Strength Training for Longevity: The 90-Minute Sweet Spot

June is Men’s Mental Health Month, a time to check in, speak up, and break the silence. Because the stats don’t lie: men are less likely to talk about their mental health, and more likely to suffer in silence. At Plunge, we’re big believers in doing hard things. But bottling it up? That’s not strength. Taking care of your mind is. Cold Plunging: Mood Boosting Benefits Cold plunging isn’t just a physical challenge, it’s mental training. That jolt of cold resets your nervous system, boosts dopamine, and gives you a tangible win when the rest of life feels overwhelming. It teaches resilience. Stillness. Breath. Control. For many of us, it’s where the mental fog lifts, even just a little. Dopamine Surge (aka your "feel-good" molecule): Cold exposure can increase dopamine levels by up to 250% - similar to or even higher than some antidepressant medications. This creates a natural high that can last for hours post-plunge. Norepinephrine Boost: Cold plunging elevates norepinephrine, which helps with alertness, focus, energy, and a positive mood. Reduced Anxiety & Depression Symptoms: Studies suggest that regular cold exposure may reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by regulating the nervous system and lowering inflammation. Nervous System Reset: The cold activates the parasympathetic nervous system post-plunge, helping calm stress and create a state of mental clarity and calm. Sense of Accomplishment & Resilience: Getting into cold water is mentally challenging. Overcoming it trains discipline, builds confidence, and reinforces a sense of control - powerful tools for mental health. Sauna: Mood Boosting Benefits On the other side, the sauna is where stress melts off. Heat therapy helps lower cortisol, ease anxiety, and increase relaxation through endorphin release. It’s not just about sweating, it’s about slowing down. About being in your body when your mind won’t stop racing. Endorphin Release (natural painkillers & mood elevators): Heat exposure triggers the release of endorphins, leading to a natural sense of euphoria and relaxation. Lower Cortisol (stress hormone): Sauna sessions can reduce cortisol levels, helping manage chronic stress and anxiety. Improved Sleep (which directly improves mood): Sauna use promotes deeper, more restful sleep due to changes in body temperature and relaxation, which in turn stabilizes mood. Increased BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor): Regular sauna use may increase BDNF, which supports brain plasticity, cognitive function, and emotional regulation, all crucial for mood stability. Social Connection (if done with others): Community sauna sessions can foster social bonds, which are protective against loneliness and depression. So this month, whether you’re using the cold, the heat, or both, use them to care for your mental health. And check in with the men in your life. Invite them to plunge. Sit with them in the sauna. Talk. Or just breathe together in silence. It all counts. Let’s make vulnerability part of the recovery process. Want to support the men in your life this Men’s Health Week? Here’s how to get involved: Schedule a Health Check-up: Encourage regular visits to a doctor. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and prostate screenings can save lives with early detection. Host a Mental Health Session: Organize an informal talk or workshop, whether it's at work, the gym, or over coffee, that focuses on nutrition, stress, or mental health. Bring in an expert, or just start the conversation. Move Together: Plan something active, group plunges, pickup basketball, a community walk. Physical movement supports both body and brain. Share the Message: Use your voice (and your feed) to share facts, tips, and real talk about men’s health. Destigmatize getting help. Make vulnerability normal. Support Organizations Doing the Work: Donate to or volunteer with nonprofits dedicated to men’s health. They’re creating resources, funding research, and offering support where it’s needed most. Need someone to talk to? These resources are here 24/7: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 BetterHelp - Online therapy tailored to your schedule: www.betterhelp.com Man Therapy - A mental health site with resources made for men: www.mantherapy.org HeadsUpGuys - Support and tools for men battling depression: www.headsupguys.org Therapy for Black Men - Culturally competent mental health support: www.therapyforblackmen.org You’re not alone. And you don’t have to do it all on your own.

by Dr. Stacy Sims Nov 05, 2025 Cold plunging has exploded in popularity, with everyone from elite athletes to wellness influencers posting their ice bath rituals. But long before it hit social media, cold-water immersion was a Nordic tradition—often paired with saunas —as a way to build resilience, reset the mind, and connect socially. Those plunges weren’t just about recovery; they were about ritual, renewal, and community. Fast forward to today, and you’ve probably seen the claims: “Go as cold as possible for maximum benefit.” But as is so often the case in exercise and recovery science, what works for men doesn’t always work the same way for women. When I see women shivering in tubs of icy-cold water at 4°C (39°F) because they’ve been told it will boost metabolism, burn fat, or supercharge recovery, I want to jump in (literally) and explain: you don’t need to go that cold—and in many cases, it’s counterproductive. Let’s unpack what’s really happening physiologically, how cold exposure can support both health and performance, and why for women, the sweet spot often sits around 15°C (59°F)—not ice-cold extremes. Health vs. Performance: Two Different Goals Cold exposure has two broad uses: For health and longevity: to support metabolism, mitochondrial function, mood, and the neuroendocrine system. For athletic performance and recovery: to reduce inflammation, soreness, and muscle damage after training or competition. The mechanisms and optimal temperatures for these outcomes are not the same. If your goal is overall health and metabolic resilience, i.e., enhancing brown fat activity, dopamine release, or cold thermogenesis, then the aim is to trigger mild stress without overwhelming your system. That’s where moderate cold (around 14–15°C or 57-59°F) is most effective. When you plunge into near-freezing water, your body mounts an intense stress response: skin vasoconstriction, elevated catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline), and a massive sympathetic surge. For men, this produces robust metabolic adaptations, such as more brown fat activation, greater thermogenic capacity, and stronger shifts in glucose metabolism. For women, though, that same extreme response can tip too far, elevating cortisol, suppressing thyroid activity, and blunting the very hormonal and metabolic benefits we’re trying to elicit. The Female Neuroendocrine Difference Men and women differ significantly in how the autonomic nervous system and thermoregulatory processes respond to cold. Women’s resting metabolic rate and core temperature regulation are influenced by estrogen and progesterone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle. Research shows that women generally vasoconstrict faster (reducing blood flow to the skin) and experience greater drops in core temperature during immersion, especially in the luteal phase when progesterone is high. This makes us more sensitive to cold stress. So, when women plunge into near-ice temperatures, the neuroendocrine system responds with a sharp spike in sympathetic activity and cortisol. Over time, that can disrupt menstrual regularity, blunt thyroid function, and impair recovery. In contrast, immersions at moderately cold temperatures—around 15°C (59°F)—produce a more balanced response: you still get the release of norepinephrine (for focus, alertness, and mood), mild shivering thermogenesis (for metabolic boost), and increased mitochondrial biogenesis, without tipping into chronic stress territory. This aligns with research from Suzana Søeberg and colleagues, who’ve shown that short immersions (2–5 minutes) at 14–15°C can activate cold-induced thermogenesis and brown adipose tissue while maintaining parasympathetic balance, which is especially important for women. RELATED: Check out my Microlearning Course on Heat & Cold What About Recovery and Performance? Now, if your goal is post-workout recovery—say after a hard race or heavy training session—cold water immersion can help reduce inflammation and muscle soreness. But again, temperature matters. For athletes, immersions in the 10–12°C range for 10 minutes post-session have been shown to reduce muscle damage and perceived soreness. However, if you’re using cold immersion every day, particularly right after strength training, you could blunt the very adaptations you’re working for. Cold dampens inflammatory signaling pathways (like mTOR and PGC-1α) that drive muscle and mitochondrial growth. In short, if you’re trying to get stronger, faster, or fitter—save the ice bath for competition recovery, not for after every gym session. Where Cold Can Help: Ovulation Pain and Endometriosis There are exceptions where targeted cold exposure can be beneficial for women’s health. Around ovulation, localized cold (not full-body immersion) can reduce inflammation and pain in women with ovulatory discomfort or endometriosis. Cold helps modulate prostaglandin activity and local blood flow which can be helpful for symptom management. But again, the context matters: this is therapeutic cooling, not whole-body ice bathing for metabolic gain. So What’s the Ideal Protocol for Women? Based on the collective evidence and what we see in both lab data and lived experience for active women, here’s the framework I recommend: For general health and metabolic benefits: Temperature: 14–15°C (57–59°F) Duration: 2–5 minutes Frequency: 3–4 times per week Timing: Morning or post-sauna; avoid right after strength sessions For recovery post-competition or heavy training block: Temperature: 10–12°C (50–54°F) Duration: Up to 10 minutes Timing: Within 2 hours of intense activity; not used daily For symptom relief (ovulation/endometriosis): Localized cooling (cold compress or partial immersion) Keep it brief and targeted Cold exposure can absolutely be a powerful tool for women’s health—but like so many things, the dose makes the difference . The emerging science shows that women’s optimal cold exposure lies in the middle ground: cold enough to challenge you, not so extreme that it drives chronic stress or hormonal disruption.  For men, plunging into ice baths may deliver bigger metabolic and vascular adaptations. For women, smarter—not colder—is better. Women are not small men—and just like everything else—our physiology deserves its own protocol.

The first cold plunge is not a habit. It is a negotiation.