Nothing is better than a nice warm shower, right? Well, for some, the only thing better is a cold bath. For everyone from endurance athletes to people looking to destress, ice baths have become increasingly common. If you are looking for a way to help the body cool down and recuperate after a hard workout, going for an ice bath might be beneficial. Why, though? What makes this work?
You can reduce the risk of injury
One benefit is that ice baths help us to cool down and thus reduce our risk of muscles being hurt and injured. If you feel like a muscle or muscles, are on the verge of being hurt then you should definitely look into going for an ice bath. This could have the natural benefit of reducing the risk of that muscle popping, helping you to get back to playing and enjoying yourself sooner.
You can improve your nervous system
The ice bath is also known to be a major part of helping to calm down and reduce stress on our central nervous system. Given this plays a critical role in our day-to-day bodily functions and even our ability to move, keeping your CNS in good condition is vital. Ice baths help to reduce fatigue and ensure that your nervous system is given the time it needs to properly recover after an endurance workout.
You will improve blood flow
Another nice benefit of ice baths is that they can easily and effectively improve your blood flow. This is likely to help you to maintain an improved level of blood flow without having to elevate stress levels. If your muscles are aching after a good workout, your ice bath can play a leading role in lifting that pain and discomfort once and for all. After a workout, you should go for an ice bath to improve blood flow and thus help to reduce muscle discomfort.
It only takes fifteen minutes
Most assume you are sitting in this bath for hours – but you are not. That would be quite dangerous. Instead, you are in for 15 minutes at the absolute maximum. This is enough to get all of the above benefits, and more. So, if you feel like you should be doing more to help improve your condition you should probably make that 15-minute ice bath session a regular occurrence after your workout.