Christmas 2023 has been and gone. The hot turkey with all the trimmings has been consumed. The leftover turkey sandwiches have been consumed too. Oh, and that third turkey meal has also. Turkey curry?
Then you have New Year’s to deal with.
The council has been to collect the recycling, and the guilt from hearing the noise of rattling empty port and champagne bottles is about ready to be forgotten.
So your attention is turned to 2024. A year of infinite possibility and opportunity. It is time for you to set your New Year’s Resolution.
Joining the gym? Why not wait a few months when they’re quieter?
Read more books? Stress less? Spend time with family? All great ideas. What is even better is that all of these things can be accomplished from a barrel ice bath, which OF COURSE is the one and only New Year’s Resolution that you need to consider. And it will help with those sore muscles when you do join the gym in a few months 😉. Here is the low down on why taking Cold Dips in an Ice Bath is the perfect New Year Resolution:
Health Benefits of Cold Water Immersion
Immersing your body in cold water (colder than 15°C) puts stress on your body and initiates the physiological reaction known as your flight or flight response. This increases your heart rate and increases oxygen to your muscles. The benefits of this, per Bupa, are reported to be:
- reducing muscle pain and stiffness after exercise, by reducing swelling and inflammation.
- improving risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- boosting the immune system, helping to lower the risk of infection.
- improving general wellbeing, and possibly helping with depression.
Doesn’t sound like a bad list of benefits from a little discomfort every now and then does it?
Challenge
New Year’s resolutions are supposed to be a challenge right? Nobody said that getting fit, cutting out smartphones or quitting smoking was going to be easy. The point is that they are supposed to challenge you, to test you and to better you.
And that is exactly what getting into cold water every day is. Just look at Carl Rees on Instagram who dipped every single day in 2023 with no excuse – https://www.instagram.com/p/C1h2E-mrVXE/
Social Element of Cold Water Dipping
Yes, we provide repurposed oak barrels for ice baths. The barrels are a convenient way to provide a cold body of water in your garden for easy daily dipping. And maybe that is all you need. But we live on a small island and you’re never far away from a sea, a lake or a river and that means that you are never far away from a cold water swimming group like the wonderful Bluetits.
The Bluetits is a worldwide community of people bonding over a love of cold water swimming. There are no membership fees, expectations or pressure. We spoke to Sian, the founder of the Bluetits, on cold water immersion and the place of a barrel ice bath in the process:
Because It’s Cool
Pun intended? Maybe we’re a little biased but sitting in an old wine or whiskey barrel for a few minutes every day is a grounding and unique feeling. They’re made from solid oak and steel and designed by expert craftsmen to last a lifetime. Barrels also look a lot nicer and blend in better with your environment than plastic ice bath alternatives.
And we have every faith that this isn’t a fad and you’re not going to grow out of it, but if you do, you can always use the barrel as a water butt instead…
