👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #93 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter.
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4 min read):
🧊 When to ice bath
Your gym may have an ice bath.
And you’d be right to wanna use it.
It’s shown to:
- 💪 Increase our resilience and ability to manage stress. Because we're essentially training ourselves to handle real-life stressors
- ⚡️ Give us a mood, energy and focus cocktail. Because it releases hormones like adrenaline, dopamine and cortisol (that last for hours after we get out)
- 🦵 Boost recovery and improve future performance. Because it reduces soreness and increases our perception of recovery (specifically for sport or endurance training)
But...
Timing matters.
- 🧊 Avoid the ice after resistance training
If you’re getting in there after a lift, you might be wiping out any benefit from the session (particularly if your goal is building muscle).
Because cold exposure can blunt our signalling pathways and inhibit protein synthesis — both essential for muscle repair and growth.
So wait at least 4 hours or save it for tomorrow.
- 🧊 Avoid the ice at night
The energy and alertness we get from the likes of cortisol and adrenaline can make it hard to wind down and disrupt sleep.
Plus...
Our body temperature naturally decreases in the evening to help us fall asleep.
And when we get out of the ice, our bodies work in overdrive to warm themselves back to normal.
Which is counteractive for sleep. And why — the opposite — a hot bath/sauna at night can promote sleep.
So, when should you dunk yourself into the ice?
Whenever you please.
But make sure you please to in the morning 🌅, before strength training 💪 or as a recovery tool for endurance or sport 🏈.
🏃 Exercise hygiene
Do you brush your teeth every day?
Wash your hands?
Wipe down the kitchen bench top?
Sunbathe your Yoni? (just kidding)
Why?
To stay healthy right?
Dr Benjamin Levine is a renowned sports cardiologist.
And he makes a nice argument that:
Exercise is one of the most proven ways to keep us healthy.
So it should be part of our hygiene like anything else.
He calls it exercise hygiene.
And he says having this mentality is one of the biggest differences between those who age well and don’t.
"Exercise needs to be part of your personal hygiene — like brushing your teeth, taking a shower,... or cooking breakfast. The people who sustain their fitness for a lifetime all have this mindset in common: Exercise is a part of their life and not just something that they try to fit in when it’s convenient." — Dr. Benjamin Levine
Lots more to learn from him in this podcast if you're interested.
💊 The Alzheimer's pill
Well. They may have found a pill to help treat Alzheimer’s.
Research published last month found that when taken twice a week for 6 months, it changed the brain's structure — increasing brain volume and strengthening nerve fibres.
Both linked to:
- 🧠 Improved functioning (like memory and attention)
- 👵 Reduced risk or slower progression of Alzheimer’s
Interestingly, there was also a dose-response relationship.
Meaning those who took more pills, more frequently, saw even more benefit.
The pill?
Strength training.
Sorry, I know 😂... Not what you wanted to hear.
But seriously. Go and move some heavy things. That study is legit.
p.s. for guidance, check out the strength training handbook and how to design a complete fitness session
This also feels like a great time to plug my online training haha. But also seriously, check it out.
That's it!
Have a great weekend 🤙
Matt
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The Everyday Athlete Newsletter is not a licensed health service and is not a substitute for professional health advice, treatment or assessment. The information given in this email is general in nature, written for a specific audience. If you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional.
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