Never before have people been more aware and concerned with maintaining and improving their mental health. Unfortunately, feelings of depression and anxiety are increasingly common. But luckily, for most these feelings are not clinical, but symptoms caused by difficult, overwhelming, unmade decisions and untaken actions. When we do something harder, like putting our body in a cold plunge, making those decisions and taking those actions becomes much easier by comparison. ➡️

As Canadians, we all know the feeling of coming inside after a walk through one of our brutal winters. Your face tingles, you feel wide awake, and you may get the sudden urge to take care of a long overdue task. But that feeling fades quickly, because only a small portion of the skin was touched by frigid air. Cold plunging creates the same effect by exposing the entire body to very cold water. That means feeling better for longer, often lasting for hours. ➡️

Acute inflammation, like what happens after a hard workout, is the primary cause of muscle soreness. Chronic inflammation is far more insidious, and is suspected to be a significant cause of many serious health problems. When things get cold they shrink, and our body is no different. Taking a cold plunge causes our blood vessels to constrict, providing temporary relief from pain and inflammation. Repeated cold exposure can also trigger the release of special proteins that reduce chronic inflammation over time. ➡️

Nobody likes getting sick. You feel terrible and miss work, your health routines are disrupted, and easily pass it along to others. Regular cold plunging can strengthen your immune system in several ways. It can increase your white blood cell count, thereby improving how efficiently your body targets and removes bacteria and viruses. It can also aide in the regulation of lymphatic fluid, which helps defend the body against infection, and balances fluid levels. A cold plunge a day helps keep the doctor away. ➡️

Our bodies are designed to maintain a stable internal temperature of 37 degrees celsius. When exposed to the much lower temperature of a cold plunge, the body boosts our metabolic rate to stay warm. Not only does this burn additional calories, it also induces the consumption of brown fat cells throughout the body. The best part is that our metabolic rate will stay elevated for a while, even after exiting the plunge. That’s a big win towards a smaller waist. ➡️

Sleep is the single most important factor in maintaining a healthy body. Not only do we need enough hours of sleep, but those hours need to be of sufficient quality. With our lives revolving more and more around electronics, most people experience sub-optimal sleep. Regular cold plunging in the evening hours can promote superior sleep quality. It does this by lowering our body temperature, which is a natural trigger for the production of melatonin, a hormone responsible for regulating sleep. 🙌