Integro Sports + Rehabilitation Chiropractic

09/16/2025

02/21/2025

There's been a lot of talk and interest in cold plunging lately—and if you've been following me for a while you'll know I've talked previously about how its impact is different for men and women; for starters, women do better in cool water (~16'C/56'F) not cold (0-2'C/32-36'F) with regards to positive adaptations.

Here are a few key nuggets of info to remember when it comes to cool water immersion and women:

1. Women have a greater amount of cold receptors (a2C-adrenoceptors)
2. The menstrual cycle phase increases our cold sensitivity
3. There's a difference in neurotransmitter modulation in those taking the oral contraceptive pill; including a higher dopamine response to the cold compared to women who are naturally cycling.
4. Women get better resting blood glucose responses than men in cold exposure. (Our shiver response happens earlier than men)
5. Increased adiponectin (protein hormone from adipose cells). When we have an increase in this, we have a greater ability to burn visceral fat and change body composition.

View all research links and more in my microlearning course specifically on using heat and cold for health and performance >>> https://bit.ly/3WFCSdf

Research links for above:
https://bit.ly/4hd50N3
https://bit.ly/3WGaNTb
https://bit.ly/4az8Gq9

12/08/2024

07/28/2024

06/11/2024

Why SIT is the best form of HIIT for menopause. . .

For menopausal women, high-intensity sprint interval training sessions can provide the metabolic stimulus to trigger the performance-boosting body composition changes that our hormones helped us achieve in our premenopausal years.

The key here is INTENSITY. In high-intensity interval training, alternating short bursts of hard exercise are followed by relatively short recovery periods. So if you're using heart rate as a guide, anything that sends your heart rate above about 85 percent of your maximum is high intensity. When you reach your menopausal years, it's very important to incorporate the shortest, sharpest form of HIIT: sprint interval training. As the term indicates, SIT sessions include super-short, 10- to 30-second sprint-style efforts. They are extremely beneficial for both peri- and postmenopausal women.

One of the biggest benefits of SIT training is improvement in body composition (and cardiovascular health!). SIT training increases lean muscle mass and reduces fat mass in a relatively short period of time. In a 2019 study published in "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise", researchers had a group of postmenopausal women, ages 47 to 59, perform 20-minute bouts of SIT - alternating eight seconds of sprinting on a stationary bike at about 85 percent of their maximum heart rate with 12 seconds of easy pedaling - three times a week for eight weeks. By study's end, the women had lost fat, regained lean muscle mass, and improved their aerobic fitness by 12 percent after what amounted to only 8 hours of exercise over 8 week's time.

NOTE: The study did not have adequate rest between intervals to have true SIT session. We want full recovery of the metabolic and nervous systems. A usual interval to rest is 1:4.

Study links:
https://bit.ly/3Kxt4vE
https://bit.ly/3X5horn
https://bit.ly/4edjQ5l