A few weeks ago, someone messaged me about my ice baths. I often get messages from people who want to learn freediving with me. But this person wanted to join me for an ice bath, which was a first. 

He read my blog post about ice baths. He came to Taiwan, specifically Yilan, for work and hurt his leg. He knew that cold water can help heal injuries. He couldn't find any other place in Taiwan for an ice bath.

We both checked our schedules and found time to do six ice baths together. We also decided to share the cost of the ice.

I really like ice baths, but I usually do them only 1-2 times a week and include them in every freedive course. They always make me feel good, and I've been looking for ways to do them daily without spending too much money. Doing it for 6 days straight would help me see if it's worth doing every day and investing more time into finding a cost effective solution to do it everyday.

To sum it up, the results were more profound than I expected.

ICE BATH PRESCRIPTION 

We're all different. What works for one person might not work for another. I keep this in mind when giving and receiving advice.

People often want standard advice, especially about wellness. There are common tips for sleep, exercise, and diet. Ice baths are the same. Some say you should take one once a week at a certain temperature for a set time. Others say only specific temperatures help.

Most advice probably helps about 68% of people (one standard deviation). But I'm not like everyone else. I'm 50, teach freediving every week, often get headaches, body aches and have had some minor health issues. In short, I often feel pain, maybe could use more energy.

I'm part of a Facebook group about turning chest freezers into ice baths. Many members take ice baths daily and feel better. This encouraged me to try it more often. But doing it everyday would get prohibitively expensive for me but now I have someone to share the cost with. 

PAIN VANISHED

I don't know if other older folks feel this way, but as I've gotten older, the more pain I feel. It's not just in one specific place, but a heavy feeling all over. Maybe it's because of my past health issues, namely fibromyalgia. 

For five days following the ice baths, I was pain free. This is probably one of the greatest gifts one could give to yourself. I was light on my toes, moving around doesn’t seem like such a chore. Getting old sucks in terms of persistent pain (or is it the lingering symptoms since my recovery from fibromyalgia), but not when you have had six days of ice baths in a row. 

It also helped me realize the baseline of pain I am experiencing everyday. Now I want to plunge into an ice bath every day now. 

MENTAL

This may sound counterintuitive to those who’ve never experienced an ice bath, but an ice bath can feel very relaxing. It loosens a lot of tension in your body. And when your body is relaxed, free of pain, it gives your brain the proper environment to thrive mentally. 

I had better concentration, my mood was boosted and stressors seemed to not have as much of an impact as before. I was more tolerant of my wife, and my wife was more tolerant of me (she also did the ice baths with us). It seemed like my nervous system got stronger. 

ENERGY 

This was a surprise but maybe it shouldn't have been; I didn’t really feel tired. My energy levels were more smooth and I didn’t experience any crashes. Is this what it feels like to be in your 20’s again? 

One day in the middle of the six days, I had a really bad night's sleep. I was walking around kind of brain dead all day, not much work was getting done, I certainly didn’t have the cognitive capacity to write a blog like this. 

But after I took an ice bath, I obviously felt a lot better, more energetic, and more importantly cognitively I was able to get work done with a lot less resistance than before. 

BLOATING

When I start to eat crappy food i.e. food from a package full of preservatives, I start to get bloated.  The ice baths were really great at getting rid of the bloating I was feeling before starting the ice baths. In my opinion, probably the greatest treatment for bloating I’ve ever done. Its effect on bloating was immediate versus fasting, which is what I usually do for it and can take over 12 hours to feel less bloated.  

METABOLISM

Ice baths have been touted as a great way to boost metabolism, burn calories and lose weight. After six days of ice baths, I went on a trip to Taipei and Taitung for nine days. Thus, nine days without an ice bath. On trips like this, I usually put on a bit of weight and even some bloating as I get less exercise and I don’t eat as disciplined. However, upon returning to our home in Xiaoliuqiu, I weighed myself and I LOST 1.5 kgs. AMAZING! Perhaps it boosted my metabolism for a whole week. 

ELONGATED EFFECT

The best part was how long the good feeling lasted. I felt great for five days. On the sixth day, I got a bad headache. But after two days, it went away, and I still felt the benefits.

I mentioned earlier that I traveled to Taipei for 6 days and then Taitung for 3 days. I usually don't like Taipei. The city's fast pace used to excite me, but now it just tires me out. I can't usually stay there for more than two days. The only time I stayed longer was during a typhoon in July 2023. I was stuck because the boats to my island stopped running. I was so stressed during those five days I was stuck in Taipei. 

But this time, because I felt so good, I really enjoyed my trip to Taipei, which caught me by surprise. 

Even to this day, three weeks later, I’ve only done two ice baths and yet I feel my body and my mind feels a lot better, a lot lighter, life just seems to have less resistance. As if my body and mind went through the deepest reset possible. 

The profound impact of the ice baths was further highlighted when I returned from my travels to Taipei and Taitung. I was able to go freediving for an impressive 10 consecutive days before feeling the familiar signs of overtraining. This was a significant change from my usual routine, where after just 4-5 days of freediving, I'd typically need to rest due to the strain on my body. The enhanced resilience and stamina I experienced post ice baths were undeniable. 

Thus I can’t help but believe that consecutive ice baths can have a cumulative effect. 

This was a great experiment to try. The transformative power of ice baths cannot be overstated. Not only did they provide immediate relief from persistent physical discomfort, but they also enhanced my mental well-being. The lasting effects were evident in my improved mood, increased tolerance, and even in my ability to enjoy a city that once overwhelmed me. While everyone's experience with ice baths might differ, for me, they've proven to be a rejuvenating force, turning ordinary days into extraordinary ones. Whether you're seeking physical relief or a mental boost, it might be worth giving ice baths a try. Who knows? They might just change the way you experience the world around you.

Now, I have to find a cost effective setup I can use every day. Any suggestions? 

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