After a tough workout, a bath is always the answer.
Taking a hot bath for muscle recovery means you get the perfect combo of heat therapy with hydrotherapy, which increases relaxation thanks to the buoyancy of the water. In fact, science regularly shows that warm baths can benefit everything from sore muscles and colds to blood pressure, hormones, the immune system and even weight loss. A bath allows for a full-body release of all your muscles as they are thoroughly warmed and relaxed. So it's a simple, fairly cheap, accessible recovery tool.
The pressure of the water also helps reduce inflammation and when it comes to taking a mental load off and chilling, everybody knows that a bath is where it’s at. A universal form of self care, a bath has been used for centuries across the world for it's healing and revitalising properties. Many of the benefits include;
- Baths elevate your mood – the combination of isolation, quiet and comfort provide a quiet space for the mind in a busy world
- They can help you sleep better - Soaking in a warm bath will raise your body temperature, and exiting will more rapidly cool it down, thus instigating the production of melatonin, and better preparing you for sleep
- Relieve muscle pain - Heat will get your blood moving, which is not only great for circulation but can also help sore or tight muscles to relax
- Fight off infections - Elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better, evidence suggests as well as removing toxins from the skin
- Improve circulation
- Help lower cortisol levels in the body (the stress hormone)
- Calm your nervous system
Make it warm not hot and spend a maximum of 20-30 minutes to avoid dehydration. Include a drink of water and a fluffy bathrobe or large towel – because getting out shouldn’t be a jarring experience.
Also adding a simple breathing exercise can supercharge your relaxation;
- Sit upright in the bath
- Take a normal breath and exhale through your mouth
- Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for a count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 7
- Exhale through your mouth for a count of 8
Do the exercise 4 times in total.
So what are you waiting for? Grab a rubber ducky and Bathletic and jump in!