HealthyHappyLife.com

  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
search icon
Homepage link
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
×
  • This Is What Five Years of Motherhood Does to a Career Girl
  • Plant-Based Recipes for Hot Summer Days
  • Simple Vegan Cacio e Pepe Pasta - One-Pot Meal
  • Summer Dress Try-On: My Favorite Twirl-Tested, Celebration-Worthy Picks
  • Face: What Our Skincare Routines Say About Modern Motherhood
  • Still Obsessed: My Rothy’s Code + Review (2025)
  • My Pandemic Baby Is Graduating Preschool
  • 5 Comfy-Cute, One Piece Swimsuits - Long Torso Edit
  • Spring Fling: Best Garden & Outdoor Finds for Your Home & Kids
  • Plant-Based Protein Sources: The Ultimate Guide // Back to Basics Series
  • Overthinking Won't Save You — But This Might
  • Creative Mom Working From Home: Glitter, Chaos, & On-Brand Post-its
Home » This and That

Hot Cold Water Therapy: At-Home Wellness Tip

by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Sep 13, 2019 · published: Mar 4, 2009 · About 3 minutes to read this article. 4 Comments

If you're feeling sluggish or tense, hot cold water therapy is the wellness treatment for you. And it doesn't cost a dime to try.

I can best explain the healing power of hot cold therapy in one of my favorite childhood memories:

Summer. Poolside. Late Afternoon.
I'd climb out of a cool swimming pool just as the late afternoon sun began to sink into a dusty periwinkle horizon. I'd spring from the pool into the brisk air, a burst of cold hits me. I'd grab a towel and tip toe down a stone path with my friends and jump into the hot bubbling, steaming hot tub around the corner. Ahhh.

It was pure relaxation from the hot tub warmth and complete invigoration from the quick progression from cold to hot. Sometimes we'd even have the urge to jump back in the pool and then back to the hot tub. We had no idea it was our summertime version of hot cold therapy.

Click ahead for more about hot cold therapy and how you can try it at home.

Hot Cold Water Therapy

HC therapy is incredibly effective. And easy. You can do it every morning in your shower if you'd like. The idea is that by transitioning from a hot water to a cold water environment -or vice-versa- you are stimulating your body, especially your circulatory and lymphatic systems.

The hot to cold or cold to hot transition, actually causes your blood vessels to expand and contract in reaction to the environment. When your blood vessels expand, the blood flow slows as the vessels loosen. Then when your blood vessels are moved to cold water, they contract and tighten. The blood flow speeds up. Your circulatory system is stimulated.

The same occurs in your lymphatic system, and many therapists believe this therapy is helpful in detoxing or inspiring healing in a slow or lagging lymphatic system.

Hot Cold Water Therapy at Home

caution: do not try this therapy without consulting your doctor, or having knowledge that you have no health conditions that could be aggravated by this therapy. If you have any hesitation, simply ask your doctor.

At-home steps
1. Soak in a hot bath or take a hot shower for 2-5 minutes.
2. Turn on a cool to cold water shower and stay under the water for at least twenty seconds, or as long as you can handle. Super cold water will be more difficult to sustain.
3. Go back to a hot water shower or bath for a few minutes.
4. Return to a cool water shower for a few seconds, up to a few minutes.
Repeat as many times as you'd like.

You will notice your skin becoming red due to the increased circulation.

For me, this therapy gives me energy, relaxes my tense muscles and gets my circulation moving. What a great way to start or an end a day.


Other Options:
You can also try this therapy using a cool swimming pool and hot shower or hot sauna. However, go slowly and follow the signals of your body. If you feel dizzy or weak, stop the therapy immediately. As always, consult you doctor first.


More This and That

  • Mother's Day 2021
  • The Other Side of the Pandemic: Grandparents, Anxiety & Hope
  • pink pitaya smoothie
    FV Meals: Summer Challenge
  • Vegan in 2019: Meal Plans

About Kathy Patalsky

Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

Hi, I'm Kathy! I'm so glad you are here! I've been sharing my vegan life and recipes here on the blog since 2007...

More about me →

my cookbooks
my books

Latest Posts

  • The Ultimate Copenhagen with Kids Guide: Where to Stay, Eat & Play
  • Back to Basics: The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Egg Replacers
  • kathy patalsky hbd 44 joy
    I Bought Myself a Cameo for My Birthday - And No, I Haven't Watched it Yet
  • Easy English Muffin Pizzas for Kids (Vegan & Kid-Approved!)

Trending

  • All Posts
  • appetizer
  • Mom Life
  • recipes
  • personal
  • dessert
  • holiday
  • Smoothies
  • snacks
  • kid recipes
  • kid crafts
  • salad
  • Sandwiches
  • entree
  • 101 Things I Love. Happiness Reflection.
  • 5-Minute Skillet Chickpeas
  • Vegan Dining at Disneyland - 2023 - Complete List!
  • 7 Tips for Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
  • avocado toast with mushrooms
    Mushroom Avocado Toast
  • peanut butter chickpeas
    Easy Peanut Butter Curry Chickpeas

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • about kathy
  • press
  • © 2024 polished dc, llc
  • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • sign up..
  • subscriber gift: vegan cheat sheets!

Contact

  • work with me

Goodies

  • shop
  • cookbooks
  • finding vegan
  • videos