Ice, Ice Baby
One of the fascinating things about social media is the things you can find.
Good and bad.
For instance, you can find a guy in Winnipeg sharing daily insight while he takes an Ice Bath. Why would you want to do that? Curiosity perhaps, gaining some useful insight or motivation for one thing or another. I thought for a time that I needed to be able to take an ice bath every day for the mental clarity that I was seeking at the time.
After a week or so of trying to take an ice bath every day, I realized some of the benefits but also acknowledged the fact that there had to be a better solution. It seems impractical for everyone to need to do this even on a somewhat regular basis.
The Vagus Nerve
Coming back to social media, a solution to my ice bath dilemma was provided and with that came my first proper introduction to the vagus nerve.
The Vagus Nerve or vagal nerves are the “main nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system.” The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of rest and digestion. That means it is important to regulate this nerve to make sure your body is recovering properly from the days stresses.
So, instead of buying a large ice bath and filling it with many gallons of water, there is a much quicker and satisfying solution. You can fill a large bowl, like a salad bowl with ice water. Then you are going to dunk your face in there as long as you can manage. I started doing 3 rounds of about 10-15 seconds. The first dunk was hard, the second dunk not as much, with the third being better.
This is effective because of where the Vagus nerve is located and how it is connected to the major nerves on your face.
This Week’s 3-2-1
3: More Ways to Help “Chill You Out” with Vagus Nerve Exercises
2: Requests - share this with someone, and comment the post you have enjoyed the most or found to be the most interesting so far..
1: Fun Fact about using Ice Baths for Recovery
It is recommended to actually take an ice bath before working out if your goal in exercise is to gain muscle. Taking an ice bath after a big strength session can slow down the muscle growth and repair. On the other side, an ice bath has never felt more tempting after a long, hot summer run.
The recreational league I signed up to play soccer in this summer is having my team play a double header this Saturday morning so I will be setting up my ice bath for the first time in a few months so it is ready when I get home.
**Everything that is underlined is hyperlinked so you can read more about certain topics if you want.**
Stay well.
Brad