IRIS ENTHOVEN OF RADIO 538 BREAKS MORNING ROUTINE IN ICE BATH

The alarm clock rings, you snooze once, get up, brush your teeth, jump in the shower and with sleep still a little in your eyes and a banana in your hand you get on your bike, off to work. The same thing every day, in a slight rut, it can get pretty boring.

There are many ways to break this routine and really wake up before you go to work. Setting the alarm earlier for a quiet cup of coffee, a short workout after getting up or a brisk morning walk. Or you can go for the real thing and break your morning routine by starting the day in a bath of at most 4 degrees. Icy cold that is!

Last Monday, Iris Enthoven of Radio 538 took up the challenge with a listener; they were going to break their morning routine in an icetub!

"BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT..."
Breathing correctly is very important when you get into an icetub. The cold startles your body and you notice it right away by the way you breathe. If you want to brave the cold, it is important to regain control of your breathing quickly. Practicing this beforehand by lying down and breathing deeply in and out can help you the moment you're in the ice bath.

So that's where Iris and the listener started. Jesper from Icetubs gave them a short breathing session. Lying on a mat, eyes closed and with all attention focused on their breathing, they quietly breathed in very deeply for a moment, and out very deeply. Did you know that properly focusing on your breathing can even make you stop feeling your fingers and toes a little sore from the cold?

MORE FROM THE COLD, THAN FROM WARMTH
Time to step into the ice bath. The goal was to stay put for 3 minutes. Pretty tough for a first time. With Jesper yelling "breathe in, breathe out" a few more times in the background, they stepped in.

Cold they certainly found it, but they seemed to be doing very well. After 2 minutes, the listener thought it was enough and got out to take a hot shower. Iris, on the other hand, loved it and could have stayed longer than 3 minutes. But for a first time, 3 minutes is long enough. It was time to get out and get warm again. No doubt they both woke up well.

REALLY WAKE UP FOR A MOMENT, HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO THAT?
How often do you stand in the shower and think about what you still have to do? Those twenty emails you still have to answer for work. The kids who have to go on a school trip next week. All the groceries that still need to be gotten around the house. That friend you need to call again. We could go on and on. Waking up in the moment is usually not an option. And that's a shame, because how you start your day determines how the rest of it goes.

The moment you step into an ice tub, you stop thinking about all the things you still have to do. Believe us! Then all that matters is you. Overcoming the cold, focusing on your breathing and breaking through your limits. And then when you get out, you're packed with energy, ready to bang on for the rest of the day, feeling like you can take on the whole world. That sounds good, doesn't it?

BREAKING YOUR MORNING ROUTINE IN AN ICE TUB?
In addition to boosting your immune system, getting less dry skin, activating all your muscles and enjoying lots of other health benefits?

Iris and the 538 listener are immersed in a prototype of our Ice bath. Our ice bath looks a lot different in appearance. Feel free to contact us for more information.