Cold plunging, also called cold water therapy or cold water immersion is gaining a lot of momentum in the health and fitness world. And after my first plunge into 40-degree water, I was hooked. The benefits that followed have been life-changing.
Cold plunging is not a new idea. In fact, two-thousand years ago, the famous stoic philosopher Seneca labeled himself as a “cold water enthusiast.” These types of therapies can be done by taking cold showers, sitting in ice baths, jumping into a snow runoff river or lake, or more recently, cryotherapy and above-ground cold plunge tanks.
Athletes from the NHL to college football to high school football players have been using ice baths for decades to speed up recovery time, numb injuries before a game and condition their bodies for optimal performance. The freezing temperature (ranging from 39 degrees to approximately 47 degrees Fahrenheit) expands your blood vessels, allowing more blood and oxygen to flow through your body.
Cold plunge therapy is being used for mental and emotional performance as well. High achievers such as Tony Robbins, Adam Carolla, and Kevin Hart are known to incorporate cold water therapy into their daily routines and Wim Hof, the Iceman, has created a movement called the Wim Hof method, which uses freezing temperatures to achieve physical and mental mastery. We’re talking about jumping into Lake Tahoe in the middle of winter, and walking barefoot in the snow to get there!
Health Benefits of a Cold Plunge
Why would someone willingly sit in a bath of freezing or near freezing cold water every day? Aren’t there other activities one could do to increase health and wellness? Yes, but a cold plunge is jam-packed with health benefits. And often, the results are instant and long-lasting. A cold plunge may:
- Improve your mood and outlook, almost immediately!
- Make you happier.
- Help you lose weight.
- Boost your immune system.
- Help decrease inflammation in your body, which can help those suffering with arthritis.
- Boost your metabolism.
- Improve your circulation.
- Promote lymphatic drainage. This is a crucial part of our immune system function.
- Stimulate the vagus nerve, which helps with sensory functions on the skin and within the organs and stimulates muscles of the heart, digestive tract, and inside the voice control areas of the body.
- Increase thermogenesis, which occurs when the body generates heat and burns calories while doing it.
- Strengthen your discipline and focus.
Why I Started to Cold Plunge
I began cold plunging several years ago. After my third (and last) baby was born, my body and mind felt like they had just completed the Tour de France without training. I was exhausted and depleted and if I’m completely honest, I felt like I had completely lost myself. I loved being a mama but going from working like crazy to being homebound with three little ones under 4 years of age was the hardest job I had ever done.
So right after Christmas and the craziness of the holidays, I told my husband that I needed to get away or else I might lose it. I literally felt like I was on the brink of a major breakdown. He agreed to watch the kids and I took off to Carmel, California to enjoy two days of kid- and husband-free solitude. My friend had told me about a wellness center that she knew I would love (don’t you love those friends who know you almost as well as you know yourself?! Keep those friends close by your side). I made an appointment, not knowing what I was in for, but desperate to try anything.
When I arrived at the center, they informed me of the cycle they encouraged me to go through at least four times during my time at the spa. It started with a steam or sauna, followed by a cold or cool plunge pool, quiet time by the fire pits, and then a warming of the body in one of its many warm or hot pools. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t dip my toes in the water to see what I was about to experience. I just went for it.
The first time I came to the cold plunge portion of the cycle, I thought I was going to hyperventilate. I walked in the cool plunge pool and within 15 seconds, I was out. I couldn’t imagine going into the cold pool and I definitely couldn’t imagine staying in there for the center’s suggested time of 30-60 seconds.
I cycled through again and this time, decided to dial up my mental toughness and go into the cold pool. Brrrrrr! I think I lasted about 15 seconds again. Cycling through again, I decided to have a little internal pep talk. I told myself that if I could birth babies, I could do this! So, I went in… 30 seconds. The last cycle, I held strong in the cold pool for a whopping 45 seconds. It was then that I was hooked!
What Hooked Me to Cold Plunging
Here’s what hooked me: did I feel a surge of energy and vitality running through my body after these cycles? Yes! Did I have increased clarity? Yes! Did I feel like a total bad mamma jamma because I overcame my fear, put my thoughts in a mastery mindset, and did what I thought I could never do? Absolutely!
Fast forward another three years and I have gone back to that wellness center several times and each time, I increase my time in the cold plunge pool. But then something miraculous happened. I found a company that sells these portable tubs of health! I called them immediately and was pleasantly surprised to learn they were based in southern California, only seven hours from me. And I happened to have planned a week-long trip to SoCal later that month, so I booked an appointment to experience the cold plunge tank.
The day I arrived, there was a mix-up regarding our appointment and they weren’t expecting me. But it worked out and I could still experience the cold plunge at their warehouse. However, there was one little hiccup: they typically set the temperature around 47 degrees, but the owner was testing the tank at 39-40 degrees. I knew at that moment I was headed toward one of those pivotal life moments we all encounter. Could I, who had only experienced no more than 60 seconds in a cold pool that was probably closer to 50 degrees, actually do this?
After the tour of the facility, the owner gave me the room to myself, so that I could mentally prepare and then plunge. I sat on the platform of the tank, gave myself a serious mental toughness talk, and then remembered the water bottle I had recently purchased for one of my twins. It reads, “Beautiful girl, you can do hard things.” I said that out loud to myself, and then went in.
I had the same feeling like I might hyperventilate. But then I quickly remembered some of the breathing techniques I had learned and started focusing on my breath. Deep inhales and long exhales. Thirty seconds went by. I thought to myself, “I’m okay, I can keep going.” Sixty seconds went by. I knew I could continue. One minute and 30 seconds, I was actually feeling good! And at 2 minutes, knowing deep in my heart that I could have kept going, I stood up, sat back on that platform and literally threw fist pumps into the air, and with a huge smile on my face, I yelled, “YES!” Yep, out loud!
It wasn’t too long after that experience that I ordered a cold plunge tank for my own home. It should arrive in the next month or so. Stay tuned for more posts about my journey toward optimal health and wellness using cold plunging.
What Changes I Have Noticed
The biggest change I have noticed since that last cold plunge was that on that day, I anchored into my body and my mind that I can do just about anything I put my mind to. That might sound cliché but it is true. When you challenge yourself to do things you never thought possible, it changes something deep inside of you. It makes you see the possible in the seemingly impossible. It makes you see life as opportunities instead of a sea of challenges. It gives you momentum to go after the dreams you have been keeping hidden inside and the confidence to know you can actualize them.
