While there’s debate about the benefits of an ice bath after a long run, everyone agrees that it’s about as relaxing as sharing a sleeping bag with a wolverine. Here’s five ways to make it a little more tolerable:
1) Dress your top half warmly and wear a swimsuit on your bottom half
Keep your head and chest warm while you soak. The point is to just get your legs on ice and not freeze out the other parts.
2) Bring a warm beverage or food
A mug of hot tea or bowl of oatmeal keeps your insides warm. This also helps to preoccupy you for at least a few minutes.
3) Entertain yourself
Watch a couple of funny YouTube clips, catch up on social media, or play a game. Just be careful not to drop your phone or tablet in the tub!
4) Ease in gently
Bring the bag or container of ice to the side of the tub. Sit in the tub while the water fills up and add the ice once you have your legs covered.
Although jumping into a freezing cold pool may have been awesome when you were a kid, no one cares about how fast you can get into the ice bath. Why make it painful?
5) Cheat
Take a few gallon sized plastic bags with good seals and fill them with ice and water. Lay a thin towel over your legs and position the bags over your quads and under your calves. Voilà! A dry ice bath!
