3 Ways to Get Started With Cold Therapy
Cold therapy is linked to a wide range of health benefits. For example, scientists have found evidence that exposure to cold boosts mitochondrial health helping the body to more effectively produce energy and enhancing cellular function. Another benefit of utilizing cold therapy is that it reduces inflammation. Furthermore, cold therapy is also linked to improved sleep quality, increased focus, and even an optimized immune response. But the list of benefits include:
• Protects against disease (increases levels of the master antioxidant, glutathione) [1][2]
• Slows the aging process [3][4][5][6]
Increases energy production [7][8][9][10]
• Lowers body fat [11][12][13][14]
• Improves mood (improves well-being) [15][16]
• Improves hormone levels [17][18][19]
• Improve sexual performance and fertility
• Lowers blood sugar (reducing insulin resistance) [20][21][22][23]
• Accelerates recovery (and stimulates muscle growth) [24]
• Reduces food cravings [25]
• Improves adrenal function
• Fixing thyroid issues
• Enhances immune function [26][27][28][29]
• Improves deep sleep quality [30}
• Decreases pain [31][32][33][34]
• Increases stress tolerance [35][36]
• Reduces inflammation [37][38]
• Strengthens your bones [39]
Getting started with cold therapy is relatively simple. In fact, you likely already have everything you need to begin implementing cold therapy into your health, and anti-aging routine.
Three Easy Ways to Optimize Your Health With Cold Therapy
COLD SHOWERS
Boost your mitochondria by ending your standard daily shower with 30 seconds of water as cold as you can stand it. Even 30-90 seconds of cold water can have profound health effects.
Pro tip: We love the Wim Hof mobile app for implementing cold showers into our daily routines. The app features cold shower instructional videos, a timer to help you track time spent in cold therapy, and a 20-day cold shower challenge to keep you accountable.
ICE BATHS
Ice baths are another variation of cold therapy. But what if you don’t live near a facility that features ice baths or have a high-end system at home? Thankfully, there are a few relatively inexpensive alternatives to help you create a recovery ice bath at home.
Fill your standard bathtub half full with cold water right from the faucet. Once the tub has filled add a ten-pound bag of ice. If your bathtub isn’t deep enough to support a full-body soak consider a stock tank by Rubbermaid and create a DIY ice bath set up on the cheap at home.
CRYOTHERAPY
Cryotherapy can be great for its ease of use. Busy professionals and executives who want to get an efficient means of increasing mitochondrial health can be in and out of a cryotherapy chamber within 10 minutes and back to work.
If you’re looking for the most effective cold therapy option (and you’re looking to avoid the cost associated with cryotherapy sessions) you may want to stick with cold water immersion over cryotherapy. According to a 2017 study simple cold water immersion offered greater health benefits than cryotherapy.
