The good news is that if you manage to overcome your fear and hesitation, you’ll be mentally stronger from knowing that you have what it takes to succeed in even the toughest conditions. 5. Boosts Your Mood

a b Higgins TR, Greene DA, Baker MK (May 2017). "Effects of Cold Water Immersion and Contrast Water Therapy for Recovery From Team Sport: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". J Strength Cond Res. 31 (5): 1443–1460. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001559. PMID 27398915. S2CID 36435842.

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We give equal focus to helping our community develop greater mental and physical strength - this makes ice baths particularly appealing as a MTNTOUGH recovery tool. Knowing your limits and seeking professional advice is key before adding ice baths to your post-workout regimen. Mental Health Considerations The theory, says Jey, is that decreasing the local temperature after exercise helps limit inflammatory response, decreasing the amount of inflammation and helping you recover faster. 4. Decreases the effect of heat and humidity I left the water admittedly very cold but also energised and ready to take on the day with this overriding feeling that 'life was good', even if I couldn't quite explain why. And when things got stressful or didn't go to plan, as they undoubtedly do, it seemed like I was more capable and had more patience to deal with it all. After all, I had managed to conquer my extreme mental aversion to entering the water and sit with my discomfort once there, so really how hard could anything else be?

Once you've been cleared by a medical professional, progressing gradually, listening to your body and warming up properly afterwards can decrease the chances of something going wrong. Integrating ice baths into a post-exercise routine comes with a variety of benefits, here are the major benefits, and ultimately the source of its popularity with athletes today. Reduced Muscle Soreness and Inflammation Relief Active recovery is all about increasing blood flow to the muscles, removing the toxins that build up during intense use. Unlike passive recovery, where an individual rests completely, active recovery involves gentle, non-strenuous movements to hasten the muscle recovery process.I’ve also experimented with longer plunges (up to 12 minutes) to see how they would impact my body. What I’ve noticed during these tests is that every time I spend an extended period in freezing cold water, my heart rate variability (HRV) increases and my resting heart rate decreases during sleep (as measured by my WHOOP Strap). The decrease in muscle temperature can also help to reduce the perception of pain or soreness, promoting a sensation of relief and relaxation.

Brown fat cells, or brown adipose tissue (BAT), are cells that specialize in maintaining a core temperature in the body. Unlike white fat, brown fat burns calories to produce heat, contributing to thermogenesis. Prevalent in infants, but diminished with age, it’s a focus of obesity research today. Angier, Joseph (14 April 2009). "Iceman on Everest: 'It Was Easy' ". ABC News . Retrieved 18 March 2020. I would have preferred to take the plunge at the start of each day, but if I happened to oversleep (who knew all it took to get more sleep was an ice bath challenge), I allowed myself to do it in the evenings without beating myself up about it. Plus, in most instances, this meant that by the time I got around to it, it was dark, and all I wanted was to eat my dinner and watch a really average show on TV, so getting in required just as much, if not more will power.

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Allan R, Malone J, Alexander J, et al. Cold for centuries: a brief history of cryotherapies to improve health, injury and post-exercise recovery. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2022;122(5):1153-1162. doi:10.1007/s00421-022-04915-5 Ice baths can reduce pain and inflammation. “It can numb pain receptors and bring down inflammation, so you can almost think of it as like a drug-free anesthetic,” King said. Patients who have inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, may find that cold water immersion helps reduce swelling or discomfort from flare-ups or after workouts, he added.

If you’re ready to take the plunge, there are a few things you should know before submerging your body in ice. Temperature of ice bath Maranda, Eric; Simmons, Brian J.; Romanelli, Paolo (2016-06-01). "Cryotherapy—As Ancient as the Pharaohs". JAMA Dermatology. 152 (6): 730. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.1616. ISSN 2168-6068. Pre-workout plunge. Sometimes I jump into the cold plunge, followed by a hot shower, to get some blood pumping before an intense workout — especially strength training sessions. One of the main benefits of an ice bath says certified strength and conditioning specialist Aurimas Juodka, CSCS, CPT, is being able to train your vagus nerve.Plus, he says it can help improve reaction time and explosiveness in future workouts. 3. Limits the inflammatory response a b c d e Ellie Levenson (21 November 2006). "It's hot to be cold". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 2011-08-13. Not only has recent research from the Scripps Research Institute in California shown that reducing the core body temperature of mice makes them live for longer... The Ice-Bat was invented by Steve Ellis (adventurer, polymath and Olympic rower). One icy morning in January 2010, a few friends were out on our mountain bikes attempting to cycle on a frozen canal. It sort of worked but inevitably one of us slid over, fortunately only breaking his bike. This was the moment Steve decided to design a bike for use on ice.