Are cold plunges and saunas the missing piece in your fitness journey?

Recently, the use of saunas or cold plunges as a means to increase overall health have been dominating social media. A quick Google search will tell you that these methods can increase energy levels, improve circulation, increase immunity, or even help to burn fat.

So should we all go buy a sauna and cut a hole in the nearest pond? Is this the missing link in the average American's fitness journey? 

The short answer is no. Buying a sauna or a cold plunge apparatus is not going to make all your health and wellness dreams come true. These should be used as supplemental tools, not shortcuts. 

To many, this may seem like common sense, but this wouldn’t be the first time people have been led to believe that one specific product would result in the complete transformation of their health. Think of Herbalife shake shops, shake weights, Peloton, Body by Jake infomercials, Beach Body programs, and so many other examples. The fitness industry has often tried to present a product as the single “missing piece” to your health and fitness. 

Of course, this is not to say that a sauna or cold plunge can’t be useful. Science does back some of the claims listed above. But most likely, these tools are not the only thing that’s missing in your lifestyle. 

In thinking about this, the following analogy may be useful:

When constructing a puzzle, most would agree that the best strategy is to find the corner pieces first and then build the entire framework of the puzzle by connecting the edge pieces. From this framework, you simply fill in the empty spaces. (For those of you who build a puzzle from the middle, this analogy will not apply and I suggest you go work on all your unfinished puzzles.) 

Fitness and health can be thought of in the same way. First we need to identify the corner pieces of our puzzle. For most, this will include a purposeful diet, regular exercise, sleep, and sufficient water intake. If these four corners are not established, there is no point in trying to add the middle pieces. For example, you probably don’t need to waste your money investing in a sauna if you don’t exercise and you eat at McDonalds five times a week. 

In summary: Yes, a sauna or a cold plunge have some great benefits, but unless you have found your four corners and have built out a solid health framework, these are probably not the best next steps to take. 

We all desire instant gratification. In our world today, we hope that all it will take is one purchase and our desired outcome might be achieved. Unfortunately, that is not how health and fitness works. This is why we call it a fitness journey; it is the culmination of consistent choices that lead to small improvements over time. Nothing will by itself expedite this process. 

Our goal at Rise is to help our members along this journey by providing consistent programming, dedicated coaching, and honest nutritional advice. We believe that along the way you will find joy within the process. Nothing worth having ever came easy! To schedule a meeting with one of our coaches to chat about the foundational framework you’re building for your health and how we can help you strengthen it, head here.