When I\u2019m curious about something, I deep dive all the way into it.<\/p>\n
When I was 16 years old and first discovered the self-help, sex, and relationships sections of my favourite book store, I consumed hundreds of books within the first two years.<\/p>\n
When I found out that it was possible to make a living by building an\u00a0online business<\/a>\u00a0that helped millions of people across the world, I feverishly dove into the literature and started writing\u00a0hundreds<\/a>\u00a0of blog posts.<\/p>\n When I found out that you could\u00a0put on muscle rapidly<\/a>, I hired a personal trainer, started working out five days a week, ate 5,000 calories a day, and put on 25 pounds of largely lean muscle mass over a six month period (side note: I\u2019m doing that again right now \u2013 more on this soon!).<\/p>\n More recently, I went through a challenging year in my life during which I began to want to understand\u00a0stress<\/a>, anxiety, and\u00a0depression<\/a>\u00a0more intimately. After pouring through countless books, video courses, product recommendations from friends, and various coaches and therapists, I found the healing modalities that worked the best for me.<\/p>\n Of\u00a0all of the things<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0moved the needle<\/a>\u00a0for me in my progress, the following five are some of the more unique (read: fringe) activities that I did to overcome my stress, and to begin to thrive again.<\/p>\n Here they are, in no particular order.<\/p>\n An\u00a0inversion table<\/a>\u00a0is a device that allows you to easily hang upside down for extended periods of time. I use this bad-boy for at least three minutes per day and I absolutely love it.<\/p>\n The benefits are plentiful. Inversion tables relieve back pain, realign your spine, rehydrate your discs, reduce nerve pressure, increase flexibility, relax tense muscles, improve sleep quality, and reduce stress. In essence, they create the necessary space in your back for your body to realign itself properly.<\/p>\n Personally, I started using my\u00a0inversion table<\/a>\u00a0because of upper, lower, mid-back, and neck pain. I experienced a neck injury late last year which didn\u2019t bother me very much for a few months, but lifestyle\u00a0stress<\/a>\u00a0ended up compounding my pain until I couldn\u2019t ignore it any longer. I started hanging upside down on a daily basis (first thing in the morning, upon waking, for 3-10 minutes) and my neck and back pain completely alleviated itself in under a week.<\/p>\n The particular model that I picked up wasn\u2019t the cheapest thing ever ($300 on Amazon<\/a>, $480 in the store that was a few blocks away from my house) but when I look at it as an investment<\/a>, it\u2019s ridiculously inexpensive. Realistically speaking, I\u2019ve easily spent over $1,000 on chiropractic adjustments and osteopaths for my neck and back within the last year, and ever since I\u2019ve started inverting on a regular basis I haven\u2019t felt the need to go to a practitioner once. Therefore, the device pays for itself pretty quickly when you look at it from that angle.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a great tool for chronic back pain sufferers as it creates space between your vertebrae and allows your body to realign itself more naturally. This is why I do it first thing in the morning\u2026 my back and neck often feel the most tight after I get out of bed, so by immediately creating space in my spinal column, I can undo the compression that my horizontal sleep put into my back.<\/p>\n I would especially recommend trying inversion therapy<\/strong>\u00a0(you can choose from\u00a0inversion tables<\/a>,\u00a0moon boots<\/a>, or an\u00a0inversion chair<\/a>)\u00a0if you have chronic neck or back pain, you regularly do heavy leg workouts, you work at a computer or in a seated position a lot<\/strong>, or if you want to feel like Batman for a few minutes on a daily basis. Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-inversion table!<\/p>\n (I would not recommend inversion tables for anyone who has a major ankle injury, is significantly overweight\/obese \u2013 since the table utilizes the body\u2019s natural traction that comes from your bodyweight, or anyone who suffers from vertigo\/chronic inner ear issues.)<\/em><\/p>\n Vibration platforms<\/a>\u00a0(also known as vibration tables, vibe tables, vibration plates, or vibration machines) are exactly what they sound like\u2026 a platform that you stand on that makes you jiggle rapidly.<\/p>\n Why on earth would you do this? A few reasons\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 It\u2019s a good workout<\/strong><\/p>\n The vibration table forces you to engage a wide range of muscle fibres in order to stay on it. It isn\u2019t violent like a bucking bronco in a country bar\u2026 but you definitely have to focus to remain standing like a semi-normal person.\u00a0I found that by doing vibration training for ten minutes per day, I stood straighter, my legs felt stronger, and my core muscles were sore in a good way (from the gentle and persistent exercise).<\/p>\n \u2013 It improves postural stability<\/strong><\/p>\n A four week\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0on posture in 2014 concluded that your postural stability in the frontal plane can be improved by long-term use of whole-body vibration training.<\/p>\n \u2013 Lymph drainage<\/strong><\/p>\n Just like bouncing on a rebounder (tiny trampoline) has been proven to improve lymph drainage, so to does the vibration platform shake up your lymph nodes\u2026 except you don\u2019t have to work for it as hard. Why walk, run, or bounce on a trampoline when the machine can jiggle your toxins free for you? Hooray for laziness and efficiency.<\/p>\n \u2013 It aids in digestion<\/strong><\/p>\n I have no studies to link to on this one\u2026 this is purely personal\/anecdotal\u2026 but doing ten minutes on a vibration table always makes me have to poop shortly afterwards. Maybe it\u2019s jiggling my poop around in my intestines? Who knows! I just know that it works for me. This is also why I always do my vibration training first thing in the morning after my ten minutes on the inversion table.<\/p>\n You should try doing a few sessions on a\u00a0vibration table<\/a>\u00a0if\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 You want a thorough core workout without having to leave your house (no gym membership required!)<\/p>\n \u2013 You want to add a layer of difficulty to your squats, push ups, or any other body weight exercises<\/p>\n \u2013 You want a machine to shake your poop loose in the mornings<\/p>\n \u2013 You want to stand on a machine that will help you make funny voices to make your partner\/spouse\/room mates laugh<\/p>\n \u2013 You want to shake the toxins out of your lymphatic system<\/p>\n (Warning: do NOT do vibration training if you have any ankle\/knee\/hip\/joint injuries\u2026 since the table will make the joints rub at a rapid pace and likely be detrimental to your healing process.)<\/em><\/p>\n This magical vitamin sludge has been my saviour these past six months.<\/p>\n Ever since I started taking it I\u2019ve had more energy, my muscles have recovered from workouts more efficiently, and any time I\u2019ve felt even remotely like I was coming down with a cold\/flu, I would slam a few tablespoons of this tasty goop and I\u2019d feel 100% better in the morning. So it\u2019s basically magic in a bottle.<\/p>\n Most people haven\u2019t heard of liposomal technology.\u00a0So here\u2019s the condensed version of what it is and why it works\u2026<\/p>\n Liposomes are a delivery method to put high doses of encapsulated nutrients directly into your cells. In fact, your body absorbs up to nine times more of the nutrients via liposomal technology than it would by going through a \u2018traditional\u2019 pill, tablet, or powder.<\/p>\n If you took 10g of vitamin C in an oral pill\/tablet, you would more likely than not have a big load of diarrhea spewing out of you in a few hours. If you took 10g of\u00a0liposomal vitamin C<\/a>, you\u2019d be fine.<\/p>\n Put simply, liposomal technology is a ridiculously effective way to absorb a significantly higher percentage of nutrients into your body, as opposed to losing most of the nutrients through the digestion process as you would with most vitamin C supplements\/pills\/powders.<\/p>\n I would especially recommend taking a tablespoon\u00a0of this stuff<\/a>\u00a0per day if you want to\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 Balance\/boost your immune system<\/p>\n \u2013 Stop getting sick so often<\/p>\n \u2013 Have healthier skin<\/p>\n \u2013 Have more energy day to day<\/p>\n \u2013 Recover from workouts more efficiently<\/p>\n \u2013 Or if you\u2019re currently battling Lyme\u2019s disease\/cancer and require high doses of vitamin C and don\u2019t want to pay for expensive intravenous treatments<\/p>\n This is the brand that I trust the most<\/a>\u00a0that also has the best tasting product compared to other liposomal supplements companies. Full disclosure: I get a small referral fee for\u00a0every bottle of this product<\/a>\u00a0that my readers pick up\u2026 but I have this set up because I had already been telling my readers about it in\u00a0previous articles<\/a>\u00a0and the company approached me directly. If the product tasted awful or didn\u2019t work, I wouldn\u2019t tell you about it. I have benefitted tremendously from it and want to pass along good things to you. The only downside is that they only currently ship their products within North America (I will update this when they expand to other continents).<\/p>\n I have a weekly deep-dive self-care date that goes like this\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 Wake up early without interacting with any technology before noon<\/p>\n \u2013 Go to my favourite local\u00a0float centre<\/a>\u00a0and spend at least 60 minutes in an infrared sauna<\/p>\n \u2013 Go in the float tank for an hour<\/p>\n This ritual is my ultimate nervous system reset button.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a sensitive introvert who gets over stimulated by life easily. Being at a party with more than ten people? Extremely taxing. Ambulance driving by with it\u2019s siren blaring? I\u2019m the guy with his hands over his ears before it\u2019s even within a city block of me.\u00a0The most important factor that I look for in the restaurants that I go to? Quietness.<\/p>\n For me, doing the one-two punch of the float tank + infrared sauna is something that has kept me sane over the past few years since I started doing it on the regular.<\/p>\n These are the greatest benefits that you get from infrared saunas\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 Deeper detoxification than steam\/wood\/dry saunas<\/p>\n \u2013 Relief from chronic pain<\/p>\n \u2013 Improved circulation<\/p>\n \u2013 Heal faster from injuries<\/p>\n \u2013 Lower blood pressure<\/p>\n \u2013 Stress alleviation<\/p>\n \u2013 Clearer\/healthier skin, alleviation of\u00a0psoriasis, eczema, and other skin conditions<\/p>\n To be honest, I sometimes use my infrared sauna session as my minimum viable self-care in terms of replacing my exercise. Put another way, if I realize that I haven\u2019t had a good sweat\/workout within the previous seven days I\u2019ll make sure I book in a session in an infrared sauna to act as a lazy-man\u2019s workout. I sit in one place with my notepad in hand, and the room does the sweating for me\u2026 voila!<\/p>\n You should try out a session in an infrared sauna if you\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 Need help managing chronic pain<\/p>\n \u2013 Want to have a really good sweat without having to workout at all<\/p>\n \u2013 Are in need of a deep detox\/stress purge<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0Have a week where you really don\u2019t feel like exercising, but still want to get the cellular restoration and various health benefits that come from a good workout<\/p>\n This is the other supplement that I take every morning.<\/p>\n These past few months, my most common breakfast is a table spoon of curcumin and a table spoon of vitamin C, with a litre of water. And then after an hour or two of writing\/vibrating\/hanging upside down, I\u2019ll drink my\u00a0mega-caloric and nutrient dense green smoothie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Curcumin is a byproduct of turmeric. Turmeric\/curcumin have a lot of\u00a0health<\/a>\u00a0benefits. Most notably,\u00a0curcumin<\/a>\u00a0is a proven anti-inflammatory.<\/p>\n If you suffer or have suffered from depression, cancer, joint pain\/arthritis, ulcers, or chronic pain, then high dose curcumin is right up your alley.<\/p>\n Since I am more genetically prone to anxiety and depression than a lot of people, I take\u00a0liposomal curcumin<\/a>,\u00a0omega 3 oil<\/a>, and\u00a0liquid vitamin d3<\/a>\u00a0on a daily basis.<\/p>\n The benefits:<\/p>\n \u2013 Curcumin dramatically increases the antioxidant capacity of the body<\/p>\n \u2013 Improved brain function<\/p>\n \u2013 Decreased risk of anxiety and depression (recently proven to have links with inflammation)<\/p>\n \u2013 Supports healthy kidneys and liver<\/p>\n \u2013 Lowered risk of heart disease<\/p>\n \u2013 Decreased risk of arthritis, cancer, obesity, joint pain<\/p>\n \u2013 Neutralize damaging free radicals<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0Proactively protect yourself against Alzheimer\u2019s and related conditions<\/p>\n This product<\/a>\u00a0tastes even better than the liposomal vitamin C, and I noticed a dramatic improvement in my mental health\/mood\/cognitive functioning when I started\u00a0taking this stuff on a daily basis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two orally ingested supplements (lipsomal vitamin C<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0liposomal curcumin<\/a>), and three self-care practices (inversion table<\/a>,\u00a0vibration platform<\/a>, infrared sauna) that you can do on a daily\/weekly basis. Or you can do at least three of them if you don\u2019t live within North America.<\/p>\n I swear by these\u2026 and it\u2019s hard to imagine that I won\u2019t be doing most if not all of these for years to come.<\/p>\n About The Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n1. Inversion table<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Vibration platform<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Super-dosing on liposomal vitamin C<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Far infrared sauna<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Super-dosing on liposomal curcumin<\/strong><\/h3>\n
TL;DR: High Leverage Stress Busting Techniques<\/strong><\/h3>\n