Punahou Fitness & Spa-Your Complete Fitness Center!!

Ice Plunge

ICE PLUNGE
The benefits can be great. An ice plunge can stimulate mental processes, produce hormones which make the body able to cope with physical stresses and can increase the level of mental awareness and a feeling of well-being.

Advocates of the ice plunge say that it makes one feel fresh all day, improves circulation, and even that it helps build resistance to diseases related to the cold, like the flu. This is thought to relieve symptoms of arthritis, and many report it to have a strong anti-depressant effect. Ice plungers recommend regularly dipping (at least 2-3 times a week) for these effects.

It is common to cycle back and forth between the whirlpool and ice plunge. It can be a shock to the body to dip into very cold water directly from the jacuzzi It is safer to pause when moving from hot to cold water, and would-be ice plungers should take care to check with their doctor if they have heart conditions or other ailments that might make them particularly susceptible to this type of shock.

There are no rules for how long one should stay in the water. "Heavy users" can stay in the water for several minutes. Health benefits may be derived from as little as 20 seconds in the water. Many people visit the water twice; some take just a shorter dip.
Part of the shock when done in combination with sauna is due to extreme changes of blood circulation. Heat causes blood to rise to the surface of one's body while the ice plunge causes the blood to rush towards one's heart and inside of one's body

We have the only Ice Plunge in the state, so come on all you polar bears, Enjoy!