saunas and Ice baths are all the rage in the recovery world lately and while both
are definitely beneficial for exercise and Muscle Recovery the way they are beneficial and the time
they should be used very greatly let's start by talking about heat exposure or heat therapy this
is most often done using Asana or a sauna blanket heat exposure and saunas have been shown to have
many benefits including improving heart health promoting fat loss and improving sleep but today
we're going to be focusing specifically on muscle and exercise recovery now if you're just looking
for overall health benefits then it doesn't really matter what time of day you do it however
afternoon and evening is going to be most in line with our body's natural heat fluctuations and
this is going to help you sleep better at night as long as you're breaking a sweat and doing it
at least three times per week you're going to see tremendous benefits and I do have a full video on
all of the benefits that come along with sauna use so I'll link that above if you want to know more
but let's focus on recovery the reason that saunas speed up Muscle Recovery is because they improve
how oxygen and blood circulate the body better circulation and blood flow means that muscles
that are damaged by exercise can repair faster and when I say damage I'm not referring to entry
but rather the microscopic tears that occur after exercise the wave and muscles grow and
become stronger is these microscopic tears occur when you work out and then your body repairs or
replaces the damaged fibers with better blood circulation your muscles are able to repair
faster meaning you can work out sooner with less muscle soreness and tension the best time to use
heat exposure for Muscle Recovery is after your workout for the reasons I just explained it helps
to speed up the recovery process and there's also some evidence that it can improve performance as
well one study found that when distance runners use saunas four times a week after their workouts
in just three weeks their run to exhaustion test improved by 32 percent and the reason you might
not want to use saunas before your workout is because they can drain your energy and this ties
in with why saunas are beneficial for heart health the reason that saunas are so beneficial for heart
health is because they mimic exercise and they increase your heart rate but the downside is if
you do this before your workout it might impact your ability to perform to your full potential
now let's talk about cold exposure which is usually achieved through ice baths or
cold plunges or cold showers cold exposure has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and
blood sugar lower blood pressure reduce stress and improve metabolism but again today we're
focusing on the benefits for Recovery one of which is that it can reduce muscle soreness
but here's the catch the way the cold exposure reduces muscle soreness is different from the way
that heat exposure does cold exposure actually reduces inflammation now if you're scratching
your head and thinking okay but I thought that we usually want to reduce inflammation stay with me
for a second yes chronic inflammation is harmful and something we want to reduce or avoid for good
health but acute inflammation is usually a good thing acute inflammation is what is happening
when our muscles have broken down and they're repairing it basically means that that more
energy and resources is being driven to that area of the body now when we do cold exposure this
inflammation is reduced and that means there's going to be less muscle growth now this can be a
good thing if let's say you have another workout or competition within the next 12 to 24 hours
if you don't want your muscles to be sore for that workout or that competition then a cold Plunge in
this situation can definitely be beneficial but otherwise if you're looking to build muscle then
cold exposure should be avoided post-workup wait at least six hours after your workout and you're
going to be able to reap the long-term benefits without undermining your muscle gain now as I said
cold exposure does have a lot of benefits so I am by no means saying to avoid it but just make sure
to keep it far enough away from your workouts or even do it beforehand and I also want to mention
that when it comes to cold exposure there isn't a precise temperature that you need to have the
water at it's all relative to the current temperature of your skin in contrast to the
water a good marker is if it feels uncomfortable but bearable if it feels uncomfortable that's a
good thing if it feels easy it needs to be colder now if you guys are looking for some affordable
at-home ways to add heat and cold exposure into your routine I'm going to link to some options
in the description box down below in terms of heat I am a huge fan of sauna blankets the one
I use is from bon charge it's compact it's easy to set up and it's really easy to clean as well
I use it four to five times per week for 30 minute sessions I'm going to put the link to that in the
description box down below I also have a promo code for 15 off which is HCK 15. I'll put that
down below as well so you don't forget in terms of cold exposure as I mentioned before cold showers
are always an option they aren't going to be as beneficial as ice baths or cold plunges are
however the more surface area of your body you can cover the more you're going to be activating
your cold receptors and the more benefits you're going to be getting ideally you want to be using
a cold plunge or an ice bath and going all the way in above your shoulders up to your neck
easier said than done but once you do it a few times it does actually get easier and
you do get more used to it personally I have not invested in a cold plunge yet at home I
just use cold showers but I have researched a few different options that are available
right now so I will link to those down below as well now I want to hear from you let me know if
you've already Incorporated heat or cold exposure into your routine and any recovery benefits that
you've noticed let me know in the comment section down below I love chatting with you guys there
but anyways that's all I have for you today so I will see you next time bye guys [Music]
thank you
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