Upgrades to My Chest Freezer Ice Bath

UPGRADES

Protection from the Elements

First, I moved it from my back patio to inside the garage. This not only protects it from the elements it was also a request from my wife who didn’t want it on the patio anymore. I still have a good view of nature though which is important from a stress-response perspective. It’s also closer to my sauna which makes contrast therapy much more convenient. I no longer have to walk from my garage in the front of the house to the back patio.

Sanitization

The next biggest upgrade I made was adding an ozone generator for better sanitation. It’s a bit of an investment but I no longer have to add hydrogen peroxide and it keeps the water clean for over 6 months. Plus, it’s a nice piece of mind knowing that when I dip my head under, I’m not going to get sick from any viruses or bacteria.

I went with the JED 203 Ozone Generator. The JED 203 is a corona discharge “CD” ozone generator designed for water purification in residential hot tubs, small pools, fountains, cisterns and water tanks. I have it connected to a timer so that it turns on one hour every day, ensuring that the water is sanitized daily.

Safety

You always, always, ALWAYS want to unplug your freezer before getting in but there’s always that possibility of forgetting to. That’s why I’ve mistake proofed it, meaning I literally can’t open the lid fully without unplugging the freezer to close the outlet cover.

The outlet cover, which is fully closed before I get in, also prevents any water from splashing into the outlet.

Variable Temperature

I use the Inkbird Digital Thermostat to control when the freezer turns on. I have the temperature range set between 34-38 degrees. If it goes above this, the thermostat will turn the freezer on. This means that anytime I get in, the temperature could be anywhere between that range. This not only saves electricity, it also prevents your body from adapting to one specific temperature.

Therapeutic Water

The idea behind making “therapeutic water” might seem woo woo and may not be for everybody. The idea is to get sitting, “dead” water closer to it’s natural, “living” state, just like what you would find in an ocean, stream or lake. The closer to nature, most likely the more therapeutic for mind and body. 

If you think about how water exists in nature, it’s moving, never stagnant, it’s filled with minerals and it’s grounded, connected to the Earth. I’ve brought my cold plunge water closer to its natural state with several upgrades.

Grounded Water. Grounding your water is a game-changer. Submerging under grounded water (like an ocean or lake) is 10-20 times more powerful than simply walking barefoot on the Earth.

All living creatures throughout time have existed grounded to the earth and the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann Resonance through their physical contact with the ground. Modern insulated lifestyles—from rubber soled shoes to living primarily indoors—interrupt our body’s ability to connect with the Earth, a fixed reference point to help tell time and normalize the biological rhythms of the body. Grounding allows for efficient electron flow between the skin and the earth.

The electrons gained by earthing act like an antioxidant to fight free radicals and oxidation in the body. This benefits the inflammatory response which helps with recovery of both newly formed wounds as well as the many types of chronic pain, such as arthritis.

By reducing inflammation, earthing can help speed recovery, increase cognition, and reduce chronic pain.

Tour de France athletes have been using grounding sleeping bags during competitions for years. By sleeping in these ‘grounded cocoons’ each night, the athletes experience accelerated tissue repair and wound healing, and wake up refreshed and ready to compete in the next leg of the race, averaging 105 miles a day! The athletes utilizing grounding therapy report better sleep, less pain, more energy, and faster recovery on a consistent basis.

As Brian Hoyer, a world-renowned electro magnetic field (EMF) specialist and founder of Shielded Healing describes in the video below, a grounded cold plunge can provide the same therapeutic benefits as you would get from grounding in nature.