Hi all,
cold therapy has been likely one of the most underrated and unrecognized practices, which has the power to elevate one's health and well-being. With so much comfort in our lives, we've lost the connection with our ancestry and we're suffering from all kinds of chronic diseases. Our immune systems have weakened to the point where the bacteria and viruses, which we'd normally fend off within a short period of time, can become an imminent threat to our lives. At the same time, we're accustomed to reach out to big pharma for solutions concerning our health, forgetting that we're in possession of one of the greatest defense mechanisms the nature has ever invented.
Use it or lose it
It is only natural, whenever we have a skill or ability, which we're not constantly developing, it slowly deteriorates with time. The same goes for our immune systems. Without consistent training it loses the capability of protecting us from the bad agents. That's why hormetic stress is so important.
Cold exposure benefits
There's different ways of exposing our bodies to short-term, beneficial stress. Cold exposure is one of the most effective ones, as it allows to greatly influence our physiology. Here are some benefits:
- improved immune system; no more flu or common cold;
- reduced inflammation;
- elevated dopamine levels;
- more resilience to chronic stress;
- more awareness and focus;
- improved mood;
There are ongoing studies regarding the topic, so surely, in the near future we'll be finding out much more about the positive impact the cold exposure has on our well-being.
Get the most of your first ice bath
Decided to give it a go? Be sure to check the below guidelines on how to make the most of your first experience.
- start indoors; while in the cold water, your body will protect your organs from cooling down; once you get out, the cold blood will mix with the warm blood from your organs and you might experience shivering; it's easier to warm yourself up in the comfort of your home;
- don't fight it; the more you resist the more difficult it gets; just relax, stay in the moment and let your body do its magic;
- bring a friend along; it will help you open up; it will bring a sense of vulnerability and relief to the whole experience;
- do a mild warm up prior to an ice bath; it will make the first contact with the cold water a bit less painful;
- focus your mind and put an intention to it; you'll get a number of excuses in your head giving you a bunch of reasons why going into the cold is a bad idea; you're the captain of your ship so ignore the excuses and just do it!
- take it slowly! it's no competition; start with 30 seconds (or less if you feel that's too much) in the water, and then gradually expand the timeframe;
How to prepare an ice bath?
Simply fill in your bath with cold water. Measuring the temperature of the water might be very useful, as eventually you'd want it be around 4 degrees Celsius (it's been proven to be most beneficial). Likely, depending on where you live, the cold water in pipes will be somewhere in between 14 to 18 degrees Celsius. If you feel the need to cool it down, don't buy the ice in a store, as it might get pretty expensive (you'll need a lot of it), but rather get something that will serve as a plastic mold. I highly recommend using empty plastic bottles (just cut them in half and fill the lower part with water). Put them in the freezer the day before. Depending on the size of your freezer and the available space, you might be able to cool down the water to the desired temperature. For me it wasn't the case - two 10 liter buckets of ice would only drop it down from 18 to around 11 - 12 degrees Celsius.
Try doing ice baths this way for a couple of weeks. During that time you'll notice your body is getting accustomed to the cold and you'll be able to stay in the water for a longer period of time. In a long term, your body will begin to crave the cold!
If you feel, after sometime, that a day without an ice bath is a day wasted and the temperature of the water isn't low enough, and you don't seem to be able to produce as much ice as needed, you might want to consider getting a chest freezer. This way you'll not only be able to lower the temperature down close to 0 degrees, but also save a lot of water (cold water in the freezer will stay clean for about two weeks). Also, since the freezer provides a good insulation, once the water is cooled down, you'd only need to plug it in from time to time to keep the desired temperature. In another post, I'll explain how to set up a chest freezer to work as an ice bath and also drop some tips concerning safety and it's maintenance.
Let me know about your experience with the cold :)
Hope you're having a great day!
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