When it comes to popular weight-loss trends and essential health add-ons to your workout and well-being routine, it’s safe to say that there’s a lot of advice out there that you need to sift through to see whether or not they’re really for you.
Of course, you could argue that focusing on maintaining a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine is all you really need to stay in shape. However, if you’ve been reading anything about cold water exposure therapy then you’ve probably heard of ice plunges being an unconventional way to stimulate weight loss.
But is there any real truth behind ice bath weight-loss science? Do ice baths burn fat or is it simply a placebo effect that comes with combining such a practice with intense workouts?
Keep reading to find out about the potential benefits of ice baths for weight loss.
Although the idea around cold plunges contributing to weight loss might sound like false advertising, there is actually a substantial amount of peer-reviewed, science-based evidence to state otherwise.
Indeed, while certainly not enough to shift mountains of fat, taking ice baths and cold showers can help you burn additional calories thanks to a process dubbed cold thermogenesis.
In layman’s terms, cold thermogenesis is a process where you intentionally expose your body to very cold temperatures in order to heighten your metabolism by forcing your body’s temperature regulation system to generate more heat to maintain its internal temperature, which in turn forces you to burn more fat and calories.
In other words, your body will dive into its energy reserves as a means of keeping you from freezing, thereby drawing on additional calories that you might not have been burning otherwise.
As you may have guessed, there is far more to this complicated biological process than what we can lay out here, but research suggests that cold thermogenesis comes with a whole host of benefits relating to weight loss and fat burning, including all of the following:
When you think of fat, your mind probably hops straight to the typical white tissue that you might often see on meat. However, our bodies are actually home to more than one fat type, with one of the most important being brown fat.
Unlike white fat, which is solely there to store calories, brown fat burns energy for your body to produce heat. And as it turns out, cold thermogenesis is one of the factors that stimulate the production of brown fat. Therefore, by taking regular cold plunges, you’ll gain more brown fat, which will then burn more energy in your body during future dips.
As we’ve already hinted at, the process of cold thermogenesis activates the part of our body responsible for metabolism, increasing its output in order to fuel and maintain your body’s increase in temperature.
Naturally, the more you do this, the greater the impact it will have on your metabolism going forward, helping it to maintain these higher levels of output and reduce blood sugar levels as a result.
Given that a key benefit of cold plunges is their ability to boost your immune system, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that cold thermogenesis plays a large part in contributing to this.
Essentially, cold thermogenesis allows our bodies to adapt to colder temperatures, which in turn helps to stimulate our immune system in a more efficient manner. This allows us to better fight off infections but also uses more energy overall as your immune system will be more active.
Furthermore, a stronger immune system means fewer disruptions to your exercise routine and weight loss plan, meaning you’ll find it that much easier to lose weight and stay fit outside of your ice bath.
Following on from our point on cold thermogenesis and its potential to increase your metabolism, a secondary side-effect of this process is the activation of proteins in our bodies called Sirtuins.
These proteins are associated with an increased cell lifespan and improved health. Thus, by promoting cell longevity, cold thermogenesis can help maintain a healthy metabolism for a longer period, which, again, is crucial for weight loss as you get older.
Besides the beneficial impact of the cold thermogenesis process on your body, ice bath weight-loss science is further backed up by the simple fact that the majority of the benefits of ice baths can help promote weight loss over time.
For example, ice baths have been shown to improve circulation while reducing inflammation and muscle fatigue, making it easier for you to work out the next day without additional aches and pains.
And, as if to reinforce this point further, good sleep is also another essential aspect of weight-loss, and the soothing nature of ice baths have been shown to improve sleep and enhance your mental and physical well-being with regular use.
Now that we know more about the science behind weight loss and cold plunges, is there anything in particular that you should be doing when taking a dip to maximise your body’s fat-burning potential in a safe and effective manner?
Well, first off, if you’re new to ice baths, then simply taking a regular soak will be enough to kick-start this process in your body. But if you’ve been taking cold plunges for a while, we recommend trying out this popular plunge routine:
At the end of the day, substantial weight loss depends largely on changing your exercise and lifestyle to facilitate healthy fat loss and muscle growth. However, ice baths can certainly be beneficial to your weight-loss journey and are a fantastic addition for optimising your workout routine.
Naturally, if you’re interested in picking up a beginner ice bath, or you want to update to a premium ice tub model then look no further than the Chill Tub range. Made using the latest in ice bath technology, our tubs are made to facilitate users of all cold plunge experience.
Get in touch with our team today to find out more or book a visit to your nearest showroom to see our tubs in person. You can also visit our inspiration blog for more insightful articles like this one.
How long you should stay in an ice bath is really down to your own personal cold tolerance and experience. First-time and inexperienced bathers should not be doing more than a few minutes, while those who have been taking ice baths for years could go up to 15 minutes.
Regardless of how long you stay in your ice bath, the moment your cold plunge begins, and for many minutes afterwards, your body will be burning extra calories to stay warm.
Most medical professionals agree that an ice bath should be between 10-15 degrees in order to benefit from the effects of cold-water exposure. Any lower and you risk doing harm to yourself.
No, while an ice bath can certainly provide additional weight-loss benefits, it’s not a singular solution. In order to lose weight properly, you will still need to improve your diet and establish a regular exercise routine.
It’s difficult to say how many calories are burnt by using an ice bath, though it is not a large amount. But, with that being said, the activation of cold thermogenesis will promote more efficient calorie burning in the future, even when outside of your tub.
