Review: ice bath challenge

Image: Lumi

Outdoor swimming has been an upward trend with lidos, lakes and rivers seeing an increase in visitors seeking to benefit from submerging in cooler temperatures, and sportspeople have been taking ice baths to aid muscle recovery for years. So, what’s the big deal?

A regular dip in cold water is believed to have many benefits including reducing anxiety, inflammation, boosting your immunity, increasing your wellbeing, improving mindfulness and is great for your skin. I love a cold-water swim but it can be difficult to fit into a busy schedule. So I took up the Lumi 30 day ice bath challenge with interest. Full disclosure – I left out the ice as you get equal benefits from the cold water alone.

Lumi Therapy launched the Lumi Recovery Pod to enable people to enjoy an outdoor cold-water dip at home with all the health and wellbeing benefits a daily plunge can bring. The pod arrived in a nifty pack and set up was fairly simple, there are videos you can watch, or if like me you’re hopeless at following the manual than you can’t go wrong at following your instincts. It was easy to pump up and add the legs. Plus it comes with a thermo lid to keep the worst of the garden bits outs. A quick rinse and it was ready to be filled three quarters full ready for its virgin voyage. Set up in the perfect corner of our patio, my family found it hilarious watching me slowly submerge in the cold water tub.

The Lumi tub keeps water to a cool but not freezing temperature of around 5 degrees. An addition of Epsom Salts keeps the water clean and good to use for up to two weeks.
The first few days were challenging but soon I found after a long hot day in the office, I eagerly anticipated a cold dip after work. It is a great way to reset the batteries and only takes a few minutes

A quick dip after parkrun was not only great for aiding muscle recovery but I was also rewarded with silky smooth skin.

It’s also a good excuse to spend more time outdoors, surrounded by the lush green of my garden, the birdsong, rustling of trees and on a good day a bit of sunshine. It’s very neutralising. But the best part of submerging in cold water is emerging. The delicious zing on your skin as your body goes from cold to warm gives your brain a dopamine release and a post-dip high.

It would be great if it offered a convenient way to reuse the water for the garden, I resorted to scooping out the water with a watering can but a hose attachment would make using the recovery pod more sustainable.

The Portable Recovery Pod costs £75. lumitherapy.co.uk/