My first time in a float pod

If you have thought about floating, you should do it. If you haven't thought about floating, you should think about it. If you have never heard of floating, you should learn about it and think about getting your float on.

As a Christmas gift, I received a gift certificate for four float sessions at a local float spa in our town, Tooele, UT. I had been looking into it for a while and had even taken a little tour of the spa to see what it was all about. Float therapy is not new, however the fact that it is becoming more popular is new. The Golden State Warriors floated regularly throughout their season, many MMS fighters float before and after a fight, the list is getting longer of the many people who find it helpful to float.

I completely forgot to take any photos as I was preoccupied with excitement. I plan on snapping a few on my next float.

Here is a photo of the dream pod.

What is float therapy? There are many names for it. You might here float session, float pod, float tank, sensory deprivation tank, and so on. They use around 1,200 lbs of magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) dissolved in 200 gallons of water. You are in a zero gravity therapeutic environment with no distractions. The magnesium helps you to float and also absorbs into your body offering you a long list of health benefits. 

Some of the symptoms or ailments that floating can help with are:

Depression

Anxiety

Fibromyalgia

Stress 

Aid in the healing of injuries

Back pain

Joint pain

High blood pressure

Accident injuries

Trouble sleeping

and much more. 

Besides the physical benefits, imagine how healthy it would be for your mind and soul to be with yourself for an hour in a pod full of skin temperature water. The idea is that typically after 40 minutes in, your brain will release theta waives. Those are the waves we enjoy right before drifting off to sleep.

Here is a video full of the details.

I couldn't wait to get in that pod! I imagined a meditative state like never before. I imagined all the strange thoughts that would go in and out of my mind before I was able to shut it off and relax. I imagined that my body would feel wonderful after wards.

I figured I should wear my sweats, since you shower before and after entering the pod. May as well be cozy after wards, right? Then I felt like a bum, so I changed into jeans. I will NOT be doing this next time. You learn a lot from your first float. When you are done, you don't want to be tied down by restrictive clothing. It will be cozy clothes next float.

The owner gave me a run through of what do and when. He showed me the shower in my float room, I was to use soap and shampoo only, and put my ear plugs in before. Then I was to turn the lights off and step into the pod. Inside the pod, there is a soft light that changes color. You can choose to keep it on one color, let it change, or turn it off completely. He would be starting my float with relaxing music the first five minutes and then it would return the last five minutes. When the pump kicks on, that will be how I know my float is over and can shower and condition and meet over at the post float area for tea.

While listening to his instruction, I immediately became worried that I would not retain all the information he was giving me, which in fact I did not, because I was thinking about that instead of listening. 

I took one of the best showers ever under the 8 inch wide shower head lathered in silky soap. I was thinking in the shower what a great affect the ear plugs had just in the shower. It really makes you feel inside of yourself. 

Into the pod! It was the perfect temperature, matching my body. I pulled the lid shut and began to float. There is at least three feet I would say, of space about your head, so I did not feel confined or claustrophobic. I floated there, waiting for the music to start. I didn't know it then, but the delay in music was because I forgot to turn the lights off! I'd say for about what felt like 20 minutes in, I forgot about the lights. I even floated there thinking, "Wow, you sure would think they would make it a little darker in here" not realizing I had forgot that step, because I was too busy worrying that I would forget a step. When it finally occurred to me, I got out and shut the lights off.

Now lets get to those moments when you are just floating there, no music, no light, no sound. So many things went through my head. I actually tried to think about certain current stresses so that I could consciously push them out, but I just couldn't it. They had no affect on me in that pod. They came to mind and I had no feelings about them. I guess I just couldn't allow myself to waste precious pod time on stressful things. I thought about how my scalp was burning, a lot. 

I thought about how I was so naked but yet didn't feel naked at all. I thought about how wearing a swim suit would totally ruin it for me. Part of the goal was to not even be aware of your body any longer, and how could I do that with clothes clinging to me? If I'm getting into a pod to float, why not take it back to womb status? I wanted to be held in there while I grow! I thought about how I should have chosen the ocean music, because the music that was on felt a little anticipatory, like Native American drums, like something was about to happen. I thought about how I hoped I would fall asleep.  I thought about how I think I'm not a huge fan of Target. I like it, but I think I have tried to love it, and it just doesn't excite me all that much like it does so many other people. I have no issue with Target, I'm just not in love. Then I realized that is probably why I keep getting the cartwheel app and then deleting. I think I've had it like five times now. I thought about my burning scalp again (this did stoop after a while). I thought about how the light bothered me a little, but still took me forever to realize I had left the lights on in the room.

I floated. Slow and steady. One side of me or another would gently bump the side of the pod and then I float towards the opposite direction. Then it felt like I was floating in a river, going one direction, but I never bumped the side so I couldn't have been moving. Then everything became still. The water wasn't moving, I wasn't moving. I wasn't aware of the confines of the pod any longer. I wasn't even aware of my body. It felt as if I was floating out in the open universe. I felt nothing and it felt open and free. I wasn't my body and my body wasn't me. The body and mind were two different things, but the body wasn't even there! Then I was dreaming vividly about my son being a twin (which he is not) and both of him had a face full of hair, and then "SPLASH!". My hand must have flinched because the splash startled me awake. I felt pleased to have realized I had slept. I did not have a good perception of time in the pod, which is great. We have enough pressure and stress in relation to time, don't we? My phone was off, and the time was not for me to worry about. 

After that little nap I got a little antsy. I was still enjoying every moment, just had a harder time being so still. My knees started to feel stiff, like they needed to bend. I wanted my scarred leg to be immersed in the magnesium water so I bent my knee as high as I could to the side, then the other so that they were both pointing the same direction. This made me float in a slow circular motion. Not enough to make you feel sick, but it was noticeable. Then I tried the other direction. So I guess I started playing a little bit. One thing I noticed when I pulled my body to the side like that, was that it was as if my organs were shifting as I moved to the side. It reminded me of being eight months pregnant, feeling the baby shift with you as move onto your side. The rest of my body was so relaxed as if not even there. It really put the focus on my insides, the gut area. 

There was one point where I felt scared, for no real reason. I felt like someone was coming, or something was in there with me and when I opened my eyes the light happened to be on red mode, which added to the fear factor. I knew it wasn't actual fear, but just a weird feeling that crept up being in a new place, being naked, and being closed in a small area. It didn't last long. I shut off the colored lights and closed my eyes again to get back to me. 

I found peace again and floated in the dark. I don't believe I fell asleep again, but I floated and was able to turn my mind off. The pumped kicked on and it was time to get out. I was curious as to how I would feel when I got out, but I was a little bummed that I actually had to get out. I felt hesitant. I didn't really want to leave my pod. It was warm and quiet in there! It wasn't going to be like this on the outside. I took my post float shower and conditioned my hair. As I was toweling my hair dry, my right ear plug came loose. It was like a rush of noise! It sounded like loud traffic or windy weather. It sounded like chaos and it made me want to jump back in the pod! It was actually the sound of the pump and the sound of it not being so peacefully quiet anymore. It sounded like or loud lives.

I got dressed, wishing I had my sweats to put on. I went to the post float area for my tea where the owner was talking to a man who had just finished floating. Something I loved was seeing so many different types of people who came in to float. Ripped gym-rats, men over 70 years old, country dudes who have a little twang in there spoke, so many types of people that float for so many different reasons. They all love it. 

I ended up getting two cups of tea deep while talking to the owner for a good hour in the post float area. Super great guy. When I left he walked me out and said "be safe". I'm sure he meant driving or for New Year's, but as soon as I stepped outside I felt like he was saying to be safe in the world, outside of the pod. It was cold and noisy and I had to cross a semi busy street with no crosswalk. I got to my car and just sat for a minute. I felt different. I felt lighter. My hip wasn't sore at all and it had been aching terribly for three days. I started driving towards home but I had a few stops to make. It felt strange to get out and go into stores, like I wasn't a pat of it. I did, however, feel balanced. Like when you get your tires rotated and it feels so smooth and balanced when you drive it right after wards. I felt calm and peaceful. I felt content. I felt like not much could frustrate me. 

I went home to my family and continued to feel this way. That night I had one of the best nights of sleep I have had in a long time. I still woke up several times, but I usually wake up with some sort of achy pain. Whatever I had been laying on aches when I wake up, whether it be a shoulder, a hip, some sort of pain. Any time I woke up I was pleased to find I had no pain. My pillows felt like clouds and my bed felt like a hug. I slept well. My hip hurt from the cold today, but not in the achy way it had the days before. It had been a deep ache and now it was only the area where the screws are.

The owner told me that the first float is usually the worst and that it gets better and better each time as you become more aware of how to relax deeper with each session. My float wasn't bad, but forgetting the lights and just it being new, I can already see ways it can improve. 

I would HIGHLY recommend trying a float spa near you. Whether it is to help with an issue, or just get some down time to relax, it can only help. 

Crystal Waters Float Spa was perfect. The owners and employees are fabulously friendly. There is a calmness about them that makes the whole experience even better. The little touches like serving tea and cookies afterwards makes it personal. They offer Chinese Cupping, waxing, facials, and more. They have a network of people for many spiritual and mental health needs in the homeopathic and alternative medicine realm. Wonderful spa!

I'm looking forward to float number two as I'm sure it will be even better.

All the love, 

Caffeine and Freckles

Almond Butter and Dark Chocolate Granola Bites

I've tried making similar "protein bites" in the past and they didn't turn out very well. They were thick and bland. These turned out great! They definitely made the A list since my husband and the kids. They are packed full of healthy protein and tasted great with my coffee.

I was planning on making granola bars and at the the last minute, decided to roll them into balls. I'm guessing these would work well in the freezer and then thaw before baking if you decided to make a huge batch.

I like to add as much healthy goodies to food as I can. I almost always add chia seeds, flax seed, and hemp seeds to my granola bars and oatmeal. I left the hemp out this time around as I was saving what I had left for my oatmeal. These are super versatile, you can omit or add a huge range of ingredients to your liking. I usually add coconut as well, but passed this time around.

Here is how it went down!

Here is how it went down:

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup apple sauce
drizzle of honey
1/3 package of dark chocolate chips (more if desired)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2-3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup milk of choice to moisten (give or take) I used almond milk creamer

Combined the oats, chia seed, and flax in a large mixing bowl and mix together.

Add gobs of apple sauce for some sweetness and fluffiness (I'm guessing about a half a cup) and drizzle your desired amount of honey.

Stir your chips in and liberally dash the cinnamon! Next time I may try using more chocolate chips, I used about a third of the bag so there seems to be about 1-3 chips in each ball.

Next I put in many gobs of almond butter, guessing to be about 3/4 of a cup and mixed it in.

At this point it was a little too dry and I was out of my staple milk, cashew milk. I really didn't want to add dairy, so I splashed in some of my almond milk creamer and mixed it all together.

With wet hands, roll your mixture into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls and place them on a greased dish. I used a 13x9 glass baking dish smeared with coconut oil.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Move each ball to a dish of your choice and enjoy!

This recipe made almost two batches.

There you have it. Yummy, healthy, protein-packed, simple bites that you can enjoy at home or on the go.

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash wasn't introduced to me until the beginning of my 30's. It just wasn't a vegetable we had growing up. Actually, the variety of veggies I was introduced to as a child spanned from canned green beans to broccoli, with only corn in between. We were more of a fish sticks and macaroni household.

As I became older I was introduced to more veggies. As a teen, my aunt Kim showed me the wonders of artichokes and dipping the leaves in garlic butter to eventually get to the heart...I was wowed. I still remember sitting at her counter dipping one by one. It felt like we were participating in some ceremonial act together. When visiting my aunt Karen in Oregon when I was about 26 years old, she had served baked sweet potatoes with dinner. I was in love. The skin was perfectly crunchy and the inside melted in your mouth with just the right touch of butter and brown sugar. In my early thirties my dear friend, Melissa Zanni served roasted beets at a Labor Day BBQ...where had these been all of my life? She introduced me to juicing beets and to this day they are my absolute favorite to juice. At a mom's potluck event that was put on for Thanksgiving, Julie Gordon brought spaghetti squash. This really amazed me. I thought for sure I was eating noodles. It appeared to me that it was the same type of noodles used in the Philipino dish, pancit. When I found out it was squash I couldn't wait to try and make it myself to see if I could pass it off to my family as noodles.

I have baked the squash, cut in half, flat side down cut length-wise. I have slow cooked it cut in middle, face down with meatballs and pasta sauce after hearing about my dear friend, Theresa Rothstein's kid-approved dinner. Both were enjoyable. I was particularly impressed with the crock pot dinner. No one knew they weren't noodles! When it was brought up that the noodles seemed "weird", I simply offered a white lie, saying that they were rice noodles. :-) I have to do what I have to do to get my people to eat veggies. The reason they stood out so much was that there was so much moisture that they became mushy.

Today I tried preparing the spaghetti squash by roasting it. I have to say, this was so easy and made a big difference in the soggy factor. There wasn't one! There was enough moisture but not so much that it became mushy and clumped together. It's a little sad to fore go the crock pot, but it didn't take long at all, and you could have your sauce and meatballs simmering in the crock all day if you wanted to.

Here's the plan!

Preheat oven to 450 F

What you will need:

One spaghetti squash

4 Tbspn olive oil

2 Tbspn minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Cut squash through the middle (not length-wise) and spoon out the seeds. 

Place both halves, flat side up in a baking dish. I used a glass casserole dish

Drizzle the insides and top with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic (or garlic powder)

Place your dish in the oven and bake for forty minutes. Mine was a small squash, so I  checked it at 20 minutes and let it roast another 15 minutes.

Scrape them clean directly into the baking dish.

I then added some more pepper and salt and sprinkles on some shredded Parmesan cheese.

In my bowl, I added some chopped jalapeno.

A small serving was perfect for lunch. Now I have the whole casserole dish full to incorporate into dinner tonight. It's so versatile. You can use it like pasta or eat it plain. You can dress it up for the main dish or use it as a side dish. I have Dairy Free Indian Butter Chicken going in the slow cooker now, I'm thinking about using it where I normally would use rice and pour our chicken and sauce over it for dinner. 

I should have taken more photos, when you pull them out of the oven, there will be some of the oil and moisture sitting in the bottom, just let it mix in when you shred it into the dish.

Let me know if you have any delicious and creative ways of preparing spaghetti squash!

Enjoy!

All the love, 

Caffeine and Freckles