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Hi Friends! Welcome to the fifth email in the series on simple health tips. Today we're exploring how cold exposure might be your next best friend. Next week we'll be chatting about simple nutrition advice!

there are a couple announcements you won't want to miss at the bottom of this email!

You've probably seen athletes submerging themselves in a tub of ice water, or maybe your TikTok feed is full of people walking into a river flanked with snow and ice. No? Just me? Well the cold plunging "trend" isn't new - it's been a decades-long tradition and health practice in other countries, like Sweden. This isn't going to be a full-length article on cold-plunges, but you start your own research journey here, here, and here.

Yeah that's me jumping in a 40ºF lake on a hike. We also got a mini cold plunge tub similar to this one in our garage and have been enjoying the challenge of exposing ourselves to super chilly water.

Benefits of cold plunging could include but are not limited to:

• relief for sore muscles
• decreased inflammation
• improved resilience to stress
• decreased anxiety & depression
• increased relaxation
• better sleep
• better immune function
• longevity

Sounds like a miracle cure, right? Might be! 🥶

Here are the top four most simple tips to get started with cold plunging:

1. Start with a controlled environment: whether it's a cold shower, or a dip in your tub at home, or at a nordic spa, always have other people around you, know the environment if you're going to be in a lake or river, and start with just 1 minute before you go longer. Slowly get your body used to the feeling of being in cold water if this is a brand new experience for you!
2. Once you step in the water, immediately submerge yourself all the way to your neck: this is to ensure you're getting your vagus nerve the cold exposure it needs, and also to keep you from waiting around too long and deciding to not follow through. It's easier if you just make it one smooth motion to get all the way in- trust me. You could also just jump in and submerge your head first...whatever suits your fancy.
3. Work on your breathing: whether you find a focal point, have someone guiding you through breathing - either in your headphones with a meditation app or your real-life spotter, or can get into a good breathing rhythm on your own, get those deep breaths and focus on relaxing your muscles....honestly cold plunges might help prepare you for labor more than I originally thought! Obviously check with your provider if you're wanting to do pregnant cold plunges. 😊
4. Get dry and let your body warm up naturally: by jumping immediately in a hot shower post plunge, you may have more vasodilation than you want and pass out. Just be cautious and always have people with you during your plunges.

What are your thoughts on these? Have you tried submersing yourself in freezing water? Hit reply and let me know your experience!

Announcements!

1. Price goes up $200 on September 1st for the Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist Certification at CrossFit Salty North in Wasilla. Kim Vopni the Vagina Coach and Laura Nance, Master Trainer, are both coming up to co-teach with me! It's a hybrid course, so you complete online modules in addition to the two practical days on the 14th & 15th from 9am-5pm. There are CEUs available, so if you're a trainer and want to set yourself apart and really understand the female pelvis, and know how to screen for incontinence, prolapse, diastasis, and be confident guiding clients through exercises, then click here to read more and register. I am happy to do payment plans up until September 1 - so just email me! It's advantageous to sign up now, because there are online modules you should complete before the training in October.
2. I recently collaborated with The Foot Collective to do a series of interviews - where I'm the one being interviewed about how the feet and pelvis are so connected, and how a foot conversation is actually a whole body conversation. You can watch the first video here, and the second video here!

We'll be back next week for the sixth email in this series on simple health tips where we'll talk about nutrition! Thanks so much for reading, I'll catch you next time.

Warmly,

Natalie