450: The Light Secret: Why Temperature Doesn't Matter in Optimal Infrared Therapy with Connie Zack

But our bodies are full of energy, like energy is is so important. And our cells need light energy in order to activate every single system in our body. And that's what infrared does.

Welcome to Midlife Conversations. I'm your host, Natalie Jill, and I'm passionate about having amazing conversations that matter to us midlife women. On this podcast, I do what I do best, taking complicated health topics and breaking them down simply so that we can optimize ag. I share actionable steps to help you thrive in what I believe are our best years to come. Join me as I interview the most inspiring people living their best midlife years and dive into essential topics like hormone changes, health optimization, weight management, blood sugar, emotional well being, relationships, beauty, and so much more. What if the key to healthy aging has been truly hiding in plain sight, like something as simple as the sun?

And.

And how important is infrared to our wellness journey? And what does this have to do with the sun? And what's the real difference between infrared, what we get direct from the sun, and red light therapy? These are all trendy topics lately, but what is the difference between it all? And why are so many people ditching traditional saunas and turning to infrared ones? Today, I'm going to dive deep with Connie Zak. She's the force behind sunlight and who found this game to changing technology through her own desperate search for healing. And Connie's changed my life. She doesn't even realize this, but she has. Ever since I started using that sunlight and sauna, it has completely changed my mood. At any time, I could feel anxious, overwhelmed, not well. I go in there and it's almost like you spent a day in the sun, the way that we feel so good from that. So you're going to have your mind blown today as we share with you how specific light wavelengths are literally fighting the markers of aging at a cellular level.

And.

And you're going to find out why so many people, from doctors to biohackers to just midlife women in general that you might know and be friends with, are adding these to their regimen, even putting them in their home. So thank you so much for being here today, Connie.

Well, thanks for having me on again. I had so much fun last time that we talked and it was just such great energy. You just, you, you know, speaking of energy, you just have fantastic energy. So I was super excited to come back and chat deeper about all these topics.

You know, I didn't even know what I didn't know when I interviewed you last time. Last time you were telling me a lot about the story of how you got into this and how this helped you with your own journey. And I had not fully had the benefit of really experiencing this on a deeper level that I have in this last year where I use this regularly. And now I have like real questions like I want to, I want to really get into this because I don't know the answers to all of this. And I'm going to start switching of at a high level, the sun. Let's talk about the sun because a lot of people listening are generation X and we grew up worshiping the sun really, like I know I did. I was laying out in the baby oil and I would feel so good. It was, it was driving dopamine, serotonin, like I would feel good. And then we sort of got scared out of the sun that, oh, it's going to create wrinkles, it's going to create skin cancer. And there's a lot of conflicting information out there right now on how bad or good is the sun really for us. And I want to understand how, what your thoughts are around that and how what's good about the sun has kind of made a headway into red light and infrared. I know it's a big question, but I want to start there.

Yeah, it's a big question. So I'm going to start with the last part of the question, I think, which is, you know, talking about like the power of the sun and why now people are looking at bringing in sunlight. And specifically, you know, we harness the healing power of the sun and we're bringing it inside so that you can enjoy the healing part of the sun inside in your sunlight and sauna. And you know, I think that people are starting to understand that, that the sun, I mean, maybe they're not understanding that the sun has a spectrum of, of light, but not all parts of that light spectrum are the same. Right? And so like the UV rays, which are the ones that burn us, are very different than the infrared spectrum. And infrared consists of about 55% of the Sun's rays are in the infrared spectrum. And then we've dove down, so we've taken that from the sun and then we spliced it and found a way to deliver each part of that spectrum, which I'm so passionate about because it really is mind blowing how cool it is, which we can talk about the far infrared, mid, near and red.

I want to actually talk about all of it because I think a lot of me included, I don't understand all this. And I think it's Important because this is. I think this is what has created this fear around sun in general, is not understanding the beneficial parts and the dangerous and all of that. So I think it's important to go through all those.

Yeah. Okay, so let's. Let's take a step back. We talked a little bit about this last time, but just to help people understand some of the basics of infrared versus, like, traditional heat source. And a traditional heat source heats the air. And you walk outside if the air is hot. And you get hot instantly because the air is hot.

Yes.

And then infrared heats, I always say it bypasses. It skips the middleman, which is the air, and it is a light energy. And that's what's really important for people to understand from this, is that it's energy medicine. And sometimes when you say energy medicine, it sounds like, ooh, that sounds really weird. But our bodies are full of energy. Like, energy is. Is so important. And our cells need light energy in order to activate every single system in our body. And that's what infrared does, but it does it with four different wavelengths. So it's. It's. It's light that's converted into heat with two of the wavelengths, but there's also light that's absorbed and penetrated into the skin that affects your mitochondria, and it strengthens your cells.

And. And then, of course, like as I said earlier, there's a spectrum within a spectrum. So you have four powerful separate parts of this infrared spectrum that have. Has a particular frequency that changes your cells at different levels throughout the body. So literally, it affects every single system. It creates this biochemical cascade that affects every system into your body, which is very different than hot air.

Okay. And so this is why, like, back in the days of laying out in the sun and getting a tan, aside from the wrinkles or the burning, if. Aside from that, you would feel so good after.

You would. Yeah, you would feel so good because that light energy is being absorbed into your water molecules. So, like, literally, when far infant enters your body, it makes your water molecules start to dance and vibrate. I mean, there is a vibrational molecular activation that's happening when that light energy is absorbed into your body. And that vibration and that movement and that flow that starts to happen, that feels really good. The other thing that. The reason it feels good is because majority of your body is water and mitochondria, right? And those are chromophores. Like, they need light energy in order to increase the function of your cells and increase. Like mitochondria are your Your little engines. Right. And, like, that's what gives you energy. And so if you're getting, like, if you picture our bodies and solar panels and so you're lying there in the sun and you're receiving. And so I'm now. Now. I'm now activated. And my mitochondria, if I'm having mitochondria issues and stuff, it's helping to produce more engines, I'm getting more energy. I am, like, functioning at a higher level. And then, not to mention, this gets a little complex. But the way it works with your water molecules, in addition to the vibration, it also helps change the structure of your water to create more energy as well.

So what do you mean it helps change the structure of the. How does that. What do you mean? I don't understand that.

Yeah, there is a great. There is a great.

Doctor, Dr. Pollock, who talks about the fourth phase of water.

Yep.

And if you've heard about that, I've actually met him.

Yes.

Oh, you have? So jealous. Oh, my gosh. I have, like. Oh, my gosh. I, like, total. Have envy right now. So he. So one of the ways to. So when you change that fourth structure, when you change the structure of the water, you start to increase your energy in your body, and you can physically see it. Infrared is one of the ways to do that.

Got it. Okay, that makes sense. So when we've talked. We've heard. I've had guests on talking about structuring water, which is the. Okay, so it's the same thing as happening in your body when you're exposed to infrared. So I'm gonna go a little deeper here and then get back to light. When you look at, like, a traditional idea of sauna or sweating, I think the. The thought process behind it initially was let's just heat you up and sweat out toxins. Is that accurate, that that's what original saunas were meant to do with the heat?

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Yeah, I mean, yes, yes. I'll just answer that simply yes and which is yes.

Okay, so how much of that is important? Like how much does that help versus like what light and this light therapy actually does?

Yeah, so the, the, the difference is in the absorption into the cells. So it's, it still feels good to walk outside into Arizona or to a hot environment. And it's hot. Right. And you start sweating right away because it's hot. There's still a benefit to that.

Or when you work out and sweat, like cardio or anything.

Right, right. The difference is you're doing it the cellular way.

With infrared because you're getting, it's getting absorbed into your cells versus just heating the air and you're getting hot because the air is hot. And then sometimes people can't get too hot. Like there's, there's some people that when they walk outside into Arizona or they walk, they go into a traditional sauna, like they're heated and they're just like, whoa, whoa, whoa. They can't breathe, you know, and they can't stay in there. So if you can't stay in there, then you're not going to get, you know, the benefits. But the benefits are so much deeper at a cellular level on the infrared, because your cells are connecting to the energy that's being delivered from infrared, and you're getting four separate wavelengths, and it impacts your body at totally different levels. So it's so different than heating the air and you sweating.

That's a simple formula. And there's that. And I don't want to knock it. There's lots of benefits. There's lots of great longitudinal studies.

With traditional. I just think a lot of people don't know. There's a lot of great longitudinal studies within Florida, too. I mean, we have lots of longevity studies. Go ahead.

So when you think about. And I want to bring this up, because some people say, well, they like traditional saunas because they get hotter or they. They can sweat more, which I understand that, but I think what's going on there is, yes, our body, some of our bodies respond really well to heat. So the sweating, the heat, all of that is feeling good the same way you would after a great workout. Like, you have that same. So it's. It's that heat and that mood. But not everybody's body responds, like you said, to that. And you're missing a big part of the benefit that you can get from light therapy. Did I say that right? Is that accurate? Okay, so it's not that it's a bad thing. It's just a different thing. It's just you're not. And you're not. It's not the combined therapy.

Then when you.

Okay, so then when you. What is infrared versus red light? What's the difference there? This is confusing, too.

So infrared is the entire spectrum.

Okay.

Okay, so it's part of the sun spectrum. And to make it simple, we'll just say it's divided into four parts to four wavelengths. Far infrared, which we can talk about. I mean, we can go into each one, you know, But I'm going to answer your question first. And then we can go backwards so far infrared, which is light energy that you experience with heat. Okay, so. And then mid infrared, same thing. So those two infrared light, but you're feeling it by heating the body directly, heating up the core temperature. And, you know, I can talk about all the benefits that happens with that. And then right next to mid infrared is invisible light, which is called near infrared, and that penetrates the body the deepest as far as the epidermis aspect where the other two are absorbed. Into tissues and the bone, like absorbed deeply into your water molecules. And then the near and red light penetrate the skin. So that's the really big difference is the way that they are received by your body. Red light is right next to.

Near infrared. If you think about the rainbow, you can see the last light that you see is red. And then right next to red is near infrared. The difference between near infrared and red light is that near infrared is invisible. Red light is visible. Obviously you can see it. Near infrared penetrates deeper into the skin, which is why we initially launched impulse, which is our smart sauna. When we launched that 15 years ago, we launched it with near infrared.

Just. With just near infrared because all the scientists.

Let us know that it's the most effective. When you look at light energy penetrating the skin, near infrared is more effective than red light. The red light doesn't go as deep. That's why it's more effective. However, we're human, and when people can't see something, they don't necessarily think it works. But if they see it, they're like, oh, it's red. It must be working. So, so, so then we, you know, we evolved, and now we have red light in, in. In our saunas, as well as a standalone red light panel, et cetera. But near infrared is really the hero of that makes sense of the two.

The two wavelengths. And there's tons. The thing that's so powerful about near infrared and red light, while we're on the topic is there's so much data I was looking at just yesterday, like the data on photobiomodulation, which is the generic term, it's the scientific term for near infrared and red light is astounding.

I mean, there's benefits on tmj, there's benefits on brain function, there's benefits on fine lines and wrinkles on wounds. And.

When you look at all the studies, the kind of magic. I don't know if I say magic, but when a synergistic effect is blending the two together so that you get the depth of penetration of near infrared as well as a shorter penetration with red light, and you can have them together so you have even a greater impact on your cells. So there's. I mean, there's. There's Alzheimer's data. I mean, there. I could literally go on and on and on about all of the different studies with just those two wavelengths. And then you, then you add in the benefits of mid infrared and the benefits of far infrared separately because it's absorbed, right? It's working totally differently. On your body. It's like how uv, like how it changes, you know, the, the color of your skin. Like that's a different light energy than, than infrared because it's not going to change the color of your skin. I mean, different light energies impact the body in different ways. Does that make sense?

Yeah, it makes sense. When you look at the sun, just the sun as a whole, and it has these spectrums and more. What is. So a lot of what you're saying, I would imagine just going out in the sun, you would get a lot of this benefit too. But then you've got the other wavelengths that are. That could actually harm us. So can you talk a little bit about that?

Yeah. So you have. Well, we'll just touch on the UVA and UVB rays. So I mean, those can, you know, cause, you know, cause burning. You know, obviously there's been, you know, links to cancer. You know, some, some of the other.

Downsides to those, you know, is, is there's a. I mean, there's just a lot of harm, which is why, like you said, like, we got scared away from. From it and people stopped being in the sun. But reality is, you know, I always think back to, you know, history and how, you know, before alarm clocks existed and, you know, and how people. The sun was the, the igniter of, you know, circadian rhythm, you know, of, of you waking up.

Sure.

You know, and then you also, you know, your brain responded and was able to shut down, you know, to go to sleep. And the, the reason, I mean, there's so many reasons why people have trouble sleeping today, but one of the reasons is, is they don't have, you know, that just normal circadian rhythm. And part of that starts with the morning going out and seeing the sun rays. So now you're getting some of that infrared, you know, into your eyes, which is so important. Like seeing the sun, you know, get in, having it absorbed into your cells, you know, but.

But like, people aren't. They just aren't doing. I mean, there's not a lot. Not everybody's getting up at whatever time that the sun, you know, comes up, which is why we've brought infrared inside, you know, so.

Yeah, plus you don't get the negative. You don't get the negative of the. You don't get the aging problem, you know, so even if are listening and you're like, well, I don't buy into the, the sun creating skin cancer because I know there's a whole train of thought there that it's seed oils or whatever, it Whatever your, your belief is, there is no denying that if you were to lay in the sun all day long, you would age your skin more rapidly. So that one, that one is, you can't. That it would happen. So I got, I understand there's a ton of benefits, but you also look at somebody who's really spent years tanning and out in the sun, their skin looks older. So there's, there's that. So, so when you take what you're talking about and just take the best of the spectrum and you don't have that problem. In fact, you'll have the opposite.

Exactly. You have like, great. I mean, so well said. You, you, you reverse the clock.

Versus accelerating the clock, right? So, you know, with infrared, you're really like, you're turning the clock backwards and you're protecting your cells and you're actually strengthening your cells and making them last longer. Because part of the reason we age is, is, you know, your cells start to break down, your mitochondria starts to have dysfunctional problems. I mean, we can talk about the hallmarks of aging and the impact of infrared separately, like, damn, in a little bit because that's pretty powerful. Yeah, but it's going back to your statement as far as, you know, like, hurting versus helping. Infrared is really helping not only your skin, especially when it comes to near infrared and red light, you know, but then when you have far infrared, you purify the body. You know, so my, my statement is you purify the body and the skin will follow. So you, if you clean your body out and detoxify with far infrared, then, you know, then, and then add on near infrared and red light to superficially penetrate the skin, accelerate cell turnover. I mean, you're, you're, now, you know, your biological clock. I mean, you're, you're, you're helping it. Right? You know so much. So.

Well, I'll, I'll tell you from a personal. Because I can only, I can only speak on my own personal experience, but. And I'll talk about my dog for a minute too. So just think about when you feel, anyone listening to. If you feel anxious, you're feeling tired, you're feeling not yourself, whatever you, if you have, you haven't done this yet or if you haven't connected the dots. If you just go stand outside in the sun 10 minutes, when you're feeling like that, you will notice a shift like your dopamine. Everything just changes. And if you think about, if you have a pet, think about what pets do when you open the door they go lay in the sun. It's like an innate thing. They want to do that. So you do. There's no denying how you feel better. I think there's a psychological component or people are scared of it. So they don't. They're all covered up. So they don't. They're not aware of that. Or they might be disconnected. But you really can't deny it. If you just even humor me and do it for 10 minutes. You see a difference there. I will say I feel that literally that exact same way if I go in your sauna. In fact. Right. Last night, before recording this, I switched it and I've been going in at night versus the morning now. And I noticed I didn't feel great yesterday. I was kind of feeling anxious. I had a lot of work that went late into the day. I just didn't feel good. And I had already walked. I'd worked out, I'd done all the things, but I just wasn't feeling great. And I went in the sauna for 45 minutes and it was like a new person. It's like pretty quickly, like within the first 10 minutes I felt different. And then you sleep better. Like so I physically felt that. I also will say I am a very rapid recovery person. So I've had, I mean, gosh, I've had many injuries and surgeries, but I also did a cosmetic eye procedure not too long ago. And when I adding that has helps rapid heal. It helps rapid heal. I don't know why. So I wanted to ask you more about that, but it's. I shared with my audience before, if I only could have literally one tool, like one age optimizing tool, it would be the infrared sauna.

Yeah. It is definitely the, the. If you only had one thing, it's the whole body longevity hack. I mean, for sure, it's like, it's really all. I mean, it's not all you need, but man, you know, if I, if I could only choose one, I'm choosing this because I'm getting this natural light energy that I need anyway.

Right.

But then when I understand the power, you know, that each wavelength has on helping my cells age better and helping my cells be stronger and helping my cells, you know, function at a higher level, then that gives me more energy. Totally. And then I feel better. And I feel. When we feel, you know, as women. Yes. When we feel our best, I mean, you know, it's like. Was that Margaret Mead quote? I always mess up quotes. But, you know, something like, you know, if whoever thinks like not, you know, they're. One person can't change the world. Indeed. That's the only thing that's ever happened. Or, you know, it's not. That's not how it is. But, but my point is, is that whole. Yeah, my, my point of, of that quote is when you have. If you're a female and you like, you know, have like a sunlight and you feel great, that power of feeling great totally makes you feel like you can conquer the world, you know? And that, that is. It's just a priceless, you know, feeling. That's how I always feel afterwards. I have so much more energy. My brain is. Yes, like, I had.

I flipped when I was doing it, and I still have so many questions for you, but I. I flipped when I was doing it because. I'll tell you why. I used to get up in the morning. I think it was after I interviewed you, because you said you did it in the morning. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna start doing it every morning. The reason I flipped it tonight is I feel like I wake up naturally, like, ready to go. Like, I'm like, I. And I didn't. I don't want to go in the sauna and bring my cell phone and go into work mode. So to me, I flipped it to. It's more like wind down mode because that's, that's more important for my health personally. It's like, learn to turn it off. So I do it now, end of the day for me, and it helps me, like, just wind everything down versus going in there with the big cortisol, you know, and all. Yeah, that's how, that's how I kind of pivoted it. I do have. I have a lot of questions. I'm just going to kind of rapid fire them out. And I. And if you tell me if this is kind of out of your scope, but I want to ask them because they're all in my head. So there's a lot of talk about the dangers of, like, artificial fluorescent lights and white light, blue light. When. When I talk about red light or infrared, like, people kind of lump down into the same thing. Can you help explain that? Because the best that you can.

Yeah, absolutely. I was actually just listening to.

This great webinar that I was on with Dr. Bland and Dr. Cole, a PLMI, and Dr. Bland spent some time talking about how, you know, light energy is so fantastic and it's so powerful, but you have to know the right light energy to connect your body with and to connect your tissues with, because There is, you know, there's, there's harmful light energy such as, know, like fluorescent lights and, and blue lights. And it, that, that zaps, you know, your cell phone, your, your computer, those lights zap you. I mean, they, they, they, they take energy away from you, totally. Red light and near infrared, as long as you have the right frequency of that. And so that's just, that's a separate kind of conversation. But I, I, I do want to mention it.

Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna, that's definitely on my list of questions because I, like, in my house alone, I have like five different red lights. So I'm gonna ask you about that.

And it's, it's important because.

You know, any product can say it's red light.

Yes.

As long as it emits the color red. Right. So you have to be, as a consumer, you know, you have to be so careful. And so, I mean, that's just something we take a lot of pride in at sunlighton is making sure that, you know, everything is backed by science. Like we, you know, take the LEDs that have been in our sunlight and impulse since 2010 and then put them in our standalone, you know, red light panel, because we know for sure, yeah, they were at the right frequency, you know, with the right amount of joules, et cetera. And then, you know, we studied, obviously, red light and did the same thing.

What is that right frequency? Like, what do we need to know?

Yeah. So in order for it to be in the right frequency, and it's 660 now, nanometers, you know, is a really great sweet spot. 880 for near infrared. And I want to make sure, because we're talking a lot about red, so I really do want to make sure people understand because there are some red light panels that do not have near infrared in them. And that is not a good choice. Like, you really should have, if you're going to have red, you should also have near because it, it is not, it's not.

There'S just no reason, there's no reason to have red light alone.

Okay.

You should have red and near together because near infrared penetrates the skin deeper. So you're going to get more therapeutic value when you have both together. And you're going to get more therapeutic value with the near infrared because when you talk about, like you talked about wound healing and you know, when you do your, in your skin because of that penetration with your cells and that impact on your mitochondria and the cell turnover and your cell health, having both of those Together, especially near infrared. Deeper, you're getting more cell turnover and you're getting more collagen and you're getting more elastin. You're getting two times the amount.

This is really important because I'm just thinking, just me alone, because people send me stuff. So I've got, like, all kinds of face masks that are red light or little red light panels, like in my house that people send me. And I didn't understand this about the frequency, which I'm glad I'm asking you about this, but this is scary because people will go right on Amazon or they'll go on TikTok shop or whatever, and they're just like, oh, it's red light. But it could just be literally a fluorescent light with the red coloring. So you're going to be doing more damage to you than blood.

Yeah, there's no. Exactly. You said it. Yeah.

That's scary. I mean, I think that's going on a lot. So it's.

Yeah.

I mean, it's become gimmicky.

Exactly. And it's. It's.

Yeah, it's. It's. It's daunting.

Do they list the. The six? Like, do they list the number? I know. I guess that's a huge red flag if they don't. So if there's no.

I don't. I don't know. And they probably still can. But what is your.

How do we know?

It's true, right?

Yeah. Wow, that's scary. That's actually really scary.

Yeah. So, I mean, I just want people to have the confidence, you know, that sunlight and product. Both. The both. If we're talking about red and near, which is, you know, we have red and near in impulse, I keep pointing to behind me.

Yeah, that's what I have.

I have an impulse.

Yeah.

Okay. And. And then also in addition to that, because some people have older versions of Impulse where that doesn't have. All of them have near infrared. Older versions do not have red light. So if they wanted to add on a standalone panel, then that is one that we produce that is legit and has a right frequency of near and red as well as as long. I'm talking about that, because this is super, super cool, is that we have this amazing app that goes with the standalone panel and it customizes the blend of the two according to different benefits. So you just press like the sleep program, you press the skin program, or you pass it muscle recovery or pain, which I love because I combined all.

Of them and I called it Natalie's. Like, literally, I Like I cussed or my husband did it. He cost. We custom. I put all the things on which I want to ask you about too. Can you get too much of something? Like, is it. Because I know a lot of, like a lot of red light products say 12 minutes. Like, where did that 12 minutes come from? And because I have the red light on for 45 minutes in the sauna. Is that okay?

Yeah. So your body can only absorb so many joules of energy for so on the LEDs.

Like it 45 minutes, you know, I mean, that's a lot to be. If you were in front of a panel. I don't know that like inside the sauna it's different because you're inside the sauna and you're. It's, you know, blending it with the other two wavelengths. And our programs have, have, you know, they're designed to make sure that there's not obviously too many jewels of energy. But if you're just doing a red light standalone.

There'S a maximum amount of time, you know.

Yeah. I think most say like 12 minutes. That's just seems to be like a standard. I don't know if someone just made that up or if that's like the thing, but you have me thinking even in the sunlight and that maybe using the standard programs might be smarter because you've already thought through that science. Like, you're like, okay, you don't need this much for longer. Where I turned everything at like high max for me.

Right. Which is great. Yeah. I remember we talked about that last time and. And I was like that. I mean, you inspired me. I'm like, that's so cool. I like, I am a huge program fan. Just because there's just. It's also something mental. Like there's something mentally great about, you know, the self awareness. Like, how am I feeling today? Right. Like, what's going on with my body? How am I feeling? What do I want to accomplish? And then pressing the button that matches that feeling. And like there's something just, you know, something great about like pressing the button. You know, like when I press the button on pain relief, I'm like, oh, you know.

Yeah, that's awesome.

Yeah, that's why I do it.

Well, I've made like a whole office in my, in my, in my. And I have the one person, by the way, which is. Fits two people. Truly like it. Literally the one person fits two people. But I have a. I have that. And in there, I have reading material. I have my reading glasses. I, I have a journal. I Have, like, I'm, like, I'm. I have a dry brush, so I, like, I have a whole routine in there. I make my little, like, sanctuary in there.

Yeah, yeah, it is. That's how I feel. It is. Is. Is my, you know, happy place. You know, it's my place. It's my me time. And I think as women.

Yeah.

You know, that's something that we all need so much. And I feel like it's the first thing to go, you know, is that time, you know, especially if you have, like, I have two teenagers, and it's just I'm constantly, you know, mama bear and taking care of them and making sure that's all, you know, and then there's the business. And then, you know, I'm, you know, married to my business partner. So there's that, you know, there's. It's just. It's a lot. And I need to make sure that I, you know, take care of myself and I go and take that time inside my sunlight.

Makes total sense. Yeah. And I love that for that. What about. How can you talk to us a little bit about the science and how this truly helps midlife women with things like. I mean, I want to talk about. There's a lot of things I want to talk about the health benefits, but also skin. Like, why. I've heard that red light and infrared can help our skin. How and why does that happen? And explain that.

Okay, so let's start there. We'll start with skin.

So with skin, it's so powerful. And you said red and near, so I'll touch on that. But then I'm going to go back to far as well. Just because I'm. It's, you know, if. If you only could have one wavelength, you would do far. So just. Just to put it out there so.

Far is the more important. Got it.

They're all important. Like, I mean, they're all. I love all of them, but I just want. I like, I like to go for the ideal, which is all four of them in one sauna. Like, that's the ideal. However, not everybody can do that. And so I want to provide options, you know, for people and entry points for somebody. If they're like, I can't do that. Okay, if you can't do that, then. Then, then do far. Start with far. You will feel a million bucks. You'll feel so much better. And then, you know, then you can add on later. So back to skin. So near and red light penetrate, you know, the skin through the epidermis, and when they're when it's penetrating, when that energy is going into the skin, so many benefits happen. I mean you're not only getting like the turnover which at, you know, speaking of aging, like as we age, like that process, you know, is so much slower. You know, you look at, you know, kids, like I watch my kids and how fast a bruise goes away or how fast, you know, they he their skin heals from something, it's amazing, you know, or if, yeah, on me it's a just, it takes longer. But using near and red light accelerates that because you're providing light energy, you know, to your body and it also impacts your mitochondria. So you're getting more energy, you know, more ATP, you know, to your body. So.

Sure.

Yeah, I mean there's that, that's the main benefit. I'm going to go back to far because I don't, I don't want to leave far out with the skin because so far you know, is absorbed the deepest into the body. Right. So if you just kind of picture, if you were to like do a graph, you know, far goes the deepest and mid and then near and red or superficial into the skin. And when far is absorbed and starts to make those water molecules dance and vibrate, then, then, then your body is heated from the inside out. And that heat from the inside out is all about increasing your core temperature and increasing your blood flow, which is so magical. Increasing oxygen and all these increase, you know, in flow with your body allows for transference movement of cells, you know, ideally through detoxification, you know, and some through your gut, some through sweat, some, you know, all sorts of different systems in your body. But that purging, let's call it, you know, of toxins that we cannot help but be exposed to just by walking outside. We're exposed to 700,000 chemicals every single day. You know, we go to a salon and you think about like, you know, when you get your hair done or what? I mean, holy cow.

Like you care so much and even when you people think they're using all non toxic products, you can't totally avoid it. So I think what you're saying, avoid it. You just have to get your body.

Really good at detoxing and right, you, you, you have. That's why I go back to far. If you can only do one thing, because if you can only do one thing, cleaning your body on a regular basis, like deep, deep cleaning, you know, through detox and purging, it doesn't have to be to be through heavy sweating because We've been. We've proven with infrared it. You don't have to have high levels of heat and you don't have to be a heavy sweater to be a healthier, cleaner person. Removed. Removing all your toxins.

What temperature, Connie? Like, Like.

Oh, you're asking one of my favorite.

Yeah, because I want it because, like, I have that with, like, my husband, like, says he has. He wants it a lot hotter. Like, he wants it. He puts it like that. I go in there and it's like. Call it 125 to 135 is about where I'm at. Is that. I mean, where should we be?

You should. So, okay. The reason it's such a favorite question to Miami is because there's. This is. This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions.

Okay.

Out there on the market. I've been doing this a long time, and, you know, it's just. You know, there's been an evolution of misconceptions. But right now, this is you. You hit my sweet spot of. Of how can I help people better understand. So infra. Because it bypasses the air, and it. It's directly absorbed into your cells. Like, we just. We have to focus on the fact that this light energy is connecting to our cells. Okay. Completely different.

Okay.

Than heating up the air. So temperature is irrelevant.

Wow.

Okay. It is not a unit of measurement for success with results.

I'm gonna play that clip, like, 200 times for my husband. So, Brooks, when you hear this, that clip's for you. Because people think they have to be tight. I think it's, like, a tough thing. Like, oh, I have to have it at 300 degrees. Like, they. It's like this tough conversation, right?

It is. It's a. It's counter. Infrared really is a counterintuitive process because people. They go in there and they're like, oh, wow. Like, this feels great. I feel like. I feel like people instantly feel great.

Feel so good.

You feel so good. But then they're like. Then all of a sudden, their brain clicks in. They're like, wait a second. Don't I need to be hot?

Do I. Don't need to torture myself.

Don't I need to be miserable? Don't I need to, like, go through some like, oh, I'm so tough. Yeah. You know, and it's. No, you don't. You know, that mean the. Really. The most effective time to get in an infrared sauna is the moment you turn it on. Because the moment you turn it on when you go in There, the wavelengths are the longest. They're the most easily absorbed into their body. Your cells are ready to absorb them and to make changes. You know, you get more energy, you get more flow, you get more, more cognitive function. I mean, everything is functioning better the moment you turn it on.

So does that, does the preheating mess that up at all?

Like, is that you can preheat it. So temperature is a personal preference when it comes to infrared. Not a unit of measurement for success.

It's in there and it's on 90 degrees, for example. You're still getting better.

Absolutely.

Does not have to be 130.

No, no. I mean, there's. There, you know, Dr. Cole and I was, you know, watching that webinar. He's talked about how that our heat shock proteins in our body, which help, you know, our personal trainers and help strengthen our immune system. Those, those guys are, they're activated at, at temperatures as low as 104 degrees. Wow. Or having even like hot water, which is my favorite thing to have in the morning, like, that's activating your heat shock proteins. You don't need to, to stress out the body at these extreme temperatures. It's like.

Oh, good.

Yeah. Okay. It's like what I call infrared infra I call it the Goldilocks principle, you know, because it just, it's. It, it's, you know, not too hot, it's not too cold. It's like the perfect, you know, feeling and experience with the right wavelength, you know, affecting, you know, the right frequency and the right tissue. So. So it's just like, it's just perfect.

Okay, I have a weird question. Maybe this is dumb, I don't know. But when you bring your electronics in there, is that hurting things? Because I would. Im like, well, other than you're going to overheat your phone and it's probably turning on more cortisol problems, but like, is that, are we like emitting more EMFs or anything like that? When you, by bringing electronics in there.

Yeah, you are. I mean, again, that gets back to like how you want to, how do you want to have your experience? I personally, my experience in there is my happiness sanctuary. It's my place to stack all of the healthy things that I want to do in a 30 to 40 minute session. So, you know, I want to, if I want to clear my head, if I want to set my intentions, if I want to deep breathe, you know, if I want to stretch, whatever, I want to do it. Sometimes all of that, like, I feel like that's my time and that's my place because nobody's gonna bother me. Yeah. And they know I'm in there. Mom's in there, like, you know, and it's that my time to get all to. Because I do do it in the morning. Right. So it's my time to get all of that stuff in. So I feel like, okay, like, I'm. I am healthy. I am ready to go now. I'm gonna go and, you know, drink my green juice and start my day.

So you're like. So you're saying it's up to you. You're not. You could do it. You could bring your cell phone in or whatever you want, but you're. If I'm reading between the lines, you're kind of saying. Suggesting that just that's the time not to have that. Like, obviously go in and do your other stuff and leave that.

That's the way I treat it. Because I find, like, one of my favorite benefits. And this goes back to your question. As far as, you know, with women, and as we age.

I feel like as we age, the brain. The brain's always powerful, but as we age, the brain becomes so much more powerful with the connection between our brain and our gut and our body. Like, I. You feel like as women with hormone changes that, like, you use the word anxiety, a lot of women that's, you know, everything's changing in their body, and so they have more anxiety. And so for me, because we know for sure scientifically the way infrared works, and it helps you to detoxify your body. It helps to increase the oxygen to your brain. It helps to eliminate the brain fog. You know, it helps to. To, you know, impact and increase the function of your mitochondria, you know, which gives you more energy. So all of those benefits, I feel like if. If I have my phone. Yep. I'm distracted. And now my brain.

Yeah.

Is in a different place. But if I go in.

You know, and I do deep breathing, which is synergistic with the increase in blood flow. Right. Because I go in there and now, I mean, scientifically, we're increasing the amount of blood that's flowing through our body as soon as we walk in there. So we can, like, two to three times increase the amount of blood volume in your body. I mean, that's powerful. So I want to take advantage of that. And if I can, I want to stack that experience with something else that's going to keep it going.

Makes sense.

So I want to deep. Because if I'm deep breathing, like, we know for sure that. That helps your flow. It helps get more oxygen. So let me just keep doing all these things that are making my head clear and creative and positive and boosting my mood. I mean, yeah, it's such a big mood booster. Huge booster.

It's like, I remember you telling me last time that you don't have to go in it a certain amount of times. Like, you don't have to go seven days a week, but you kind of want to. Like, I crave it. I want to. And now, actually, now that you told me I don't even have to have the temperature that high. I. Because, see, I would do it because sometimes I don't go in because I'm like, I don't want to get all sweaty or I don't want to. But if you don't even have.

You don't have to know. You don't have to because you're getting like. That's one of the freeing things that I can tell people. I remember, you know, talking to some people at Unicorn Club, and like, they're like, I always thought I had to preheat it. I had to wait. I had to do all of this. Right? And that's fine. It's. If you want to do that, but you do not have to to do that to receive the benefits. Because even though you may not sweat right away, obviously you're still changing your cells and you're still moving that mobility inside your body, that strengthening of your mitochondria and the changing of your. Of the vibration of your water molecules, that happens right immediately. And so you're still, like, moving toxins around, you know, to eventually eliminate through, you know, all, you know, different routes of elimination whether you're sweating or not. And sweating is powerful, and we know for sure more powerful, you know, than. Than blood and urine. But still, you're still getting a lot of benefit, you know, when you.

Right, yeah. So what I do, you all is. I. This is at the time of us recording this right now, my little habit, because I've been doing it at night. As of now, this is what I've been doing. I put. Make it my hydrogen water ready. I don't know if you drink hydrogen water, Connie, but I do. I do like hydrogen tabs or a hydrogen bottle. And I. So I get that ready, I go in the sauna. I was preheating it for a lot longer. I'm not going to anymore now that you told me this. I go in there, I dry brush when I'm in there. I usually read and journal some and then when I get out of there is when I'll do like my minerals. I'll just to kind in my mind I'm like replenishing and I just do my mineral drinks. That's kind of my routine. But it's it you feel so good. You. I can't explain you guys. Even if you. Well, I'm going to tell you where you can go have a consult to even talk to Sunlight and then see if you can get one for your house because and you all. They have all different models. You can get any model when you talk to them, they help you figure it out. But I'll just tell you if you're like I don't have space in my house or whatever. Brooks and I literally got the one person one but it fits two people. Like you could use it and we keep ours outside. You could do either if you have like a shaded area. We and we live in Arizona. It gets hot here. So I don't know that Connie recommends that you keep it out year round. But you could like we've had ours outside and it's fine. So if you all go to get.sunlighten.com forward/natalie jill get.sunlighten.com Forward/natalie jill or if you don't remember that just go to Sunlight and find them. And you can when you fill out the little application and it says how'd you hear about us? Say Natalie Jill. Because usually there's a discount that they give you and I depending on the time of when you're doing it. I think right now it's like up to $600 that you can get off. So make sure you put that and you can talk with somebody there and they'll help you figure out if you can do one for your house. If for some reason you're not going to do one for your house, I still encourage you to go try out infrared sonic especially places that have sunlight and brand because as Connie said they've done all the research and they have the combination of the of this and you can ask your like any place you go. Like I know my gym has a bunch of saunas and I was like but you didn't get sunlight and like I made a big deal about it. So you can, you can say what you want and what you're looking for. Bacon. This is so good. What did I miss that I want to make sure that we want to make sure with midlife women specifically know about why this is so important.

Okay, so two quick things. Maybe three so but first as Far as discount, right now, it's currently in. In. You're right. Like, it can change. So. But right now, currently it is up to 1400.

Oh, wow. That's even better. Okay.

Right. So I want to make sure.

Off. Okay. So do that quickly, y', all, so you don't lose that. Change that.

And then I really, really want to. Quickly, if we have time. Yeah. Just want to list the hallmarks of aging for women for. Because. Because there's five hallmarks of aging that infrared significantly impact. So it's going to help us again. Turning back, I mean, I'm all about, like, having that biological clock as far away from that chronological clock. You know, like, you can't avoid having another birthday. So, I mean. And I'm not, you know, would never try to do that, but I can change the way I feel at my next birthday. And infrared is a. One of the ways to do that. So the five hallmarks of aging real fast is mitochondrial dysfunction. And we already talked a lot about how infrared helps to create more mitochondria, more engines, and obviously improve the function of them. And then my. One of my favorite things is the cellular senescence. I don't know if you're familiar with zombie cells.

Yeah.

So intro.

I just started learning about them. It's like law of attraction. You hear something, and you hear it everywhere. Yes. It's been happening well.

And like, women, you know, in. In, you know, as in the menopausal, like, the age group, you know, premenopausal. A lot of them will say, like, I don't understand why I can't remember anything anymore. Like, I walk into a room, I'm like, why did I walk in here? Like, and they just feel like they have so much mental thought. And a lot of that comes from these senescent cells, these cells that, you know, die off essentially, and you're. They're supposed to, like, regenerate, but sometimes it's supposed to move on, but sometimes they. They don't. And infrared is a great way to get rid of, you know, I didn't know that.

So it also helps with that. Okay, good to know.

Okay.

Because this is like, a new topic that we keep hearing about. So that's great. So that also helps.

Yeah. So zombie cells is really important. And then inflammation so far, infrared specifically, I'm just. I'm so passionate about the fact that it helps to activate a gene that controls inflammation. And inflammation is the number one cause of aging. So, you know, it's also known as inflammaging. So if we can control inflammation throughout all of our body systems, we can help, you know, reduce aging and live longer. So that's the third, fourth gut health.

Okay.

I mean, I can't talk about that enough of the importance of, you know, detoxification, decreasing inflammation in the gut. The gut brain connection.

Yeah.

Making sure we're being kind to our gut, kind to our brain, like, that whole aspect. And infrared helps with all of that. And finally stem cells. It helps to increase your stem cell vitality and repair.

Yeah, No, I meant it. I did it. I did a post on Instagra recently, and I said, if I could only have one age optimizing tool. Nobody told me to write this or anything. I just said, if I can only have one age optimizing tool, it would truly be this. And I really believe that. Like, I know all of us don't have. And you guys, I don't have a big, huge house. I don't. And in fact, we're renting right now, so I don't. I still found a way to make it work because I think it's so flipping important. And I. And I have a lot of the tools. It's this, though, that I crave and miss. Like, if I'm traveling, this is the thing I miss. I'm like. I feel like I need that. And I would describe it the same way as when I was a teenager in my 20s, and I would need to be in the sun. I used to say I have anorexia, and I didn't understand why, but it is that. It's that same feeling. It's that same wellness. It's all of it, right?

You walk outside and you see the sun, and yet feeling like your dog. You made me smile because my. I have a golden. Miniature golden doodle. And I have a golden doodle, too. You do?

Yeah.

Oh, my God. And you bring her in the sauna? She actually. Yes, I have bought her in the sauna. I don't keep her in there very long, but she. She just sits there by the door, you know, And I'm like, okay, Bella, you can come in. And I can. And then, you know, I let her out so quickly. But. But she loves that feeling of. Of the. Of the sun. Like, she'll sit in the spot where the sun is peering through, you know, in the morning. And that's all dogs do.

That's. Which is wild. Like, they innately know to do that.

Right. And it's because of the power of infrared. You're what? The feeling that you are receiving And a lot of people don't make the connection.

Yes.

But that feeling when you go outside to the sun and you, like, just, like, take a deep breath and you're like, oh, my God, that feels so good. That's infrared. That's what infrared feels like. That's why you don't need extreme heat. That's why you can get in right when you turn it on. Because the moment that you get in, you're receiving that. That energy into your cells, and your cells not only need it to survive, they also start to crave it. Because, like anything that you do, that's great for you. You want to do it again and again and again.

That's such a good explanation. I love that. And I'm also. I know you didn't really say this, but it's. I'm kind of connecting the dots of why so many of us feel drained in front of a computer or your phone or even, like, as I'm interviewing you, I've got these three big LED lights staring at me. Like, no wonder we feel drained after. Like, you have to counter that.

Right.

That's doing the opposite.

Right. And that's why a lot of people just to. To support your choice for doing your sunlight and at night. That's why a lot of people do that. Because I know I have a whole network of. Of women that, you know, they know my routine, and they're always. They're always, like, saying, hey, we do it at night. You know, because I. We have, like, the best sleep, you know, and they just, like that whole.

Yes.

Just, you know, the end of the day of, okay, I'm just getting red, you know, like, I'm setting the reset button. Like I call it on a computer. When you empty the trash. That's what I. That's what I call it when I'm inside my.

Exactly. It's a great analogy.

Yeah. I just, like, press the. Like, you know. Are you sure? Yes, I am sure.

You know, my new thing I do after. So after I get out of this on. And I drink my minerals. Connie. I'm just throwing this out there, but I just. Nobody told me to say this either. I'm just. This is my thing is I go take a shower and then I, like, slather. And I mean, slather like castor oil.

Yeah.

I sleep and all that. That's what I do.

So I just.

It's like the whole combination, I think, is so good for skin.

Yeah, I love that. That's a great tip. I knew.

Little.

Little routine with that yeah, no, I love that. I heard Leanne Rimes, she puts castor oil when she said her sunlight and she puts castor oil on her liver inside there. And I've been me every time I like think of that castor oil, I think of that and I'm like, you know, that's something I haven't done.

So what I did is I bought a natural lotion. Like just you can buy whatever your favorite natural like I bought, it's a rose lotion. So I'll mix, I'll take the castor oil and I'll mix it with the lotion because then it, because casserole so thick. It doesn't like really go in, but I'll do that. And then it just coats everything and then it's just, it's such a good way. And then you're so you're detoxing. You're doing it that and you're just adding another layer and it's. I love my. That's my. At this time of talking to you, that's my current routine with it.

I love it. I'm stealing it. I love.

Thank you so much, Connie. I'm going to link all this in the show notes you all but if you, if you can go click on that, whether you're watching this on YouTube or you're listening on the podcast, I have it in the show notes for you. Make sure you mention I sent you so you can get that awesome deal. You get a credit and you could just have a consult with them. They will talk to you. They'll talk about your unique individual needs, your living situation, like what would make sense. I think they're great about that. So. And they'll help you out and they deliver it right to you. It's easy, easy, easy. And then you have it right in your home. It's like a whole little spa in your home. So thank you so much, Connie for being here.

Oh, thanks for having me. It was such a pleasure. Like this was so awesome and went so fast. It's like amazing.

Thanks Gani. Thanks for joining this conversation on Midlife Conversations today. If you found this episode valuable, please share it with friends on social media and be sure to tag me and our guest so that we can find your share. I'm Natalie Jill Fit on social media platforms. The biggest thank you that you can give me is leaving a review and a nice one. I hope by that this is how other others find these episodes. If you do leave me a review, message us at support nataliejill fitness.com with a screenshot of your review, and we'd love to send you a free digital download of our DSR journal as a thank you. And let me be crystal clear. I have a podcast, not a prescription pad. I'm just a curious person with a microphone exploring midlife topics alongside you. Any advice I give should be filed under Things Natalie thought Sounded good rather than medical Gospel. I'm not your doctor, therapist, or biological mother, though I do care about you enough to remind you that this show is for entertainment, curiosity and educational purposes only. If you're making health decisions based solely on the podcast, we need to have a different conversation. Partnerships on this podcast are done by partnerships by Category 3 media group. To advertise in this podcast, contact Sales admin at Category 3.

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