Running is an activity that can make the body healthy although quite tiring to do. After doing the activity, sometimes cause ache and pain. The thing runners can do to relieve the aches and pains is with ice bath. What is ice bath? It is an immersion technique in which all of your body (up to your neck) is submerged in cold water.
The NGO or called Cochrane Collaboration proven with reviewed and examine the findings focused on ice baths which is made of seventeen research papers in 2012. The evidence found by them is that after the strenuous exercise, cold water submersion could reduce the pain muscle even for the couple of following days after injury.
Because of the benefits of this cold therapy treatment, athletes and professional runners practiced it frequently or you can read ice bath benefits. It has been scientifically proven that an ice bath will help with those pains. Here are the details of the Health Benefits of Ice Bath for Runners:
- Reduces Inflammation and Secondary Damage
Cold water immersion is the thing that will help fluid move back to the muscle. It means, that it will also help to reduce inflammation and injury that may occur to runners. That is why doctors recommend to compress with cold water on the wounded part of the body. The cold water will dull the nerve impulses although it Is just temporary, which is reduce the pain in the area. After that, it will make you relax and you can maintain the good performance in the following days after the injury.
- Improves Blood Flow
Cold water will slow down the blood circulation. This will be reversed that the metabolism kicks when you are running. The circulation of blood improves as the metabolism requires blood flow to break down fats and generate heat. The result prove that it will improves circulation and allows your body to absorb nutrients faster and more efficiently. Or you can health benefits hot shower.
- Relaxes Mental
As ice bath boosts metabolism and blood flow, it will also improve mental and physical conditions. Start your day with cold water and you can be focused to prepare anything that may come to you in the day. Especially for the runners, before running will increase your confidence and mood while after running will eliminate your fatigue. Or you can read health benefits of pilates.
- Relaxes the Muscle
Ice cold water diffuse the water back into the blood from the muscle and it will relax the muscle instantly. As we know, that muscle is an important organ for the runners. It is useful for the runners where the runners need to have free-muscle before ready to run. When you have free-muscle which is ready for run, then it can make you get the best result as you hope.
- Prevents Sore Muscle
When the muscle relax, it will be flexible and when it more flexible then the risk of it getting sore also small. So, ice bath not only can relax the muscle but also it prevents soreness muscle. And besides its benefit to prevent soreness, it can reduce muscle soreness by taking ice bath at least five minutes after exercise. It will reduce soreness by 20 percent.
- Improves Immune System
The Health Benefits of Ice Bath for Runners you should know is to improve immune system. Runners should have strong immune system because the activity is exhausted. When the immune system is weak, then they have to cancel run or it will endanger the health. Ice bath can increase metabolism, so it can also increase the immune system.
- Wakes You Up in the Morning
Some people run in the morning and also it is the best time to take an ice bath. Ice bath will active the nerve end which is waking you up in the morning. The other benefit that it makes you fresh and active for all day long. Or you can read causes of sleepy in the morning.
How Do Ice Bath for Runners?
For a frequent runners or who are not sustain injuries too often, you can try this method:
- Take paper cups, fill them with water then let them freeze in the freezer for some minutes or even for hours.
- After it freeze in the freezer then you can remove the paper cup from the ice.
- Take this big ice cube which can soothe your muscle aches and apply it to the sore spots.
- You can also slowly rub the ice cube to the legs and arms or to the spot where you feel pain and this made the cold sensation as a massage. For your comfort, you can put a towel under the ice.
- For the best result, you can take it for around ten minutes per spot.
There are Health Benefits of Ice Bath for Runners. However, there are still many health benefits you can get from ice bath or for the runners you can read benefits of glutamine