This morning I discovered something completely amazing. Seton Hall University gym has a sauna!
This is now the single greatest benefit of working at Seton Hall. I used to frequent the sauna after every workout when I was still living in Maryland, and working out at Lifetime Fitness. I’d follow it up with a nice cold shower afterwards and the rest of the day would be golden. Since then however, sauna’s have been hard to find. But this morning I peeked into the (empty) shower room to see what it was like (more on this later), and lo and behold there it was. Tucked away in a place that no decent heterosexual man would ever look.
For those of you not privy to the benefits of saunas, read on my uneducated friend. This excerpt discusses the positive effects of 15-20 minutes of sauna use, followed by a cold bath (shower or dip in the pool).
From Wikipedia:
“A reported study from the Thrombosis Institute in London into the effects of the cold bathing found that volunteers that followed a disciplined daily regime had increased immune white blood cells and the level of the bodies natural blood thinning enzymes substantially increased, improving micro circulation… Cold water immersion raises thresholds of pain tolerance, and aids adaptation to cold, reduces muscle spasm, can influence the frequency of respiratory infections and improve subjective well-being… Cold water adaptation reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, lowered plasma viscosity and blood pressure rate product. Cold water immersion reduces recovery time in athletes,enhances repeat performance and reduces exercise induced muscle damage.”
So there you have it. I am on to a arthritis-free, low blood pressure life! For the length of my Seton Hall tenure at least.
About the Locker Room
I am just going to throw this out there because I want to know what other people think. Do you get naked in the locker room? I ask because I always see people walking around after a shower butt naked – mostly old people. And I’m always pretty grossed out. Talk about naked without shame! Some people might say I’m being a baby, or I’m being naive. I don’t care. Sorry that I’m not a fan of seeing other naked men!
So my question to all my Biters out there is, do you do that? Am I the weird one? I’m going to change the poll so I can see what you guys think. But please, by all means, enlighten me!
