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We often talk about how you can improve your health through nutrition, exercise or mind-body practices. There are alternative tools that can be utilized along with your regular health and wellness routine that might be worth checking out.
Thermal Stress tools like cryotherapy and saunas offer unique health benefits that are easy to implement into your weekly routine.
Cryotherapy, AKA ‘cold therapy’:
- Reduces inflammation which helps to reduce pain, often times from injury as wellas the discomfort from arthritis.
- Boosts metabolism, as it forces the body to burn more calories to maintain a stable core temperature. This can help with managing weight.
- Improves mental health- it stimulates the release of norepinephrine, which in turn, improves mood & alertness, while reducing anxiety and depression.
- Improves immune response-exposure to cold of this nature can activate the immune system to release anti-inflammatory proteins and white blood cells, that helps with overall immunity.
If you don’t have access to cryotherapy because there are no facilities in your area, or if it’s just simply too expensive, an ice plunge can offer similar benefits. If you live near the ocean you can hop in the ocean during the cold water temperatures, or you can create your own ice plunge in your backyard with a large metal tub, water and ice.
Saunas, AKA ‘heat therapy’:
- Improves cardiovascular health as the heat from saunas dilates the blood vessels and improves circulation, helping to lower blood pressure, and ultimately help the heart.
- Detoxifies and improves skin health as the sweating works to expel toxins from our body through the skin, promoting healthier, glowing skin.
- Relaxes the muscles- heat from the sauna assists in relaxing the muscles to relieve tension and improve our flexibility, useful for joint stiffness.
- Relaxes our mind- Saunas help release endorphins, which aids in relaxation, ultimately reducing stress and improving our overall mood. This can help with our sleep as well.
If you don’t have access to a sauna because there are no facilities in your area, or it’s too expensive, you can run a hot bath or shower, utilize hot pads for specific areas of the body that need attention, or utilize a steam room, if available at your local gym.
Know that these controlled temperatures over a specific amount of time introduce gentle, intermittent stress on the body that triggers adaptive responses to improve our health.
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