5 Benefits of the Cold on the Body

Photo Credit: Denny Franzkowiak

It’s sad to say summer has come to an end, with fall and winter creeping in the temperature begins to drop. Although this may seem like a dread to go back to, after enjoying a beautiful summer in sandals and shorts, but there are actually some health benefits to cold and icing the body. Here are 5 ways cold can help:

1. Recover faster! Whether you’re a runner or a weightlifter, you’ll know what the day after a hard workout can be, a lot of pain and stiffness. Having an ice cold shower or an ice bath can help reduce some of the pain you will feel the next day. So suffer the cold and enjoy the next day!

2. Bring down the Swelling! Roll an ankle or got a bump on the head? Applying ice can reduce swelling of these areas and numb away some of the pain.

3. Sleep well! Do you ever have night where you just can’t get comfortable and your kicking off the blankets because the room is just to warm to sleep? Well this is because the body actually sheds heat from it’s core temperature as you get tired. Often insomniacs and people who struggle sleeping have higher core body temperatures. So keep your bedroom a cool temperature at night if you want to rest easy.

4. Get the lactic acid out of your muscles by applying ice! After a tough workout having an ice bath or a freezing cold shower can actually help drain the lactic acid from our muscles allowing for faster recovery and faster muscle growth. Not to mention you won’t be in pain and walking around like Frankenstein for a week because your all sore and tense.

5. Burn Calories! Some studies have been shown that cold weather can actually help burn calories faster as our body uses the burning of brown fat to generate heat. This rise in metabolism can help you shed some weight, so think twice about staying from your jog because it is chilly out.

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