Movement has been my sanctuary since childhood, providing solace throughout my life’s journey. Some of my fondest memories are of early mornings spent skateboarding or biking, offering a refreshing escape from the school’s monotony. Those moments of recess were eagerly awaited, as they granted me the chance to move freely once more. As I matured, I intentionally chose walking and running over rides, savoring the physicality of it. Arriving at high school gatherings drenched in sweat, I now understand that I was priming my brain with endorphins, seeking self-regulation.

However, this relationship eventually faltered. Movement’s role was overshadowed by drugs as a means of self-regulation, a substitution I later corrected. When I embarked on a career in arboriculture, my fascination with trees extended beyond their grandeur; it was the exhilaration of scaling nature’s fractalized jungle gyms, pushing my body to its limits, that captivated me. Yet, as life’s responsibilities accumulated, I struggled to balance the intensity of tree work with the tenderness required for parenthood. The hyperactivity associated with my profession clashed with my duties as a father.

Balancing chainsaws and childcare became a challenging task. The transition between life and death decisions, life-threatening situations, and parenting duties tore me apart. With my children now my priority, I sought an efficient way to manage stress and restore equilibrium. I explored various exercise practices, from Yin Yoga to Crossfit, during periods of turmoil, including divorce, mold exposure, aging, and the chaos of 2020. Sleep became elusive, and my well-being declined. When my spirit was low, I couldn’t derive the benefits of the movements I had come to rely on for self-regulation. I lost touch with the benefits of exercise.

Remaining open to new approaches, I curated a toolbox to rediscover my body’s capabilities. That’s when I stumbled upon a regimen that allowed me to achieve the endorphin rush of a 2+ hour cardiovascular workout within a short span while maintaining a calm, parasympathetic state. This innovative method offered a rejuvenating cooldown, complementing my focus on daily life. Sleep quality improved significantly, and I regained the capacity to re-engage in the movement practices I cherished. At its core, fitness involves adding resistance/load to movements. What we are doing here is, on top of the traditional loads of weight and speed, which we can select in the program we do on the Vasper, we can also adjust the compression of the cuffs, the amount of time spent in hypoxia, and the altitude of the hypoxia. This, combined with low-impact, stable movement, allows us to scale this approach very successfully.

Live O2, my lifeline, provides a unique synergy when paired with Vasper sessions. Through a face mask connected to an oxygen reservoir, I toggle between pure oxygen and simulated altitude oxygen during workouts. This distinctive pattern, aligned with sprints and recovery on the Vasper, invigorates my vascular system. The outcome is heightened mindfulness of breathing, a sense of lightness, and mental clarity. This creates a workout where I eagerly anticipate the sprints for the positive oxygen boost and look forward to the “rests” to relax my muscles. I have found it to be a great analogy for life. I feel the most alive when what is for me finds me in a wonderful dance of dynamic equilibrium. These effects resemble the repair of lifelong concussive damage, making me more affable.

Vasper, featuring cooling and compression on an accessible recumbent bike, exudes elegance. Cold water flows through arm and leg compression sleeves, while a chilled chair and neck wrap prevent sweating. By preserving blood from being diverted to regulate temperature, cooling directs it to muscles, enhancing workout performance. Compression accumulates lactic acid, tricking the brain into perceiving greater effort than it is, thanks to biomimicry. A mere 21-minute session mirrors a 2.5-hour cardio workout, triggering substantial positive changes aerobically, anaerobically, and hormonally without the usual strain.

Pulse PEMF, though briefly mentioned, offers intriguing potential. After sessions, I experienced an unexpected shift. Picking up a suitcase, I anticipated fragility due to tiredness but discovered otherwise—my body was remarkably resilient. The absence of post-workout soreness and fragility was unprecedented, enabling me to function optimally throughout the day. For the first time, I encountered an endorphin surge without triggering a fight-or-flight response. This breakthrough granted me the much-needed regulation from intense workouts while staying connected to my family and maintaining a composed demeanor.

I discovered Pulse PEMF on a recommendation from a technician at a meditation/neurofeedback retreat I attended in the spring of 2022. PEMF is a versatile tool used in various forms. This machine has the cleanest solid-state pulse of all the machines available. What we do with the PEMF machine is charge our cells as if each one were a little battery. You can do directed pulse sessions for acute injuries or lay on a bed or sit on a chair and let the pulse find the “low batteries” in your body and charge them up. It’s interesting for me to see where I feel the energy going, often attributing it to an overuse spot on my body or an old injury. I fell in love with this tech when I had a biking accident in the spring of 2023 and was severely hurt. I recovered quite quickly and have continued to heal head trauma using this tool in conjunction with the tools mentioned above. The primary way I have been using it at Phoenix Fit is lying down after a Vasper session on the PEMF bed on top of a cooling mat.