Wellness Realness: My Cryotherapy Experience
Happy Friday beautiful humans! I've decided to kick off this weekend with a series I've wanted to start for a while now: #WellnessRealness.
Is it just me, or does anyone else sometimes feel like they need a gazillion dollars and daily shots of apple cider vinegar to be well? Instagram feeds and wellness blogs can make it hard to shake the feeling that if your fitspo is doing it, so should you.
So here's the plain truth: Move your body. Drink enough water. Eat your veggies. Be well. Period.
And #WellnessRealness? Well... just 'cus we can get by without matcha lattes in the morning doesn't mean we aren't curious to know which of these cool wellness trends will add real value to our lives. So I'm kicking off this series with the latest and greatest freeze-your-butt-off wellness technology: cryotherapy.
DEFINE: CRYOTHERAPY
Cryotherapy is "the use of extreme cold for therapeutic purposes". If you've spent time in an ice bath, think of cryo as its boujee and more charismatic cousin. My thoughts? Cryotherapy > Whirlpools, any day.
Freezing my *peach* off.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Appointments are typically 10-15 minutes long. When you first arrive you'll be asked to change into a robe, socks, gloves, and special cryo footwear. Girls are asked to remove all clothing; guys are told to keep on their briefs. After your BP and heart rate are recorded IT'S GO TIME and you can step into the big silver tube. Once inside, you can hand your robe to the cryotherapy specialist and the 3-minute session begins.
The exact temperature of the session can vary from wow that's cold to OMG why am I doing this, but first-timers will start "warmer".
Now that I've gone a few times the average temperature of my sessions has dropped to a whopping -265 degrees F. It's FREEZING but it's worth it.
THE BENEFITS
A quick Google search will give you a list of benefits so long it might make you wonder why you haven't tried it yet. I'll leave the Googling to you and stick to the benefits I can actually vouch for:
Improved sleep - I'm listing this first because to me it's probably the most impressive. I'm a horrible sleeper and I don't sleep through the night, but on days that I get my cryo on I sleep like a baby.
Reduction of inflammation - I had ACL surgery done on my right knee 4 years ago, so after a day of intense physical activity I really start to feel it. The incredible thing is that I enter the cryotherapy machine with serious aches and pains and leave feeling 1000x better.
Increased Energy/Improved Mood - The "cryo high" is real. My mind and muscles feel so good after a 3-minute session. I leave hyper and ready to take on the world.
Improved muscle recovery - Like I said before, cryotherapy is a souped-up ice bath, making it the most incredible preventer AND alleviator of muscle soreness.
Overall I'm so happy with my cryotherapy experience! I'm glad I worked up the nerve to try it, and I feel so lucky to have found a facility with staff that I truly look forward to seeing for my sessions. It can get expensive, but if it's within your budget to incorporate a session semi-regularly, I WOULD DO IT. If it's not in your budget to go regularly but you could swing it once, I WOULD TRY IT. And if you're ever in Aspen then maybe I'll be seeing you at The Fix.
All love always xx
