ice baths + cold exposure are so effective at improving mental + emotional well-being and after spending over 10 years in the fitness industry, I highly recommend paying your mental + emotional states the kind of attention you give to your workouts + nutrition ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✸ the way this works for your mind — in purposefully exposing our bodies to stress, we are able to practice mentally overcoming + getting a hold of ourselves in this situation which translates to a higher stress tolerance for life in general ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✸ how this works for your emotions — our reactivity to our environment is dependent on which state our nervous system is in; sympathetic (fight or flight or freeze) or parasympathetic (rest + digest). we are meant to live in the rested state, but most of us don’t. when you’re in the parasympathetic state you have space between an event + your reaction; you have time to respond, which allows you to process + reason. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✸ how often do you need to do it? — every 1-2 weeks is the magic formula for me, but ice baths are a whole thing, so I mix in cold showers between workshops. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✸ cold shower protocol — at the end of your shower turn the knob all the way to cold + try to breathe through the discomfort. start with 15-30 sec, then add 15 sec each time you do this, building up to whatever feels challenging + refreshing, without feeling too terrible. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ✸ don’t forget!!! — exposing the body to extreme temperature should be done gradually. it’s not a race + there’s nothing to win, so go slowly + *always check with your doctor before starting something new*