, so yeah, and then there's combos, you know. And in our indoor one, it doesn't have any water you pour over the stones. It's just dry.

Whitney: But it's not It's traditional.

Amy: It's traditional, yes, but it's just dry.

Whitney: Okay, see, that's what I'm talking about. So there's a dry and a wet traditional.

Amy: Maybe so, yeah. So we have that one that you don't pour any water on,

Whitney: Yeah, so you're not pouring stones. But it's not infrared.

Amy: but it's not infrared. And then the one outside is combination infrared and traditional, but you can pour You can or not pour the water on the stones. I've I use it all the time with no water poured on it, cuz it's plenty fine hot enough.

Whitney: Yeah. Yeah.

Amy: But sometimes in the winter, it'll feel really good to put the water on there and then it steams up in there and you really like it.

Whitney: Yeah, I feel like the steam would be good for your skin.

Amy: Yeah, it's fun. It's fun. You know though, you sweat so much in there without this the steam that it gets Well, it's still dry heat. Eh. Okay.

Whitney: Oh, true. True. Meh.

Amy: So infrared saunas use light waves to heat your body directly at lower temperatures. So we're talking 120 to 150 Fahrenheit. Can I just use Fahrenheit?

Whitney: Yes, please. No one here is

Amy: No one, no, yeah.

Whitney: using Celsius. I don't think Canadians are listening.

Amy: You never know. We might be huge in Canada.

Whitney: That's true.

Amy: So, What do they say in huge, eh?

Whitney: You listening in, eh?

Amy: Yeah, that's what they say. I said it right.

Whitney: You hosers.

Amy: Hoser, oh my god, we're going way back to like Great White North.

Whitney: Yeah, exactly.

Amy: Yeah. Well, traditional saunas are I bet they love saunas there, though.

Whitney: I'm sure they do.

Amy: So I mean, they might They're going to listen into this one.

Whitney: They're going to listen into this one. So you're going to have to use Fahrenheit and Celsius.

Amy: Yeah. Okay, good. Fine. Okay, infrared is 120 to 150 Fahrenheit, 48 to 65 Celsius. Traditional saunas are considered the gold standard for heat heart health research, and infrared are just really great for anybody who just feels suffocated in that high heat, and need still needs it for muscle recovery or joint pain. So, you know, it's cool. Like, totally cool to use the infrared, too.

Whitney: Mhm. Yeah.

Amy: I I I imagine there's people that are snobs on both sides or something like that or like, "Only traditional."

Whitney: Right. But you have used both, and you don't really care You don't You don't care. Either way.

Amy: Who cares? Right. I just like traditional, so that's just me. I just like it, but I've used both, yeah. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about some other things in the sauna that you may not know, which is, do you know about sauna hats?

Whitney: I do not know about sauna hats. I know nothing about the tools in the sauna.

Amy: Oh, well

Whitney: Or the

Amy: sauna hats are traditionally worn and they protect your hair and they keep you from getting so hot. It's kind of weird because they're like Okay, here. So sauna can be bad for your hair, like super drying and cause heat breakage, you know?

Whitney: Sure. Oh, right, right. You want to protect it.

Amy: So you should always try I don't always wet my hair before like the sauna.

Whitney: I was going to say, put a shower cap on.

Amy: That's plastic, don't do that, okay? But get a sauna hat. So you can wet your hair. If it's real, real hot, wet your hair. But Justin always wets his hair, but his hair does get dryer than mine.

Whitney: Okay. Yeah, my hair's always dry.

Amy: And yeah, so, you know, you can just basically put it in a traditional hat. I personally use a cashmere beanie from rag & bone, it's my favorite. But really traditionally

Whitney: That sounds hot. A cashmere hat on your head in the sauna?

Amy: I know. Traditionally, they're made of felted wool, and they they are like

Whitney: Like a leprechaun?

Amy: Kinda. They're so ridiculous looking. They like go like woo over your head, and it weirdly cools you. It keeps you cooler.

Whitney: Interesting.

Amy: Yeah, I love wearing a sauna hat.

Whitney: Well, I'm going to have to get one. If I get a sauna, I got to get the hat.

Amy: I don't

Whitney: I'm imagining like the Flying Nun or something.

Amy: That's kind of what it's like. It's sort of like wearing a flower on top of your head, right? It comes out a little bit, kind of like a little I don't know, helmet that poofs out on the ed in ends, but you can also get a cap Damn it, I meant to bring them up here and show you. Shoot.

Whitney: Oh man.

Amy: Because we have several and then you can get them they say sauna boss or they're embroidered with all sorts of things. There's crazy ones out there now of course everything you could possibly want. And so I just I love it. I can't believe the difference that it makes. Like you are so much cooler.

Whitney: Yeah. Interesting. Even your cashmere beanie, you're so much cooler.

Amy: Yes. I like my cashmere beanie.

Whitney: Just seems wrong. Okay.

Amy: It weirdly cools you. Sauna hats, they're typically made of felted wool as I said. They're designed to protect the head, hair, and ears from extreme heat. Yeah, it covers your ears, feels so much better. And it prevents overheating, isn't that weird? Prevents dizziness, prevents headaches.

Whitney: Yeah. That is crazy, cuz you keep a hat on to keep heat in.

Amy: To keep heat in, yeah. By insulating the head, it allows you to stay in longer, which that's what Justin told me when we first started doing it and I was like this doesn't make any logical sense, but it does. You insulate your head, you can stay in longer, you can be more comfortable, have safer sauna sessions, also preventing your hair from becoming brittle, dry, damaged by high temperatures. Pretty cool.

Whitney: I would have never guessed about the hat.

Amy: I also, when I wear a bathing suit, I don't like it with any metal on it. Don't have any metal on you. I've learned that the hard way, take it from me.

Whitney: Yeah, you have to take your necklaces off.

Amy: I always, they'll heat up with your body, but if you move and it and it lays down again, it can burn you, so take everything off, always.

Whitney: Oh yeah.

Amy: Now this is controversial, but I my toes also get way too hot. I don't know why, my toes get so hot it's uncomfortable. I tend to wear socks or some sort of covering on my toes.

Whitney: I would love a photo of your sauna outfit.

Amy: Okay. I I will take a picture. I have I know I have some, but I will. I looked it up, it's not great because it said it can promote bacterial growth, but I haven't experienced any ill effects. So I just like it over my toes cuz they get too hot, so.

Whitney: Any growth.

Amy: Okay, so moving forward. Okay, sauna for midlife women. It is generally more supportive of female physiology, avoiding the sharp cortisol spikes that can be induced by extreme cold aka cold plunging.

Whitney: Mm.

Amy: I am not a fan of cold plunging, I want the warmth and so I tend towards sauna like 100%, so.

Whitney: Yeah, I tried to do the cryo and I'm just like, why am I torturing myself?

Amy: Oh my god, I cussed the whole time.

Whitney: I I've got Metallica playing super loud and I'm just bouncing around and I'm like and it's just three minutes, but it seems like forever.

Amy: It's horrible, I hate it so much.

Whitney: I hate it too.

Amy: It's not for me, and so I listen to my body and I encourage everyone to listen to your body, too, and even in the sauna sometimes I'll be like, "That's enough," you know, and I'm not pushing myself to get to a certain thing. I do, I listen to my body and then I just get out and it's okay, it's totally okay. Go cool off. You know, you're you're still getting the benefits, so you don't have to push yourself. So sauna use by cycle. So those of you that still have a period, let me just talk to you really quick because it's

Whitney: Great advice. I'm just going to step over here for a minute.

Amy: Actually, me, too. Sauna is generally safe and beneficial throughout your whole menstrual cycle. It can help pain relief, muscle relaxation, and reduce bloating. We like that. For best results, use 20 minute sessions during the menstrual phase for cramps, 30 to 45 minutes in the follicular and early luteal phase for recovery, and shorter, lower temperature sessions in the late luteal phase, which menstrual is days one through five, follicular six through 13, that's when you want to go longer, right, cuz you're feeling energetic, and then your luteal is like days 18 through 28, so then just take it easier on yourself, right, cuz you're moving into actually having your period. Okay. It can promote relaxation. Now back to all of us. Okay, it can promote relaxation and improve your skin glow. I definitely feel like my skin glows more when I do it.

Whitney: I understand that, yeah. I can I can get behind that for sure.

Amy: The my my main drawback is like that I have hair extensions and I'm like, ugh, I feel like I have to my hair gets all sweaty and since I have natural curl, it gets real curly by my head and then I'm like, ah. So I have to kind of wash my hair, blah blah blah.

Whitney: And I'm out.

Amy: Yeah, that's a pain. It's a pain, so.

Whitney: No, I'm teasing. I'm teasing, I do think it's worth it. I mean if I have to shower afterwards, so be it.

Amy: Yeah, I fantasize sometimes about shaving my head and just or cutting my hair so short and then just being able to do it all the time.

Whitney: Oh, yeah. That's going to stay a fantasy.

Amy: Probably. Probably.

Whitney: I don't see you shaving your head.

Amy: I don't think I

Whitney: But your daughter did, didn't she?

Amy: And she looked so good.

Whitney: Killing it.

Amy: She looked gorgeous.

Whitney: Yeah. And then how freeing, like you said.

Amy: Oh, totally. And then she said, "You know, it's made me appreciate how my face looks more."

Whitney: Aw.

Amy: And I'm like, wow, what a cool

Whitney: Is it still short like that or is she growing it out?

Amy: Now now it's like a mullet.

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: She's non-binary, they are non-binary now, so. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so saunas trigger a significant release of Oops. Sorry, promotes skin glow. Improves skin glow, there. Plus, you are off your phone. I still do listen to podcasts, but you're off a screen, which is great, and I love doing it with someone, too. It's a fun like

Whitney: Also cool. Oh, yeah.

Amy: friend date kind of a thing.

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: Yeah. Saunas trigger a significant release of endorphins, natural, feel-good opioids, we know that, we love those, due to the heat induced stress on the body with levels potentially rising three times above normal. This release, often accompanied by dopamine and dynorphin. I don't even know.

Whitney: I've never even heard of that.

Amy: Me, either. I should look that up.

Whitney: Dynorphin.

Amy: embracing the post-sauna dopamine surge. Pretty cool, right?

Whitney: Oh, wow. Yeah.

Amy: When you're exposed to heat, your body's sympathetic nervous system is activated releasing all these feel-good chemicals. And they said in a research paper from 2018, quote, "Post-sauna recovery enhances brain neural network relaxation and improves cognitive economy in oddball tasks."

Whitney: Oddball tasks?

Amy: Yeah. Yeah, the brain showed increased relaxation and more efficient information processing especially for simple visual and auditory tasks.

Whitney: Mm. Have you felt that? Like when you step out of the sauna, are you like

Amy: Sometimes, I'm just fucking beat. I'm like, oh god. But

Amy: procrastinating and get back to crushing it!

Whitney: I need that. I am a huge procrastinator.

Whitney: I mean, that's pretty cool, right?

Amy: Yeah, that's very cool.

Whitney: Interesting byproduct.

Whitney: Definitely want to get one.

Amy: Yeah. Okay, so they don't directly burn belly fat, unfortunately. There's no like spot reduction, which is unfortunate. I have definitely bought one of those belt things that's like rubber and worn that in there hoping to sweat off my

Whitney: Oh right.

Amy: waistline. It never seemed to work. Mhm.

Whitney: It doesn't work.

Amy: But it can support overall fat loss by boosting metabolism, reducing stress, as we said, promoting relaxation, and then that helps with consistent healthy habits. So, you're like feel, so like it's an overall thing, you know?

Whitney: Right.

Amy: You lose temporary weight from water not fat. But regular sessions combined with diet and exercise can aid fat loss by burning calories and improving recovery with some evidence suggesting that fat mass reduction over time.

Whitney: Okay. Yeah, I'll take it.

Amy: Hormones and sleep. Sauna use can lower cortisol, as we said, stress hormones go down, and increase your growth hormone, which helps maintain muscle mass and bone density.

Whitney: Ooh. In midlife, we definitely need that. Yeah.

Amy: A biggie for us.

Whitney: That's huge.

Amy: Yes. It also mimics the drop in body temperature that occurs naturally before sleep, helping women with insomnia.

Whitney: Well, what are you doing?

Amy: I should do it before bed. See what happens.

Whitney: Exactly. I know it doesn't sound Well, I mean, then you just hop in the shower, and then you hop into bed.

Amy: Yeah, rinse off really quick. Hot flashes. That's me. While it seems counterintuitive to use heat to treat hot flashes, regular sauna use can help the body's internal thermostat, the hypothalamus, become more efficient at cooling down, potentially reducing the intensity of flashes over time.

Whitney: That makes sense to me. You're You're You're teaching your body how to regulate Yeah. if you're in the sauna all the time, so then when you have a hot flash, it knows how to regulate better. I like that.

Amy: Yeah, that's interesting, right? I did read, however, that it can make them worse in some people. Isn't that always the case? So annoying. So take that into account, and I don't know for me yet, so I'll get back to you on that. I'm going to try a little experiments with it. Joint pain: the deep heat increases blood flow flow to cold joints and provides relief for aches and pains, especially that we get in menopause. And I want to have a little side bar here about it with breast implants because I do have breast implants and there has been some controversy, I would say maybe a few years ago, especially about infrared saunas with breast implants.

Whitney: Oh, what do they say?

Amy: Because that's the heat from inside, you know?

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: It's a common concern for women if it will damage your breast implants. So the science says that medical-grade silicone, which is what most of us have nowadays, is extremely stable. It typically only begins to degrade at temperatures above like 400°, 392°.

Whitney: Oh, nobody's in that. Yeah.

Amy: Fair enough. So that's not happening. You'd die anyway. So since most saunas stay well below half that, the physical integrity of the implant is not at risk. So and I asked a doctor about it, and he said it was fine. So some women do report that the implants can feel hotter than the rest of their body after a session because the material retains heat differently than human tissue, which could be why my nipples feel so hot.

Whitney: I was about to say that might be related to your nipple situation.

Amy: It could be. Mine are under the muscle, so there is a layer of muscle there, and then the nipples, but who knows? So, yeah, it could that could be it. So if you have implants, you can always put a cold, damp towel over your chest area or use a chest protector to keep the area slightly cooler if you're in a longer session, and just if you've had surgery recently, wait 6 weeks before getting in a sauna. Yeah. Okay. Drawbacks and risks, there's not many. Dehydration, that's one of the main ones, right? So, hydrate, right? I always do. I always drink water before and after and during and all that.

Whitney: You drink it during?

Amy: Sometimes.

Whitney: Isn't it just hot water?

Amy: Sometimes Justin will bring like a glass pitcher and we'll set it on the ground where it'll be cooler.

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: On the ground outside.

Whitney: Yeah, yeah.

Amy: Or if he brings it in and we're going to drink it fast, he puts it on the ground and it's so much cool I mean, it is so much cooler on the floor versus, like, the top shelf.

Whitney: Sure. You know why, Amy?

Amy: Yeah, heat rises.

Whitney: Heat rises.

Amy: Blood pressure. People with low blood pressure might feel dizzy when they stand up too quickly after a session. That I've felt dizzy plenty of times.

Whitney: I have high blood pressure, but I would think anybody, if you lay down and then you're in that hot environment and then you jump up, the blood rushes away.

Amy: Yeah, you get dizzy. Okay. So, how-to. Start slowly. This is just a little review. Start slowly. Listen to your body. Wear a hat. Take off your jewelry. Don't wear a bathing suit with any metal. I don't recommend hair oil either, because it'll feel like your hair is cooking.

Whitney: Ooh.

Amy: Do not I'm like just saying do not In my that's my experience.

Whitney: Well, that makes sense. Don't put oil on something and then get in a heated

Amy: I did it though. I thought I thought this will like set it in with-- Remember the Remember the, what was it, VO5?

Whitney: Oh, yeah. Yeah, hot-

Amy: The hot oil treatment.

Whitney: Yeah, yeah, I do.

Amy: That's what I thought it was. Taking you back there. Oh my god, I saw this like old ad on Instagram that was for Love's Baby Soft. And it is creepy af, because they're like, "You smell like the innocent baby," or whatever.

Whitney: That is gross.

Amy: It's so gross and so many people commented and were like, "This is AI. That didn't exist." And I was like, I can remember the smell.

Whitney: I remember the smell, but I don't remember that commercial, so maybe they made that commercial. Maybe AI did make it.

Amy: I don't either. Maybe. AI. Anyway, oh AI, I hate you. Love you.

Whitney: I love him.

Amy: Love you. Hate you.

Whitney: I hate you.

Amy: Okay. So, again, don't push yourself like I had I used to feel like I had something to prove and now I just

Whitney: Well, what's the starting time that you should go in?

Amy: So, let's see. I'm going to get to that next. Okay. The sauna 200 rule.

Whitney: Okay, good. You should have left me a list of questions like

Amy: I should have.

Whitney: Then I wouldn't jump ahead.

Amy: You have to adhere to these questions verbatim. The sauna 200 rule is a guideline for balancing heat and humidity, suggesting that the sauna temperature in Fahrenheit plus the humidity level in percentage should ideally not exceed 200. And mine is right around there. Like it'll be 180 and then I'll have like 22% humidity or something. So, it's right around 200. So, that make is going to keep you in a good, comfortable space. And again, those little thermometer things are so good. I like it. The one I bought it's round with the humidity on the bottom and the temperature on the top and it was $13 on Amazon. And I just like it because it looks--

Whitney: And it's specific sauna

Amy: Yeah, it's for saunas and easy to find. It has good ratings. Really good ratings and like thousands and thousands of ratings, but I like it. It looks right. You know what I mean?

Whitney: thermometer.

Amy: It has like a traditional type of look to it. I love it.

Whitney: Right. It fits in with the vibe.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. So, that's going to be kind of a little go-to guide to understand how it's at its optimal there in there for you. So, let's see. Got that. That'll help you avoid overheating and dehydration, but it's a flexible rule. It can be adjusted to your personal preference. So, you're going to aim for 10 to 15 minute sessions to start. Three to four times a week or work your way up, and ensure that you're well hydrated. Now, I do, as I said, around 185°. I often cycle in for 15 to 25 minutes. I kind of gauge how I'm feeling that day. I take a break on my PEMF mat or outside and jump in the pool and cool off, and stretch and stuff. And then, I do a second cycle that's usually shorter than the first. Like if I do 20 minutes, I'll do 15 on the second, something like that. But you just play it by ear and see how you feel.

Whitney: Yeah, I didn't even know that you were supposed to

Amy: Cycle.

Whitney: do interval. Yeah, I just thought it was one time.

Amy: I like it. I don't want to stop. It's like the highlight of my day. And so, I just enjoy it, so I want to do a second one. My husband likes to cold plunge in between. So, you know, that's an option, too.

Whitney: Aw. I would think that would make it so much The cold plunge would be so much more difficult.

Amy: Actually, you're so hot, you don't even care.

Whitney: It doesn't. Okay.

Amy: Yeah, and getting back in feels so much better after you've cold plunged. I do have to say that. But there's a dead squirrel in my cold plunge, so that's not happening today.

Whitney: Uh-huh. Yeah, we're not going anywhere near that thing.

Amy: Yeah, you don't need the cold plunge, though. Like, if you have a pool, just jump in when it's cold. Who cares?

Whitney: Would you like having one inside versus outside? That's one thing I've been thinking of like, well, where would I put it? I kind of like the idea of having it indoors, but then is there issue with, I don't know?

Amy: I think it can affect your homeowners insurance, but I'm not 100%. So, look into that first. Yeah.

Whitney: Oh. Yeah, I will.

Amy: And it's not just about plugging it in. There's some stuff that has to be done.

Whitney: No. Oh, it's just a plug-in.

Amy: It's a like 50-volt or whatever. It's like like for a Tesla. Like that kind of plug. You have to put in one of those kind of plugs.

Whitney: Okay. For even the one on your inside you have to do that?

Amy: Mhm.

Whitney: Oh, okay.

Amy: Yep. And, but that's it. That's it. Yeah. Okay. So, you can get a nice one in your home for between $3,000 to $6,000. So, it's worth doing the math on if you go to a place to do it, because you know you're driving there, consider your time,

Whitney: You're with a bunch of naked strangers.

Amy: and if you're paying monthly like, I mean, that could be totally

Whitney: Yeah, if it's already at your gym, that's different. Or I honestly, I think my son's apartment complex has one that they get in.

Amy: Wow. Cool. That's awesome. So, I loved it so much that I don't know that I ever want to live without one now, cuz I'm I'm like into it. So, like technology and things like that, like you just said, it's in an apartment complex. So, the prices are going down, and it's getting more accessible. So, at least from what I've seen. So, anyway, I do want to make a note here, though. The note is hydration and community. So, you know, just like we talk about with the blue zones, like, they say, "Oh, wine is healthy," but they're actually drinking it in community with other people.

Whitney: Right. Right. You don't know how much of it is related to being with other people in a quiet setting. You know, truly connecting.

Amy: Just Just like that. It's the connection that feeds your soul and I I I just think the dopamine and endorphin mental surge is partly could be like, you know, being in the relaxing space, right? Allowing your brain the room to be without a screen and solve problems, and you're hydrating, and then you're spending time with other people. I I don't know. I just think like

Whitney: Mhm. Mhm. No, I think it's all of the above. Yeah.

Amy: It is, right? It's all of the above. So, but

Whitney: If you don't have any people around like me,

Amy: Right, right.

Whitney: it's okay. Meditation is

Amy: I do it by myself all the time.

Whitney: Yeah, meditation is gives us those things, too, and that's what you can do. I think just quieting your brain from technology is like

Amy: So valuable.

Whitney: so valuable.

Amy: So, as we But, you could listen to this podcast, too. I listen to podcasts all the time.

Whitney: Definitely listen to this podcast.

Amy: Right. So, I am going to end today by giving you this little sauna motivation.

Whitney: Oh, I thought it was a song. A sauna song.

Amy: It's time to heat your body.

Whitney: Sauna, sauna, sauna.

Amy: I don't know. Okay. This is a sauna motivation. I found this little thing and this is how to use your sauna to get motivated.

Whitney: Okay. Okay, let's hear it. Yeah.

Amy: Right? And you said you're a procrastinator, so here we are.

Whitney: I am.

Amy: Okay. So, 2 to 3 minutes of pre-sauna goal visualization. So, you can create a habit I kind of want to start doing this, cuz I don't do this. You can create a habit where you set goals before every sauna session and check your progress weekly. So, you get a sense of ritual and reflection, which can enhance that dopamine production and elevation. So, that keeps your motivation higher. So,

Whitney: Well, and visualizing is a whole I mean, you and I know that, but visualizing something makes it so. So, you're giving energy to what it is that you want.

Amy: Yes. And when this comes out, I'm going to have released actually a a podcast of my own about my audio vision board, creating the audio vision board. So, you can even listen to that while you're doing it, too, which would be really cool. Yeah, I love

Whitney: Audio vision board.

Amy: Audio vision board. Yeah, that's what I call it.

Whitney: Awesome. I like it.

Amy: Yeah. So, set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes, and increase the heat to whatever is right for you, and then have this You'll have this experience a neural relaxation and clarity of mind. This is going to enhance your ability to stay motivated after the session, so you're creating this little ritual. Remember to hydrate fully, and then commit after your sauna session is done, drink a pint of cold water and write down two to three small, actionable steps that will push you toward your goal. Then, you take a little cold shower, 1 to 2 minutes. It may further stimulate your endorphins and adrenaline, making you feel more alert, focused, and ready to tackle your goals. And then, you're going to do a little rest period brainstorming. You're going to jot down any of your ideas and insights while you're while you had in that you had in the sauna or on a notepad outside before you forget them.

Whitney: I love that.

Amy: Yeah. So, I love it, too, because

Whitney: Making it a ritual, yeah.

Amy: I don't make it a Well, sometimes I do. When I lay on the PEMF mat and stuff, you know, and I I love it as rituals.

Whitney: Well, it all goes back to intention. Just like you know, creating an intention. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah, and it's cool like to think about it as something that's really not only feeding your health, but your motivation and all those good brain things that we Lord knows we need. So.

Whitney: I definitely need it.

Amy: Yes. All right. I know we're at the end, but I totally forgot this, but I want to do it today.

Whitney: Oh. Okay.

Amy: You talked K-Beauty recently. And so, Yeah, regimes.

Whitney: I'm on a regime.

Amy: You are. And so, I bought this Biodance Rejuvenating Caviar PDRN Real Deep Mask.

Whitney: Oh, it's got the PDRN in it.

Amy: Yeah, it says caviar PDRN and

Whitney: That just That's just means salmon sperm.

Amy: And I read it caviar porn every time. Caviar porn.

Whitney: Same. Yeah, it is.

Amy: It's a deep mask and yeah, it's got it's got salmon egg extract. It's really It's really cool. It's got this beautiful woman on the front named Yuri. And

Whitney: And how did you know about this particular

Amy: I didn't. It was just at Sephora and I was like

Whitney: And you thought, "I'm going to try it."

Amy: you had talked about it, so I bought it. It's got caviar water, caviar extract, the PDRN, and the salmon egg extract. So, here's one for you. There were four in there.

Whitney: Yay. Thank you.

Amy: And and you leave it on for like It says 4 hours.

Whitney: I'm going to use it tonight.

Amy: I did it for like an hour and I liked it a lot. So, yeah. So, anyway, I'll link this in the show notes. This is Biodance by Skincare with Yuri, Y-U-R-I. I bet she's a

Whitney: And it's a four-pack.

Amy: You get It's a four-pack. Four-pack at Sephora. I don't remember how much it was. So, yeah, I had used Biodance before. You can get them on Amazon. I'm sure you can get this pack on Amazon, but I got it at Sephora. So, anyway, pretty cool.

Whitney: Yeah, I love it. Thank you so much.

Amy: Yeah, and then the other product that I just got sucked sucked into is this Tri-Liptide Peptide Lip-Enhancing Treatment, which is supposed to do everything for your lips. So, we, it target eight signs of lip aging. So, anyway.

Whitney: Oh, man. Now, I've got to think about our lips aging?

Amy: Even the motherfucking lips are aging, too. I know. That's That's I got sucked in. I did it. I did it. So,

Whitney: So, you So, this one's for me?

Amy: No. It's a Well, yeah. Sure, you can have it. It's just an empty box. Mine, I'm already using. So, yeah.

Whitney: I'm going to say

Amy: I should've ordered you one.

Whitney: No. You're so sweet. No, I hate that I have to now think that my lips are aging. I know about the skin above and everything, but whatever.

Amy: Whatever.

Whitney: Listen, and as we always say, number one, we're not doctors or scientists.

Amy: That's right. We are not.

Whitney: And at the end of the day, you do what you want.

Amy: Do what you want!

Whitney: And don't take no for an answer. Don't take shit from people. Don't compromise your boundaries. All right? Don't What's the Tom Petty song? I already forgot it. Back down, damn it!

Amy: Back down.

Whitney: Don't back down. Stand your ground.

Amy: Right. Keep going. Keep going.

Whitney: Yes. That's it. We love you.

Amy: We love you.

Whitney: Subscribe to our channel. Listen to If you listen on whatever platform you listen on, review us. Rate us. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube. Email us at all What is it? It's

Amy: I was like, oh, gosh.

Whitney: All the All the things.

Amy: She She usually does it all. anythingbutmidpodcast@gmail. Right. Right.

Whitney: Exactly. Dadgum it. Anyway, do all the things. All the things.

Amy: Good job. You did all the things. We love you. Do what you want.

Whitney: That's right.