By Nathanial B.
– Oftentimes, the most important step in any successful endeavour is the very first one you take; the same is true for each and every day you wake up. How you start your morning can drastically affect how your day goes, how productive you are, and even how happy you will be in the next 24 hours. If you had the opportunity to start the day right, wouldn’t you take it?
A 30 second, 60 second, or even a 5 min swim in a cold plunge pool could drastically change your day for the better. Benefits range from increased energy and happiness, healthier skin and hair, improved confidence and reduced stress. All for a few moments of uncomfortable chilliness – okay, that’s an understatement. But we think the health benefits outweigh the cold! (Almost.)
Reduce Your Stress: Physical & Mental
A cold plunge first thing in the morning can help to reduce stress in a number of ways. The intense feeling of the cold will wipe out all thought processes besides simply enduring it. This works in a way similar to meditation: you will need to focus on your breathing in order to ward off the cold, and by doing so invariably relax your body and mind. Additionally, a cold plunge will by nature separate you from any technology that may be the source of your stress: emails, calls, social media and texts from work won’t be able to reach you in the cold plunge. Take this time to look inward and start your morning the right way: by focusing on yourself.
As an added benefit, cold water is well-known to alleviate joint pain, reduce inflammation from arthritis, as well as aiding in treating and preventing muscle stiffness.
Energise Your Body And Empower Your Mind
A cold plunge first thing in the morning will also do wonders for your energy levels. This is because plunging yourself into cold water activates your body’s fight or flight response. Essentially, it instantly gets your heartrate up and your body responds by pumping blood flow to your muscles and brains – thereby increasing your energy. Many cold-water swimmers have reported this process giving them a sense of mental clarity, and avoiding mental fogginess associated with waking up.
Speaking of fight or flight response, there is nothing quite so empowering as overcoming it. Our instincts are by nature very powerful; resisting the urge to ‘run’ from the pool, especially when it’s uncomfortable, can be an extremely empowering feeling. Doing this first thing in the morning will set you up with high confidence levels for the rest of your day – after all, there isn’t much more challenging than staying in an icy plunge for 5 minutes!
Clear Your Skin
Cold water is well-known for it’s beneficial effects on your skin. Namely, it tightens your skin and reduces the size of your pores. This means your body won’t be producing as much excess oil, particularly if you are making a habit of cold plunging; hot water, on the other hand, dries out your skin and encourages excess oil. A cold plunge can be improved even further combining it with a mineral water swim. At Soak, both our spas and pool make use of mineral water to give your skin a healthy glow and smoothness courtesy of minerals such as magnesium. A cold plunge is also a great way to reduce skin inflammation; it’s also known to increase the thickness and length of your hair!
Improve Your Immune System
Have you ever heard of hot / cold therapy, or contrast therapy? Essentially, it aims to bring the best of both worlds from cold and heat therapy by immersing oneself first in cold water, then heated water – switching back and forth a number of times. This type of practice can provide relief for, and prevention of, injury. It is also a fantastic way to raise your body’s immunity system! Some case studies have even shown that regularly switching from a cold plunge pool to a spa, for a few minutes at a time, can reduce the amount of sick days per year you’ll have by 29%.
For many people, access to a cold plunge pool may not be realistic for their own home. However, at Soak Bathhouse our values are to ensure every person has the opportunity to acquire the mental wellness they deserve, and chance to unwind for a few quiet moments. That’s why our facilities include a plunge pool, mineral water pool, spas, sauna and steam room. Why don’t you book a session with us today (with or without a champagne glass, we won’t judge) and experience the revitalising and rejuvenating benefits of a cold plunge today.
Challenge yourself to a cold plunge today. Book a Soak Bathhouse session or become a member.
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