Lady Gaga recently uploaded a photo on Instagram of herself making the Rock & Roll hand gesture while taking an “ice bath,” indicating that she is preparing for her stage performance at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) on the 30th in the United States.
However, Gaga has also shared that she spends 5 to 10 minutes soaking in an ice bath before each performance, followed by a 20-minute soak in hot water, and finally wearing a pressure suit filled with ice packs for 20 minutes to relieve physical fatigue. This “ice and fire heavy” therapy sounds very stimulating just to hear about it, difficult for ordinary people to endure, but at the same time, it arouses everyone’s curiosity. What is the principle behind this alternating hot and cold method of soaking in ice and then hot water, and what are its effects? Let me explain it to you one by one.
This alternating hot and cold therapy, also known as “contrasting baths,” is a form of physical therapy. The principle is to first lower the body’s core temperature by soaking in an ice bath, causing the blood vessels to constrict and reducing blood circulation; then using hot water to expand the blood vessels, allowing blood to flow faster. With the blood vessels contracting and expanding in this way, elasticity and tolerance to stimulation increase, effectively improving blood circulation. This helps eliminate metabolic by-products and pain factors from the muscles as they are carried away by the blood flow, speeding up the activity of nutrients and oxygen, aiding in recovery, relaxing the muscles, delaying muscle pain, and reducing inflammation.
In addition, “contrasting baths” have many other benefits, such as promoting lymphatic system circulation, making the skin more radiant; boosting immunity, preventing diseases like the common cold; increasing energy, improving overall well-being, even effectively combating depression, as well as promoting metabolism, burning calories.
Generally speaking, usually only athletes use “contrast baths” therapy to relieve muscle swelling and pain symptoms after high-intensity exercise. Although Lady Gaga is not a professional athlete, every time she sings and dances on stage, she performs with great effort, which is actually equivalent to intense exercise. She has to endure muscle pain for a long time, so she uses this therapy to alleviate discomfort. However, everyone should not try “contrast baths” randomly just because they have so many benefits. After all, the therapy is highly stimulating and not everyone can tolerate it. Before undergoing it, one should first assess their personal physical condition or consult a doctor.
圖片來源： @ladygaga
