5 Uses for Coconut Oil Outside of the Kitchen

One of the latest foods to be labeled a “superfood” is coconut oil. Its unique combination of fatty acids has been shown to promote better brain function, healthy heart functions, weight loss, lower cholesterol and other health benefits.

You may have already made the switch to coconut oil in the kitchen, but did you know that the benefits of this wonder oil go beyond the kitchen? This do-it-all ingredient may have more uses than baking soda.

I decided to incorporate this multitasking product into my daily regime and have been VERY impressed with its performance. Below are my favorite uses so far.

#1 EYE MAKE-UP REMOVER- Coconut oil is a great eye make-up remover. Scrape out about a teaspoon of oil and either rub between your fingers to melt or pop it in the microwave for a couple of seconds. Gently rub it onto your eyelids and lashes than wipe clean with tissue or cotton.

#2 UNDER EYE MOISTURIZER-We all know how delicate and thin the skin below our eyes is, leaving it prone to fine lines and puffiness. Rub a pea size amount of oil between your fingers to warm it up than gently rub around your eyes before bedtime.

#3 CUTICLE SOFTENER- Say goodbye to ragged cuticles! Rub a small amount of the oil onto each of your cuticles and allow it to sink in. The coconut oil will strengthen your nails and hydrate the delicate cuticle skin, making your hands look and feel more youthful.

#4 FRIZZ FIGHTER- Coconut oil can be used to prevent damaged hair while controlling frizz. Rub a pea size amount in your hands to warm the oil up than rub onto the ends of your hair. This can be done before blow-drying to prevent damage and after to smooth out the ends.

#5 SHAVING OIL-You can soak a jar of coconut oil in warm water to soften it up, than rub some onto your legs before shaving. This will leave your skin very soft and will also help prevent razor burn. PLEASE DO NOT USE IN THE SHOWER. Coconut oil may cause you to slip if it gets on the bottom of your shower.

Written by: Alison Pitre, Marketing Diector

We have all heard the term “radiant heat”. Heat from the sun is radiant. Radiant is used to describe anything that glows from warmth. Radiant is a very positive word.

Radiant heat is energy and is absorbed readily by human skin. Infrared heat is radiant and travels in waves…Heat Waves! When you experience a session in an infrared sauna you will notice that the environment feels almost the same as the heat that you feel on a very sunny and hot day at the beach. I like to tell people who are thinking about trying the Hot Box Detox (HBX) for the first time that if they can imagine a sunny day in July in Las Vegas, then that is how it feels. It’s hot, but not humid and unbearable. This is one reason why it is best to use an infrared sauna versus a traditional sauna.

In a traditional sauna, it is very difficult to breathe at times because the heat is not radiant like the sun. Rather, it is convection heat, or simply hot air made that way by traditional heaters that heat the room air rather than your body. The traditional sauna causes you to sweat because the air is hot. Infrared heat causes sweat because the body is absorbing radiant heat and is not just being heated externally.

If you want to try hot exercise you should always consider the heat source. Most hot yoga studios simply heat the room with traditional heaters from the HV/AC unit or standard space heaters. It is much more comfortable and beneficial to perform hot exercise in infrared heat versus the old school convection heated air. Why not benefit from the healing properties of infrared while you’re working out!? Leave the convection heat behind and opt for infrared when it is available to you.

Steve

Click here to learn how your gym or spa can benefit from Hot Box Detox.

Doesn’t it seem as if everyone is running on empty these days? We are always looking for some energy supplement or magic remedy to keep our motors running. Having to juggle work, family and a social life is exhausting at times. I think we can all agree that in order to stay on top of our game, we need to start with healthy foods and good habits. So, I did a little research on the subject and wanted to share what I found out.

#1- WATER is one of the most important factors. Being the slightest bit dehydrated is energy sapping. So please fill up those water bottles as often as possible. When you start to feel thirsty it is your bodies way of telling you that you are in need of WATER, nothing else but WATER.

#2- QUINOA is the new power grain. It is packed with protein, vitamin B and a great source of fiber. Carbohydrates break down into glucose to keep your cells running, they are your bodies fuel.  Healthy whole grains, like quinoa take longer to digest and give you sustained energy.

#3- NUTS are an excellent source of protein, fiber and nutrients. A handful of nuts can help you push through the mid- afternoon doldrums. Just don’t overdo it because they are high in calories. One serving is about a quarter-cup.

#4- FRUIT is a healthy carbohydrate and a great way to satisfy those sweet cravings. Fruits are also packed with vitamins like A and C that help prevent infections. Try adding berries to Oatmeal or Quinoa in the morning and pack a banana or apple for an afternoon snack.

#5- FISH is low in fat, an excellent source of lean protein and rich in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids. It is light and delicious and is quick cooking.

**Also, please don’t forget that keeping a regular exercise schedule is great for your energy levels.

Written by Alison Pitre, Marketing Director

Some athletes inject human growth hormone (HGH) to increase performance. The risks of harmful side effects and long-term harm are just not worth the benefits. Not to mention, HGH is banned by almost every professional sport.

Go Natural!!!!

While surfing the web recently I ran across an article posing the question, “Are saunas the next performance enhancing ‘drug’?” That question captured my attention and led me to read the story.

Quote from the article:

“According to Rhonda Perciavalle Patrick, Ph.D., increasing your core temperature for short periods, as is done by using a sauna, may offer dramatic improvements to your athletic performance. She calls this concept “hyperthermic conditioning,” which emerging research suggests has multiple positive effects on your body, from increased endurance to the growth of new brain cells.” http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/24/sauna-benefits.aspx

Anabolic is derived from the Greek word anabollein , which means to build up. Anabolism is constructive metabolism and is part of the process whereby muscle develops. In the story, the author makes the point that there are natural ways to increase HGH levels including sauna therapy. The article states that, “Sauna use combined with exercise may lead to even greater, synergistic increases in HGH as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is beneficial for your brain.”

With the deep penetrating radiant heat from an infrared sauna these effects can be even greater than that of traditional saunas!

At a glance, the story makes 5 points:

1-Increasing core body temperature for short periods in a sauna may dramatically increase athletic performance.

2-“Hypothermic Conditioning” has multiple positive effects including the release of human growth hormone (HGH) and promotes the growth of new brain cells.

3-Many benefits to your body occur as it becomes acclimated to the heat.

4-The deep penetrating heat of infrared saunas will enhance your metabolic process while speeding up the detoxification process.

5-Always be mindful of how much heat your body can take.

As a trainer myself, It is important to remember, if you are working out in the heat, to “go at your own best pace”. Challenge yourself, but don’t overdo it is the best rule. I plan to write an article soon about intensity levels while working out in the heat. Stay tuned for that one.

I can attest to the amazing benefits of working out in an infrared heat environment and the fitness gains through body acclamation to heat. As a snow skier, my skill level has elevated like never before since my commitment to add a 2 session per week 30-minute isometric routine in the Hot Box Detox to my weekly workout program.

Now back to another quote from the article that I mentioned… “As your body is subjected to reasonable amounts of heat stress, it gradually becomes acclimated to the heat, prompting a number of beneficial changes to occur in your body. These adaptations include increased plasma volume and blood flow to your heart and muscles (which increase athletic endurance) along with increased muscle mass due to greater levels of heat-shock proteins and growth hormone.”

So no matter what type of fitness or athletic goal you have, you should try adding hot exercise to your workout regime and you will see the benefits first hand.

Challenge yourself!

Steve Smith, Planet Beach, CEO

For dealer inquiries or if you are interested in purchasing Hot Box Detox saunas click here

Walking through the Planet Beach Corporate office is intoxicating! Since we developed the Wyx line of essential oil candles, essential oils and spa sprays, our office is like no other. During the research and development stage there may have been 4 different candles and a couple of diffusers spewing out an array of essential oils. Everyone had their favorite recipe, but eventually we settled on the “best of the best” and wanted to share them with you. These 5 essential oil recipes can be used in a diffuser or a warmer with a tablespoon of water. If you like a stronger scent go ahead and double or triple the recipe.

• Chillax– 4 drops of Lavender, 4 drops of Lemongrass, 4 drops of Vanilla: This is a wonderful recipe to help combat anxiety issues while giving off an intoxicating floral aroma.
• Inhale- 4 drops of Peppermint, 2 drops of Eucalyptus, 4 drops of Lemon, 2 drops of Rosemary:  This is a great recipe to help upper respiratory conditions as it opens up nasal passages and gives off a clean, crisp, slightly medicinal scent.
• Think– 6 drops of Rosemary, 6 drops of Orange:  This recipe is to help stimulate concentration. It is great to use while studying or on those extra long work days. The scent is slightly woodsy with a hint of fresh citrus.
• Up– 4 drops of Lavender, 4 drops of Lemon, 4 drops of Peppermint:  This is a great uplifting mood enhancer recipe that can be used to stay on top of those hectic days while giving off a clean, crisp floral scent.
• Fresh– 2 drops of Orange, 2 drops of Lemon, 4 drops of Grapefruit, 2 drops of Lime, 2 drops of Coconut:  This is a great pick-me-up recipe that may help combat fatigue and headaches while cleaning the air. This is also a great way to get rid of stale or smoke filled air and as a bonus it has the enticing aroma of freshly sliced fruit.

ENJOY!

Written by: Alison Pitre, Marketing Director

Written by:  Stephen Smith, Planet Beach CEO

Any workout buff has had more than one experience with injury and inflammation. Most of the time, for me, when I experience inflammation it is due to tendonitis from either weight training or plyometrics (jump training). I use the Hot Box Detox (HBX) isometric routine to “polish off” my workouts and as a supplemental workout, but I use it to heal my body as well. The cool thing is that I can actually heal aches and pains WHILE I get a great isometric workout with the HBX.

The deep penetration of infrared heat waves will greatly enhance injury recovery and the isometrics will allow you to workout around the injury. It’s no secret that infrared heat is commonly used for rehab purposes. Infrared heat therapy increases the extensibility of collagen and muscle, reduces pain, relieves muscle spasms, increases blood flow to injured and inflamed areas thereby providing needed proteins, oxygen and other nutrients to accelerate healing.

The problem for a fitness enthusiast who is experiencing injury and inflammation is the potential loss of strength. Losing strength really sucks! Fortunately, isometrics is a great way to maintain strength while recovering from the injury.

“Isometric workouts do…trigger muscular tightening and seem a feasible choice for keeping strength, specifically in a rehabilitative setting, according to MayoClinic.com.” http://www.amazingfitnesstips.com/inflammation-and-isometric-exercise

The patent pending infrared Hot Box Detox (HBX) sauna, is designed for three people to workout using yoga style isometrics and it’s the perfect way to benefit from both infrared heat and isometrics at the same time. I call it “hot” exercise and it is an awesome way to recover from inflammation while you workout around it!

To keep up with my customers’ demand for “hot” exercise, I just installed my third HBX sauna at the original Planet Beach location in New Orleans.

Spa Director Fletcher Jernigan next to the 3rd HBX unit installed at the original Planet Beach location

It is also important to note that the stretching and straightening practiced during the 14 posture HBX sequence helps to build strength in the areas that may be affected by inflammation due to injury.

I will end my blog post with this.  I am sure that most of you saw the amazing rendition of the national anthem sung by Lady GaGa at the Super Bowl.  I stumbled upon an Instagram post by her:

“I still deal with bone inflammation from my hip injury two years ago. But I keep control of pain with infrared sauna. A great investment for everyone, I use mine everyday. getting my body ready for the show tonight!”https://www.instagram.com/p/3XLLgLpFNn/

Go get some “hot” exercise therapy.

Steve Smith

P.S.  If you are interested in owning a Hot Box Detox sauna click here.

Mr. Smith is the Co-Founder of the company and has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since April 1996. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Mississippi, a Masters in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, and the Distinguished Certified Franchise Executive Designation from the International Franchise Association for his work and study in the Franchise industry. Mr. Smith has an extensive business background, which includes being an entrepreneur since 1986. He opened and operated Bodyplex Fitness Center from 1986 through 1989, Bay Street Tanning Boutique from 1988 Through 1989, and was a licensee of three Gold’s Gym locations from 1989 Through 1995. Mr. Smith also opened the original Planet Beach location in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1995, which was first called Electric Beach; he still owns this store today. In 1996, Mr. Smith founded Planet Beach Franchising Corporation and began franchising that same year.

Whether you are a novice or a seasoned essential oil user, you know that it is impossible to go anywhere and not see “essential oil” on something. Yes, they smell fantastic when you use them in a diffuser or when you burn them in a candle but there is a lot more to these gifts from Mother Nature. I can tell you my experiences with them, now keep in mind I am not a medical professional, this is just what I have discovered on my own after using them for years.

First I would like to start with my top 2 favorites, Essential oil of Peppermint and Eucalyptus. The scent is intoxicating to me. When used in a diffuser or even when I burn an Essential oil candle it energizes me and helps me concentrate. It also opens my airways when I have a cold. I simply can’t live without these two.

Tea Tree is also a great oil to use on scrapes and skin irritations. I mix it with coconut oil and it seems to heal anything for me. I also like to put a couple of drops in my dog’s bath water when they start scratching; it also makes them smell good.

Of course we all know about Lavender and it’s calming abilities, but have you ever used it with lemon oil? OMG! The Lavender Lemon combination is a very clean floral scent.

Look for my blog next week and I will share the top 5 essential oil recipes and there benefits that we like to use at the Planet Beach Corporate Office.

Written by: Alison Pitre, Marketing Director

Written By: Stephen Smith, Planet Beach CEO

Check out the daily report excerpt below from my assistant spa director at the original Planet Beach spray & spa location in New Orleans just last week:

“Today was another awesome, busy day!! We are staying really busy for Mardi Gras which is great.  Hot Box and Norvell are definitely our being our two most used services with people trying to get dark for the parades and then come and detox all the alcohol out the day after lol!”  ~Kellie~

I replied:  “Awesome day!  HBX (Hot Box Detox) is the best hangover remedy!!”

So, on that note, I thought a blog article about how to cure the Mardi Gras hangover was in order.  Did you know that infrared heat exposure combined with muscle compression from isometrics is one of the best ways to rid your body of the ill effects from a toxic round of drinking?  Yes, it is, but a word of caution…OVER-HYDRATE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER your infrared sauna session… especially after a night of revelry!!!                                                   

One fitness writer at fitness-health-wellness.com states that, “…I realized when you sweat in the sauna you are sweating out all the sodium and impurities from your system, not just water. Therefore when you sweat out the sodium and replace it with pure water, you are hydrating while cleansing your system.”  – See more at: http://fitness-health-wellness.com/sauna-and-hydration/#sthash.Be5yXthK.dpuf

In an interview with England’s Closer magazine, the 38-year-old Oscar winner [Gwyneth Paltrow] — who’s a big fan of Guinness beer and red wine — says she rarely gets sick after a night of too  much drinking.

The reason? “I have a great hangover cure,” she explains. “I take a cold shower in the morning and then I go into the sauna and drink a lot of water throughout the day. Green tea also helps!”

http://www.celebitchy.com/157085/gwyneth_paltrow_deigns_to_explain_her_hangover_cure_not_for_peasants/

Of course, the best way to avoid a Mardi Gras hangover this year is, don’t drink too much!  Good luck.  But if you have a little too much fun, try the Hot Box Detox program and remember to drink plenty of water before the workout, during the workout and after the infrared workout session!  Get those Mardi Gras toxins out with a HBX session!!

  Getting my sweat on at Planet Beach Elmwood in the New Orleans market!

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All comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Written by: Stephen Smith, Planet Beach CEO

Infrared heat provides a much better environment for a sauna than traditional heat for a variety of reasons.  Traditional heat that is generated from “old school” heaters merely heats the air and then the air heats the skin.  This is a very inefficient way to benefit from heat therapy.  Traditional sauna heat is not absorbed into the skin as readily as infrared heat.  Infrared heat is the same as the heat that is generated from the sun.  It stands to reason that if you want to practice hot exercise, then you want to benefit from heat in the most efficient manner by using an environment like the one that the Hot Box Detox (HBX) sauna provides.

If you are a student of “Systems Thinking” as I am, then you will buy into the fact that the best solutions to problems are discovered through observations in nature.  Infrared heat was  discovered in the early 19th century by Sir Frederick William Herschel (1738-1822) a German born musician and astronomer who moved to England in 1757.

“He wanted to know how much heat was passed through the different colored filters he used to observe sunlight. He noted that filters of different colors seemed to pass different amounts of heat. Herschel thought that the colors themselves might be of varying temperatures, so he devised a clever experiment to investigate his hypothesis.

He directed sunlight through a glass prism to create a spectrum… Herschel decided to measure the temperature just beyond the red portion of the spectrum in a region where no sunlight was visible. To his surprise, he found that this region had the highest temperature of all.”   http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/classroom_activities/herschel_bio.html

In that moment infrared heat was discovered!  It has taken a couple of centuries for man to apply this discovery for practical uses.  One of those uses in the modern world is the infrared sauna… and, now we have hot exercise through the use of Hot Box Detox, a patent pending, first ever fusion of infrared heat and isometrics.

Many celebrities have recently discovered the magical benefits of infrared sauna sessions including Jennifer Anniston.  It is just a matter of time until everyone begins to use infrared saunas for their workouts as well.   

The Hot Box Detox (HBX) sauna provides an environment for three clients to practice a 30 minute 14 posture, full-body isometric sequence exposed to infrared heat set at 120 degrees while guided by a virtual instructor.  Spas and Health Clubs are now discovering the benefits that the HBX sauna can provide to their members.  One spa added two HBX saunas and immediately experienced a 40% jump in same store sales.

If you want to receive the latest Hot Box Detox news please subscribe my weekly blog…click here!

Finding an exercise routine that you enjoy and that you are able to do may take some dedication. But have you noticed when you practice the same routine over and over you start to feel stagnate. This is because with repetition of the same workout, your body will consume less energy and get used to doing the routine which means you will burn fewer and fewer calories and achieve less results over time. Changing up your routine will constantly challenge your body and keep you from getting bored, which will equal better results.

Here is an example of a good week:

• Monday– spin for at least 30 minutes, making sure you are changing up the tension and speed every few minutes
• Tuesday– choose between yoga, weight training or some kind of conditioning class
• Wednesday– a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes
• Thursday– run for at least 20 minutes, making sure to sprint every few minutes
• Friday– Hot Box Detox

The most important thing to remember is to keep moving. Not only because it will make you look good but it will make you feel good. Exercising regularly has many health benefits, from lowering cholesterol and blood sugar to reducing stress and anxiety. Leaving you better equipped to deal with whatever life throws at you.

Written by: Alison Pitre, Marketing Director