Are Cold Plunges Healthy
When used appropriately, cold plunges can improve our physiological and psychological health. However, there are risks involved.
Avoid doing cold plunges if you are pregnant, have respiratory or cardiac problems, suffer from high blood pressure, or have unhealthy lungs. Doing so can send your body into detrimental shock and create a potentially fatal result.
Thats why its always important to consult your doctor before trying cold therapy, especially if you have underlying health conditions.
Training Your Cold Muscles For Thermogenesis
Thermogenesis is your bodies ability to create heat. Bodies always produce heat, usually from organs such as the heart, liver, and brain.
Normal fat, or white fat cells, can keep you warm by literally adding insulation.
Humans store a special kind of fat that the body can use to rapidly create heat on demand. Brown fat, also called brown adipose is a type of body fat that is activated when cold. Brown fat keeps babies, who cannot shiver, alive. It was recently discovered that adults still store brown fat, and we may be able to increase it.
Learning to harness brown fat makes it easier to access whenever needed. When activated, the body has an incredible warming sensation even in freezing water.
Brown fat location is highly personalized, but its often in your neck, abdomen, and down your spine. Tiny amounts of brown fat can heat your entire body from within. Its what Wim Hof calls the inner fire, and harnessing it helped him beat world records in cold exposure.
Ice Baths: Are They Worth It
Cold-water immersion, also known as an ice bath, is a recovery regimen usually done following a high-intensity workout where you dunk yourself in a tub of cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. From pro athletes like Lebron James to mega superstars like Lady Gaga, it seems like everyone is plunging into the ice bath trend. Cryotherapy centers are even popping up in cities across the country! But is this type of cold therapy a good idea for average weekend warriors and runners?
Evan Werk, MD, a sports and family physician at Banner – University Sports Medicine and Concussion Specialists, said it depends. Cold baths are definitely picking up popularity, but the method isnt without some controversy, Dr. Werk said. They can certainly soothe sore muscles, but more research is needed before we can make a firm conclusion.
If you are curious what all the buzz is about, here are some potential benefits and drawbacks to help you decide if its worth taking the ice bath plunge.
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Are Ice Baths Good For You
Ice baths are good for you when done safely. Just one ice bath can help soothe your muscles, reduce inflammation, regulate your breathing, lift your mood, and even increase your energy level. Continued use of ice baths can increase your metabolism, improve mental health, and even give you a competitive edge, teaching you how to breathe through physical discomfort.
Benefits Of The Cold Plunge
Recovery
Cold plunging calms muscle inflammation and speeds up recovery, allowing the body to heal faster. The cool temperature constricts the blood vessels and reduces swelling. Pairing cold and hot reduces soreness and muscle fatigue. Rally for your next training session faster by incorporating cold plunges as part of your recovery routine.
Immunity
Taking a dip in cold water improves lymphatic and immune systems, which rids the body of waste and strengthens immune cells.
Mental Health
Cold water triggers a rush of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, which make you feel happy. Regular use of the cold plunge can help with stress management.
FITNESS
The cold plunge burns fat. Why? The body requires a huge amount of caloric burn to heat itself back up.
Skin and Hair
Cold water helps bring a healthy glow by reducing the size of your pores and tightening the skin. Cold plunging leaves skin and hair balanced and healthy because it stimulates hair follicles, increasing hair thickness and length.
Cold Tolerance
If youre especially sensitive to cold weather, try taking regular dips in the cold plunge to gradually increase your cold tolerance over time.
Ready to take the plunge? Book your visit or check out our blog post on some Bathhouse circuits that utilize the cold plunge.
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Chapter : How To Build Your Own Cold Plunge For Home For Less Than $400
The concept is pretty simple for making your own cold plunge for home. Instead of having to constantly get or make bags of ice and filling your bath tub, you fill up an ice chest freezer with water and turn it on for a few hours a day to make/keep the water ice cold for you to take a cold plunge. Its that easy!
The Ultimate Guide To Your Cold Plunge For Home
If youve been taking cold showers at home or going to expensive cryotherapy, then now is a good time to have your own cold plunge at home.
After all, you already know that cold immersion or cold exposure is great to:
- Reduce muscle soreness, bruising, and inflammation
- Ease symptoms of depression & anxiety
- Feel alive and rejuvenated
- Improve your hair and skin
- Build your mental strength
And you can do all this in the comfort and convenience of your own home thanks to this guide, so lets get started!
Heres what youre going to learn:
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The Sauna Cold Plunge Routine For Compounding Benefits
Key TakeawaysRoutineExposure and FrequencyCold Temperature:Hot Temperature:An infrared thermometer like this
Weve known separately about the befits of sauna and cold exposure but Danish researcher Susanna Soeberg is tying it all together, and finding that hot and cold exposure work together in ways not previously understood.
Who Shouldnt Buy The Cold Plunge
- Customers wanting to find a plunge pool that is freestanding or without the use of electricity the Plunge needs to be plugged into a power source for proper use.
- The tub itself weighs over 165 pounds empty and over 1,000 pounds filled with water, so those wanting a product with easy portability may want to look elsewhere.
The Plunge hits temperatures all the way down to 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Its great for athletes hoping to hit specific temperatures, and those who are willing to dish out a little extra cash for a lasting build.
Related: Read our full review of The Plunge cold plunge.
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Improves Hair And Skin
If you struggle with dry or dull skin and hair that never appears healthy, youll be interested to know that one of the benefits of taking cold showers is improved appearance and health of your skin and hair. Cold water helps to reduce the size of your pores and tightens your skin. Because cold water doesnt encourage your body to release oils like warm water does, you wont have excess oil that can lead to greasy hair or breakouts. Youll retain those oils to keep your skin adequately moisturized, leaving skin and hair balanced and healthy. The cold water also stimulates hair follicles, increasing hair thickness and length.
Start Cool Then Crank It Colder
For beginners, the benefits ofcold water immersion start at whatever temperature is uncomfortable while still approachable for making the practice a regular routine. You dont want the water to be so cold that youll struggle with staying consistent. You can always make it colder as you become acclimated to cold plunging, so keep your main objective focused on continuing with cold therapy, rather than enduring the coldest possible temperatures.
Before investing in a cold immersion tub, its wise to start with 30 days of cold showers. This practice will help you learn how your body will react to cold water immersion and how to mentally manage these reactions.
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Step : Using Clean Water
When I began filtering my hose water, my tank water started lasting longer. I then found it lasted even longer when I added 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of food-grade hydrogen peroxide to the water. If you get a less potent solution, just use a bit more. Covering the tank at night is another must to ensure you arent needing to refill more often than you need to.
Here are the exact products I use at home:
Potential Drawbacks Of A Cold Plunge
Cold plunges dont work for everyone in every circumstance. Especially if youre going to work out again soon after plunging, your body might not adjust well. Even though it might increase peoples perception of soreness, ice water immersion may not actually minimize muscle soreness on a physiological level. Its possible that immersing limbs you just trained into cold water might actually and endurance benefits of resistance training.
Peak power production, average heart rate, and post-exercise blood lactate have all been shown to decrease when trying to perform cycling sprints after cold water immersion. So, immersing too often might hinder your training. Cold water immersion has also been shown to limit long-term gains in muscle mass and strength and block the activation of important proteins in muscle cells.
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Benefits Of A Home Cold Plunge Tub
Long used in the worlds of sports and physical therapy, a cold plunge pool helps treat the symptoms of muscle overuse, reduce swelling caused by injuries, and release endorphins to reduce pain.
Spas and health clinics also offer cold plunging to close and detoxify pores for healthier, more vibrant skin.
One of the biggest benefits of a home cold plunge pool is that you only need to buy it once, unlike many other treatments for pain and inflammation. A home cold plunge pool is a one-time investment that benefits owners for years!
With proper maintenance, a cold plunge pool lasts many years, and each unit can be used by countless users. Considering how many uses you’ll get out of your ice bath tub, you get an anytime fitness spa-like experience for a fraction of the cost!
The Beginners Guide To Cold Plunges And How To Do One At Home
Its been over 10 years since Ive done my first cold plunge. When I swam D1 in college, our coach would make us take ice baths after practices in the weeks prior to our big races. Wed sit in these tubs up to our necks in close-to-freezing water for ~5 minutes at a time. And during that time, Id absolutely dread it. But after each session, I remember feeling more lean, refreshed, and slept like a baby the every night following an ice bath.
Ten-plus years later, and Im still doing them but slightly differently. Ice baths, cold plunges or cold baths are all basically the same in nature. Some people sit in a bath full of ice for shorter periods of time, while others sit in cold water for longer periods of time. Either way, both have significant health benefits that are worth the chill.
Cold plunges are just an amazing way to flush the body and boost circulation quickly and effectively. One of the biggest lessons I learned from battling Lyme disease is that I should always incorporate practices that help reduce inflammation and toxic burden . And once I was able to tackle my problems with inflammation and toxic burden, I was finally able to heal my body from Lyme.
I dont know anyone who truly enjoys sitting in cold water . But I will admit, the confidence that comes from competing against yourself and winning will leak into every other part of your life.
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What Can I Use For An Ice Bath
Use cold water because your ice may melt too quickly if your water is too warm. If you feel like your water level is too low, you can always turn on the cold water to raise the water level. If you dont have a bathtub, use a kiddie pool or large plastic tub for your ice bath. Use your garden hose to fill it up.
A Modern Day Tool With Ancient Roots
Lets rewind for a minute.
If youre a history buff, you might be interested to learn that cold water therapy has been around for millennia as a way to boost personal health. Hippocrates is often credited as the first person to document the health benefits of cold water therapy in medicinal practices using it as a way to treat swelling and pain. However, this method was also used by ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations.
Fast forward a few thousand years to the modern era, and youll find that cold water therapy has continued to gain traction as a natural remedy.
Why, you may ask? Lets dive into a few reasons.
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Who Should Buy The Cold Plunge
- Experienced cold plunge customers wanting added amenities such as a cell phone holder, skimmer net, and insulated cover options that are included with the Plunge tub.
- Anyone who plans to cold plunge more than once daily, as this product features upgraded chillers that cool water three times faster, which means you wont have to wait long periods of time for the water to reach the temperature you want.
- Folks who want a plunge pool that offers UV sanitation to keep your water and tub clean.
What Is A Cold Plunge Tub
Undoubtedly,cold water therapy benefits are becoming more sought after. Gyms, health and wellness clinics, and beauty spas have begun offeringcold plunge pools and tubs. Their clients are grateful for speedier recovery timers and the numerous other health benefits cold water immersion provides.
But cold plunge therapy isn’t only for athletes and health spas. Beyond inflammation reduction, an improved mood, a boost in mindfulness, and strengthened willpower are benefits regular CWI users report.
The reality is, that a growing number of cold plungers are entrepreneurs and professionals who want to maximize their mental sharpness for peak performance.
Cold plunge tubs are purpose-built tubs for cold water therapy, also known as cold water immersion therapy. While the benefits of cold therapy can be acquired in various ways, cold plunge tubs have quickly gained popularity because of their compact size and convenience for home use.
Cold plunge tubs have built-in cooling systems for optimal water temperature whenever you’re ready for the ultimate home convenience.
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Example 30 Day Beginner Program For Cold Water Therapy
Days 1-10
Take a 60 seconds worth of cold showering every day, either in the morning or the evening, whichever is easier to get started with. This can be accomplished either all at once with a one-minute straight cold shower or with a Tabata style of cold showerget in for 20-seconds, out for 10-seconds, repeated 3 times in total.
Day 11-20
Begin your day by taking a two and a half to three-minute cold shower, and take Days 14 and 18 off. If youre still struggling to deal with the cold, you can use the same techniques as Phase 1, modifying your Tabata cold showering sessions to a 30-seconds full-cold followed by a 30-seconds slightly-warm shower for 5+ minutes.
Day 21-30
Begin every day by taking a 5-minute cold shower, and taking Days 22 and 26 off. Ideally, youll
Who Shouldnt Buy Wey& fly Portable Bathtub
- This option may not be ideal for those who want a cold plunge pool ready to go at all times. In order to keep the lining from tearing on this tub, you need to preheat it, which means the water in the pool wont be cold right away.
- Customers who are tall or those who might get claustrophobic easily in smaller, crouched spaces as this product is only 29.7 inches in diameter and requires adults to sit cross-legged for the duration of the soak.
- Anyone looking for a larger, more lasting find. While this is great for a budget buy, its not going to provide as much comfort or last as long as some of the more expensive products on our list.
As a best seller on Amazon, this product features ease of use, portability, and simple accessibility for most body sizes and shapes plus, its the least expensive pick on this list, which is great for budget shoppers.
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Things To Bear In Mind When Setting It Up
The Ice Barrel weighs around 55 pounds. While the stand alone weight isnt much to compose home about but contribute to it the weight of the water when you fill it up and it easily amounts to around 700 pounds. Therefore make certain to position it where you want to take the Ice Bath prior to you fill it up since once its filled you will not be able to move it. While including water, be sure to leave a little space at the top so that when you go in, water from the barrel does not overflow and fall to the sides. Another really essential aspect to remember, particularly if it is your first time utilizing the Ice Barrel is not to being in the cold water for too long. It can trigger hypothermia which can be really dangerous. Make certain to read instructions of taking an ice bath thoroughly. How Long Should You Stay In Cold Plunge
People Are Plunging Into Icy Water For Invigoration And Health Benefits Are They Onto Something
Whether its a wintery blizzard or blazing sun, MC Jenni has walked to the edge of the cold Montana creek near her home every day for the past 14 years. She disrobes, takes a deep breath, and gazes at the trees, water and rocks. Then she plunges into the icy current.
When I go under and come up, everything is clearer. That moment of clarity is elating, said Jenni.
Cold water immersion is an ancient practice that has roots in many different cultures, particularly those in high latitudes. Scandinavians have long lauded the post-sauna cold dip as a way to rinse off toxins, jump-start blood flow, and release endorphins. Even Hippocrates and Thomas Jefferson avowed the benefits of soaking in cold water.
Jenni began her daily dunks as a way to relieve back and hip pain after hockey games. But she quickly realized that playing in the creek for a few minutes each day shifted her whole system in positive ways.
Not only is it rejuvenating, it affirms that I have courage and self-will, she explained. Its a process of reuniting with myself in a simplistic, primal way.
Jenni used to worry that someone might call 911 to report a woman standing on the edge of the ice taking off her clothes. But now her neighbors wave when they see her walking with towel in hand, and a few have even started to sit in the stream themselves to reset their mind and body.
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