THE NEW ICE AGE
Men's Health South Africa|September - October 2023
FROM CELEBRITIES TO STRESSED-OUT DADS, IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS WADING THROUGH THE ICE TO THAW OUT BODY AND MIND. ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE? WE LIFT THE LID ON ICE BATHS, COLD WATER AND FRIGID CLIMES TO FIND OUT WHETHER A DEEP FREEZE CAN TRULY GIVE YOU A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.
KIERAN LEGG
THE NEW ICE AGE

I TAKE A DEEP BREATH before flipping on the cold water. It's the heart of winter, and the warm spray splashing from my shower head has been a brief reprieve from another blistery, bitter Cape Town morning. Almost instantly, hot water is replaced with a flurry of (what feels like) glacial rain. Insanitythat's what my brain tells me, a primal instinct that compels me to step out from under the crisp cascade. But I've been pushing up against that fight-or-flight response in the past few weeks. Last week I swam in 13°C water in Camps Bay's tidal pool. The week prior? I was submerged in Spar-sourced ice tipped liberally in my bathtub for a DIY plunge that put me in a state of shock. But something is starting to happen: I've braced myself for some serious suffering as the shower shifts into the blue, but there's part of me that revels in the sudden dip in mercury. That almost zealous devotion to so-called cold therapy, an adrenaline-fuelled pursuit of near-freezing temps-yeah, I'm starting to understand the appeal.

ICY ORIGINS

Ice baths are nothing new. Performance athletes have been taking the plunge for decades, tapping into the power of frigid temps to accelerate their recovery times. This cold exposure helps reduce inflammation, altering how blood and other fluids flow through the body. So when you submerge, your blood vessels constrict; and when you re-emerge, they open back up.

That process-manually-helps flush out metabolic waste in the wake of a gruelling workout, says Wimpie van der Meijden, a physiotherapist and recovery specialist at The Athletic Recovery Centre. "For athletes, that's like magic because they've got a small amount of time to get ready for the next race, match or game, and inflammation takes time," he adds. "They need to get refreshed fast, and hopping into an ice bath can get them there."

Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2023 de Men's Health South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2023 de Men's Health South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE MEN'S HEALTH SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
INSTANT PROGRESS THE 28-DAY PULLUP PLAN
Men's Health South Africa

INSTANT PROGRESS THE 28-DAY PULLUP PLAN

JUST 10 MINUTES A DAY FOR A MONTH CAN PUSH YOU FROM PULLUP ZERO TO YOUR FIRST GREAT REPS.

time-read
4 minutos  |
January - February 2024
THE MH INTERVIEW STARTER MUSCLE
Men's Health South Africa

THE MH INTERVIEW STARTER MUSCLE

THE FIRST STEPS ON A NEW FITNESS JOURNEY ARE OFTEN THE TOUGHEST. BUT WITH A FEW TWEAKS TO YOUR THINKING, PT AND PART-OWNER OF MOTLEY CREW CROSSFIT TYRON HATCH WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO STRIDE TOWARDS THE LOFTIEST GOALS.

time-read
3 minutos  |
January - February 2024
15 SMART WAYS TO GET AHEAD IN LIFE (BY DOING LITTLE THINGS BETTER)
Men's Health South Africa

15 SMART WAYS TO GET AHEAD IN LIFE (BY DOING LITTLE THINGS BETTER)

Self-improvement needn't be a slog. You can make gains-both marginal and meaningful-simply by approaching your day-to-day tasks with a little extra know-how. We raided the MH archives to compile these truly life-enhancing tips from our expert contributors. It's time to level up.

time-read
9 minutos  |
January - February 2024
LOVE & LIKES
Men's Health South Africa

LOVE & LIKES

WHEN DOES SOCIAL-MEDIA FLIRTING BECOME CHEATING? LET’S TALK IT OUT.

time-read
5 minutos  |
January - February 2024
FORCE OF NATURE
Men's Health South Africa

FORCE OF NATURE

THE SAS SOLDIER TURNED TV SURVIVALIST HAS MADE OUTDOOR ADVENTURE HIS BUSINESS. BUT WHAT LESSONS DO HIS METHODS HOLD IN OUR INCREASINGLY URBANISED AND ONLINE WORLD?

time-read
4 minutos  |
January - February 2024
COLOGNE BUT WITH
Men's Health South Africa

COLOGNE BUT WITH

YOU BUY COLOGNE TO STAND OUT. SO WHY NOT REALLY STAND OUT? THESE BOLDER SPRITZES SMELL AWESOME AND LAST LONGER, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN USE LESS. OUR PICKS LEVEL UP IN INTENSITY AS YOU MOVE ALONG THE SPECTRUM.

time-read
1 min  |
January - February 2024
THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO RUNNING LAPS AROUND THE ECONOMY
Men's Health South Africa

THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO RUNNING LAPS AROUND THE ECONOMY

CATCHING UP WHEN INFLATION IS ALWAYS OUT TO SET A NEW PB CAN FEEL IMPOSSIBLE. PUT THESE 11 EXPERT-APPROVED LESSONS INTO ACTION TO DUCK AND WEAVE AROUND YOUR MONEY WOES

time-read
6 minutos  |
January - February 2024
DARK PLACES
Men's Health South Africa

DARK PLACES

For any surfer, taking on the monster waves at Nazaré in Portugal is a death-defying risk. For Matt Formston, there's another consideration: he's blind.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
January - February 2024
ONE MAN. 5 109KM.55 DAYS.
Men's Health South Africa

ONE MAN. 5 109KM.55 DAYS.

Running was always a punishment for William Goodge. As a semi-professional rugby player, 5km laps were reserved as an exhausting slap on the wrist for showing up late to practice.

time-read
6 minutos  |
January - February 2024
Zone in
Men's Health South Africa

Zone in

The fitness-sphere won't stop talking about how low-intensity cardio-sometimes called zone 2 training-is so good for you. But does all this easy work really do anything?

time-read
4 minutos  |
November - December 2023