How Red Light Therapy Healed Me From the Inside Out

Red and Near Infrared Light are two wavelengths that are naturally emitted by the sun. In targeted doses, these waves have a healing effect on the body. Red light (660nm) is absorbed by your skin, leading to enhanced skin health and healing. Near infrared light (850nm), penetrates deep into your tissues, muscles, and body for inflammation and hormone support.

Why Red Light Therapy?

The body of an ultramarathoner undergoes a tremendous amount of stress. Daily recovery is an important aspect to being able to get the most out of training and successfully perform on race day. Because at the end of the day, you want to win… right?

Let’s talk about winning… “winning” means something different to everyone. It can mean beating a personal best and setting a new PR or it can mean placing top three or in your age group. Winning can look like setting a goal and working hard to successfully accomplish that task.

Winning to me is pain free running and having the capability to push my body to its limits knowing I’m healthy and strong. It means I’ve done my body right and in return I’m allowing myself to do the things I love most for longer!

Lately I have been riddled with injuries. In 2019 I suffered from peroneal and deep peroneal nerve damage that left my leg paralyzed for six months (the injury was not running related). Come to find out that this injury is now causing other issues, three years later.

At the time, I honestly didn’t think I would ever run again BUT I tried to keep an open mind and continued working on my recovery daily. I attended physical therapy twice a week where we:

• massaged out scar tissue that was putting pressure on my nerves causing painful shocks and intense bruising;

• focused on strengthening my muscles to accommodate for my drop foot;

• used an infared laser in attempt to regenerate and stimulate the nerve.

Before bringing Red Light Therapy into my daily routine, my nerves would send muscle twitches and painful shocks to my legs/feet constantly throughout the day. I wasn’t sleeping great and I felt like I was just “getting by” in my training sessions. Not to mention, my physical therapy sessions were costing me $100 per session at two times a week - even with insurance! I was spending a whopping total of $800 per month on PT.

UNTIL I found a way to make sure these treatments became a part of my daily routine with Vital Red Light Therapy! Shop Now >>

After consistently doing my PT exercises on my own in conjunction with using my scraping tools, CBD cream, and Vital Pro for 60 days, I have seen nothing but consistent improvement. I’m able to recover quickly from hard workouts. This allows me to hit the ground running without lingering soreness, pain or tenderness and make the most out of each training session. I can honestly say I can count on my body to perform and heal!

You only have one body and it’s our job to take care of it… if you haven’t taken care of yourself, it’s not too late!

Making A Routine…

Every night I spend roughly 30 minutes in front of my Vital Pro. I complete three 10-minute sessions focused on hitting different areas. I massage CBD cream into focus areas and use a roller or scraper tool to assist in breaking down scar tissue or fatty tissue to aid in the speediness of repair.

Here are 10 ways to spend your 10 minutes of Red Light Therapy time:

1. Grab a coffee or matcha and knock out your skin care routine. I like to apply facial moisturizer, toning spray, and under eye treatment.

2. Relax and soak it in... turn off your electronics and apply essential oils on your wrist & neck (my favorite is Flight by Campo - it has calming notes of bergamot, lavender and ginger).

3. Focus time for muscle recovery & physical therapy (rub CBD lotion on any sore muscles and use a PT ball or scraper to reduce recovery time).

4. Close your eyes, meditate and focus on your breathing. Feel the warmth of the light healing your body. Light a candle and repeat your daily mantras/affirmations

5. Listen to an inspirational podcast or audio book.

6. Journal & set your goals/intentions for the week. I like to spend this time documenting my training notes for the day and assessing the next line up of workouts.

7. Make a healthy grocery list and plan a few recipes for the week.

8. Snuggle with your pet - dogs love the warmth of the red light.

9. Grab a glass of wine or water with fresh fruit and daydream (because you deserve it)

10. On rainy days, grab a book and snuggle up to your Vital Pro machine to ease into a short nap and enhance your overall mood.

Additional Benefits of Vital Red Light Therapy for Runners

Runners are exposed to a number of skin damaging pollutants, which make Red Light therapy an important part of any post-run routine:

• Car Exhaust: City runners that run after work or right before work are often exposed to an unhealthy amount of car exhaust that’s absorbed right into the skin/lungs (as people tend to commute to/from work at those times). This is exhaust that comes from one of the only KNOWN carcinogens (agents that causes cancer) in the world.

• Sun Exposure: With skin cancer on the rise there are ways we can combat and help repair damaged skin/tissue/cells. Sunscreen helps but as we age and begin to sweat we aren’t always protected.

Years of damage can be reversed with targeted daily use of Red Light therapy. Red light therapy uses red and near infrared light to penetrate deep into the skin for a healing effect. Red light therapy is like photosynthesis for your skin and body; it essentially gives damaged cells the energy necessary to heal themselves with the help of specific wavelengths of light. You’ll step away from your device feeling happier, less stressed, and you’ll enjoy deeper sleep. It may surprise you, but after millions of years of evolution, your body is capable of utilizing red and near infrared light from the sun to help power your cells.

Closing Thoughts

How amazing is it… that we have the capability to have this level of technology (in a hand held device) in our own home. In college, I remember reading about NASA’s breakthrough and the many benefits of red light therapy. I used to pay $20 for a 15 minute red light therapy session. It’s truly amazing! Red light therapy is backed by health experts and loved by many. To say this routine has been life-changing would be an understatement.

Click here to check out Vital Red Light therapy for yourself!