04 Aug Athletic Recovery? Yes Please! Cryotherapy for Recovery is real.
Hey everybody,
Back again for another week of cryotherapy and more Minnesota summer! In the state of hockey, 10,000 lakes, and 1 million ways to exercise outside or in over the short 3 month stretch of awesome weather I know there are some sore muscles out there. I know somebody in Bloomington has tight hammies from getting back into running again this summer, a fella in Minnetonka has a sore back from trying that wakeboarding trick one too many times and crashed hard, and a young lady in Robbinsdale is struggling up the stairs from squats at the boot camp in the park. We’ve all been there, and I feel your pain everybody… Well, actually I don’t. I used to, before cryotherapy.
Today, I want to share another testimonial with you from a client/mother/workout warrior and OTF coach who pushes her body extremely hard and takes the time to recover with us to stay on top of her game. Check out her comments on her experience with Cryotherapy and then we can talk about why our bodies react this way.
“Cryotherapy has been amazing for my recovery. As a very active person in the fitness community, training hard year round, it has helped my body so much. After a hard workout, sore from a heavy lift day , or lack of energy for the gym, a session in the cryosauna makes body feels so much better! The response from nitrogen leaves me feeling reenergized and gives my body that much needed boost to a speedy recovery!” -Katie
It is always so great to hear positive feedback, and I have personally witnessed how hard Katie goes in the gym so it has been our pleasure to help her recover faster. She isn’t a huge fan of taking days off, so our cryotherapy has helped keep those to a minimum while keeping her training at the high level she wants.
So, what about cryotherapy decreases recovery time and helps us get more out of our training? One thing that is a bit confused by most is that there is a benefitial aspect of our post workout inflammatory response. It lets us know that our body is in repair mode, but in most cases our response is much more pro-inflammatory that we need. Our anti-inflammatory cytokines (proteins in our bloodstream that keep our immune/inflammatory response in check) come in to attempt to keep the inflammation from getting out of control and allow the regeneration and recovery to take place. The problem is, our anti-inflammatory cytokines are outnumbered and often lose the battle resulting in delayed onset muscle soreness and we are left with inflamed, sore, stiff muscles.
Cryotherapy can be used to aid in this process by shocking the body to create higher levels of the cytokines to fight inflammation for us. We can reduce the overactive inflammatory response and get into our regeneration/recovery sooner and reduce the soreness and stiffness aiding in our ability to get back into the gym or game sooner and stronger. Cryotherapy used in short bursts of cold therapy also produces an anti-inflammatory norepinephrine release, alleviating pain from injuries and boosting mood by affecting the pleasure center of our brain. The physical stress response from such extreme cold temperatures also give our immune system a boost, increasing white blood cells which helps kill of viruses and more.
More benefits from Cryotherapy-
- Increase metabolic rate by up to 300% or more by causing cold thermogenesis- boosting the metabolism to heat up the body.
- Increase Brown fat- also boosts the metabolism and burns energy to generate heat
- Collagen production goes up- this protein makes up our cartilage, skin, and hair. Collagenase, an enzyme which breaks down collagen also decreases.
- Cortisol, a stress hormone that also breaks down collagen and can alter sleep is reduced by cold shock
- Boost norepinephrine & Dopamine levels to boost mood
We love to continue learning how the body responds to cold shock, and love sharing this stuff with you. There are so many benefits to the regular use of cryotherapy, and it is such a simple and quick process that it works for any busy schedule.
This week at Halo!
- Check out our facebook and Instagram for chances to win free cryotherapy!
- We are getting so close to opening in Minnetonka! Our team along with TigerFit and Reneu Sport + Health are working hard to be your one-stop shop for all of your health, fitness, & wellness needs. Look for an announcement via email regarding our official opening!
- Memberships are such a great option with us to make cryotherapy a part of your lifestyle and routine! Invest in getting the most out of your body! We have multiple levels to customize the best option for you.
See you this week @ Halo! Call 612-787-CRYO (2796) or visit our website here to book your appointment now!