Benefits of Cold Water Therapy for Athletes | What you should Know?

Ice baths are a bit more specific to advanced muscle recovery and blood circulation. But, cold water in general is great for hair and skin, plus circulation, burning bad body fat, and improving mood and alertness. Cold water creates a meditative effect on the body due to the deep breathing technique that naturally happens when the body feels cold water. Think of the first gasp of air you take when you feel cold water... Now imagine having to control your breathing while staying under or in that cold water. This deep breathing that the body naturally does is to control the heart rate and deal with the shock since our body temp is much higher than the water. However, once we control our breathing and allow our mind to relax and embrace the water, it slowly starts to feel not so bad, and usually after 5 minutes it doesn't seem that bad. But, getting through the first 2-3 minutes is the challenge of dealing with cold water. Many athletes are starting to clue in that ice baths and cold showers are great for recovery and muscle repair. In my athletic career, coaches would recommend ice baths after each hard and long training days, so we can make the most of spring training or off-season training everyday. Without the worry of over training and muscle fatigue hindering the next day's performance. Cold water therapy has been around for thousands of years because its benefits are astounding. It's just something we don't always think about because in many countries we are very fortunate to have hot/warm water to make showers more pleasant. However, if anyone is like me from a multi-season country such as Canada, it will change the desire we have for cold or hot water. Of course in very hot climates or the summer it will feel pretty refreshing; but, in places that have winter it may be less appealing to jump into cold water after being outside in negative degree weather. Either way, adding in some form of cold water therapy into your routine will help immensely with boosting your physical well being, and help with improving mind body connections that are needed for proper meditation. Start small and work your way up in duration, I guarantee if you try and stick with it, you will feel the benefits very quickly!

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