Ice baths have plenty of benefits, both for your mind and for your body. Here are 4 tips that will help you make it into the tub!
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Episode Notes
This article is going to cover how to get your body into ice cold water. There are many different ways to prepare yourself for cold water exposure. Once you start on your journey of creating a relationship with the cold water, you'll have your own way of doing things. How you get in the water. How you mentally you prepare. That's all you.
This is just my method and personal process. I hope this helps give you the courage to take the first step of this powerful and life changing process.
1. Make The Decision
The first and most important step is to make the decision to take control of your health, breath, and most importantly, your mind.
This is not a decision you can be one the fence with. When you are standing in front of a tank full of ice chunks, your brain is going to give you every excuse why you can’t and shouldn’t be doing this. Make the decision and don’t look back. I promise you; it will change your life.
2. Calm The Mind
Before I get in, the first step I do to calm and focus my mind is to take 6 deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. A Japanese study found that 6 deep breaths will neurologically reset the mind. While taking my final breaths, I focus on step-step-sit.
As soon as I exhale my 6th breath I step-step-sit into the water and immediately take control of my breath by repeating the 6 deep breaths again. I do a heavy emphasis on the inhale through the nose and easy exhale out the mouth.
When you get in for the first time, your body might start to hyperventilate which would be the breath pattern of heavy emphasis on the out breath. The ha-ha-ha. You must focus and control the breath immediately. This practice is really all about controlling your breath and mind.
