At HigherDOSE, we’re all about getting hot and sweaty and biohacking our health from inside of a sauna. A frigid cold pool is an entirely different story. On this episode of Biohack-HERS, HigherDOSE Founders Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps are up to exactly that as they take the plunge into temperature contrast therapy, aka the Fire and Ice Challenge.
For this biohacking treatment, Lauren and Katie turn to Cyce Kolodney, an XPT Coach at Bathhouse in New York City, where they will experience what it’s like to dunk themselves in a bath that is so cold that it causes the body to go into shock and pain, followed by a sauna session for temperature contrast.
The Fire and Ice Challenge is a temperature contrast therapy experience where you spend three minutes in a freezing 50-degree bath followed by 10 minutes in a 185-degree sauna. This wellness concept has existed for centuries and the intense shock experienced during the session is believed to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, strengthen heart function, and help muscles recover faster. It’s also an incredible mood booster and leaves you feeling a natural high.
Ahead of the experience, Lauren and Katie went through several rounds of intense breathwork in order to prepare for the chilling ice plunge. Cyce took them through a few different breathing techniques, including cadence breathing and apnea breathing. Cadence breathing helps connect to and relax the nervous system while apnea breathing helps increase Co2 tolerance. After that, they were ready for head-to-toe recovery.
Ready to see what the Fire and Ice Challenge is really about? Watch as Lauren and Katie take the plunge in the latest episode of Biohack-HERS, out now.
