There's no denying that lady gaga is an icon, so no matter what she does, the world's fans follow her, and her latest social media update is no exception.
In a series of photos previously shared, gaga documented how she relaxes after a show.
And also detailed her relaxation and recovery routine in her social media, with a 5-10 minute ice bath, a 20 minute hot bath and then the odd leotard with 20 ice packs.
As previously reported, gaga was dancing with a fan not long ago. The fan accidentally fell down and brought gaga off the stage as well. Naturally, being a true professional actress, she returned to the stage and continued her performance.
It is unclear whether gaga recovers in this way after every performance, or if she needs additional recovery because of her previous fall on stage.
For now, we'll break down why lady gaga takes an ice bath followed by a hot shower
Although gaga doesn't elaborate on whether this is her normal post-performance recovery routine, there is a scientific basis for using ice baths to recover. We'll explain more below.
Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion therapy, can lower muscle temperatures after strenuous exercise. There is a theory that ice baths lower muscle temperature and reduce blood flow to the muscles so that your body produces fewer chemicals and inflammation during and after strenuous exercise. These chemicals are partly responsible for the soreness you feel after exercise and by reducing their production, you may be less sore.
After the ice bath, when gaga moves on to a hot bath called contrast therapy, here, the theory is that by dilating and compressing the blood vessels it is able to stimulate a reduction in swelling and the cold bath,then blood flow increases with the hot bath in order to reduce muscle swelling, this can also help repair any small injuries triggered by working out the muscle groups.
Although the science of ice baths and contrast therapy is yet to be proven (and there is not a great deal of evidence to confirm it), both are common among good athletes, which is probably why gaga does it. It definitely doesn't affect her recovery, and laga her idea is to get her body ready to handle show after show like an athlete. She is trying to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness and speed up her recovery.
Coming back to the tights, the tights, what's this about?
Gaga is actually wearing a leotard which is a type of recovery suit, a garment that is said to promote blood flow and speed up recovery. These recovery suits (which can be expensive) can aid recovery, but one should be careful about using them in combination with ice packs. Be extra careful as the ice packs can drop below 0 degrees and still remain cold, while the ice will start to melt as soon as it touches the body.
But all in all, gaga will be more motivated if her recovery process makes her feel ready to put on another great show the next day. Nonetheless, perhaps it might be better for lady gaga not to take a hot bath and just have an ice bath, which could also be paired with a recovery suit (but no ice packs), but of course lady gaga must have her own dedicated rehabber or physiotherapist, after all, these recovery techniques are also still controversial and subject to further data to prove.
Here we can't help but feel that these superstars are now so dedicated that they are already using the recovery techniques of professional athletes to keep their performances in shape.
