One of the regular weapons in my pro-fitness/recovery armory is a CVAC (Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning) pod which I try and use at least once or twice a week.
Basically it works by me sitting in an enclosed CVAC pod which acts like an altitude simulator. While I’m sitting there the system simulates drastic changes in altitude. Working without chemicals or nitrogen/oxygen separators to manipulate the concentration of oxygen, the system works within the natural/breathable atmosphere to produce benefits like those you can get from conventional aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Personally I feel there are a couple of big benefits for an athlete like myself who not only pushes her body to the edge almost every day in training, but has to also contend with unpredictable repercussions as a result of my ongoing Lyme’s Disease and other digestive problems.
The first benefit is that I feel it’s great for lymphatic drainage and toxin removal often associated with my Lyme’s Disease. Second, from an athlete’s perspective, it seems to really help with recovery for my battered body when I’m putting myself through hard training days back-to-back (which seems to be all days!). Last and definitely not least, when I’ve used the CVAC I feel stronger during subsequent high intensity sessions, like my athletic engine is bigger as a result.
The bottom line is that I see my use of a CVAC pod as another valuable weapon in my ongoing battle to maintain fitness and recover quickly in the face of relentless hard training days, coupled with any fallout from my well-publicized battle with Lyme’s Disease.
