Ice Baths: Why does my daughter want to do them?

It’s a known fact that immediately after an injury that ice is the answer. An Ice Pack applied to the area helps reduce pain and swelling, but have you ever tried an ice bath? Sounds chillingly unbearable if you ask me.

I once did a polar bear jump into freezing lake Minocqua back home in Wisconsin before I moved out to Asia. It is definitely something to try once....only once.

But if you’re a gym mom or dad, you might be wondering why the heck your son or daughter wants to fill a tub with ice and more important is it safe? According to Runner’s World, ice baths are a method of cryotherapy or “cold therapy.” Immersing your body in ice water constricts blood cells and creates a reduction in metabolic activity, which reduces inflammation and prevents the breakdown of tissues.

When you get out of chilly water, the tissues begin to warm up and your blood flows faster. This helps return the by products of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. So not only does a soak in an ice bath help prevent inflammation, but it also flushes harmful metabolic debris out of the muscles. Many athletes, especially gymnasts swear by these post-workout ice baths. Dotting their bodies with ice packs is an option, but full-on immersion in ice water is much more effective. They only need to be in the chilliness for 10 to 20 minutes.

Here’s a clip from one Stick It, one of the most popular gymnastics themed movies of my gymnasts. I think they get the idea here, really not thinking about the benefits.

I would love to hear it, have you ever done an ice-bath or would you ever do one?

D.I.Y. Ice Packs for In and Out of the Gym

At the beginning of the day our freezers start out full with handmade ice-cube packs and store bought ice-packs. Daily minor icing of youngsters boo boos are a natural occurrence in any gymnastics center, not to mention the team ice party sessions that are way too frequent and sometimes ridiculous. By the end of the day, both of our freezers look quite bare and we're off to buying new packs and refilling the ice trays. Who knows where those things end up!

I found a great way to cut costs in and out of the gym, after taking a hint from a friend when I asked about my little funky one always wanting ice packs. (We live very close to the equator and have no air conditioning, I can't blame her!) I thought I would share this simple, cost effective and brilliant idea with the gymnastics world.