By: Anna Soucier, OC Fit Mommy
Let me introduce you to the perfect addition to your health regime, cryotherapy! Following a sweat session, (or any time, really) you NEED to immediately immerse your body into a frigid nitrous-gas chamber. It will change your life. I promise!
What is Cryotherapy?
“Cryo” is a Greek word meaning “cold”. “Therapy” = “treatment”. Just as ice packs have been applied to the body following an injury for hundreds of years, cryotherapy can be thought of as a grand scale ice pack. Your whole body gets immersed, for a multiple factor effect.
My first cryotherapy experience took place at Chiltonic in Encinitas, and it was nothing short of amazing. I had no expectations going into it, because quite sadly, I wasn’t yet educated on this amazingness. All I had was an immense amount of fear for how cold this chamber would get.
At Chiltonic, I was greeted by amazingly intuitive staff, who clearly sensed my “first-timer fear”. They committed to supporting me every step of the way. If at any point I decided that this wasn’t for me, we’d abort mission. I found comfort in that and I filled out my consent and physical readiness form. Typical precautions apply here…you can’t have serious medical conditions, can’t be pregnant etc. When in doubt, check in with your doctor. You know, the usual.
I undressed in a change room, leaving my panties on and wrapping myself in the provided robe. Panties are optional for women, while men must remain in their underwear. Many clients hand off their towels/robes once they enter the tank. As a newbie, I thrived off the false sense of security that this cloth provided me with, so I kept it. I was given socks, booties and gloves to keep my extremities protected from frostbite. Frostbite threat wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear about before immersing my entire body into this chamber, but I digress. I was already pretty much naked. I had to see it through.
Once in the tank, it quickly began to fill with nitrous gas. It resembled a dance floor fog machine. It seemed pretty neat, until I tuned into the temperature of my body. My chamber dipped down to negative 160°F, for a whopping 3 minutes. It may not sound like much, but get back to me once you’ve it. I must add that this is the “newbie” level. Veteran users can get down to negative 200–300°F and stay in for 3-4 minutes.
What happened next?
I survived the entire 3 minutes in the chamber! Thank you, I appreciate your applause! Once my body thawed out, I got dressed and WOW, just WOW. I felt exhilarated! I was riding a natural high. My endorphins were buzzing and I felt a huge surge of energy that lasted the remainder of the evening. I felt like it genuinely helped with my post workout soreness. I frequent the gym, in both the weight and cardio sections, so this had amazing effects on my sore body. I feel like this could potentially cut my post gym recovery process time by half. Don’t quote me on that arbitrary statistic, but it truly does cut down on recovery time. I also slept like champ that night! My whole mind and body felt transformed. Cryotherapy revolutionized my life!
Why subject your body to this?
There’s an impressive list of health benefits that by far exceed the temporary “discomfort”that you’ll likely endure for a few minutes. It can aid in pain relief, muscle recovery, reduce joint inflammation, accelerate injury recovery, and even boost metabolism. Essentially, the bitter coldness “tricks” your mind into survival mode. This shock causes blood vessels to constrict, moving your blood towards vital organs. In the organs, the blood is infused with oxygen and nutrients, so when your body “thaws” out, blood vessels expand and that oxygen rich blood rushes to your limbs.
No treatment would be complete without a word from the FDA. The F.D.A claims that more research is needed before making claims of cryotherapy helping serious conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. Having said that, many people have experienced significant improvement with the conditions listed above, so I’d say it’s definitely worth a shot!
One thing’s for sure…athletes, the average active person, or anyone dealing with pain/injury can massively benefit from this chamber. It’s ability to restore your body back to health, within minutes, makes it a game changer.
How often do I need to enter this frigid chamber?
To receive it’s full benefits, cryotherapy is most effective after 10 consecutive days of treatment, followed by 1-2 times a week for maintenance. It’s most effective immediately following a strenuous workout, but it’s beneficial no matter when you decide to experience it.
What will it run you?
On average, each cryotherapy session will cost you around $40. Packages are almost always available, so you can score on some savings by stocking up!
Would I do it again and recommend it?
In a heartbeat! Once my crazy mom life schedule slows down just a touch, I will totally commit to the nitrous chamber! Freezing my butt off for a few minutes a week is totally worth the decreased gym recovery time, a boost in metabolism, and many other health improvements! I think it’s great for the general population, and a no brainer for those who lead an active lifestyle or experience pain.
Check out all the other cryo related goodies Chiltonic has to offer like body sculpting, massages and more! www.chiltonic.com