Cold plungers love the feeling of clarity, clean cells, clean habits…
So here’s the not-so-clean truth: we’re all carrying microplastics. Yep, even the most dialed-in athletes and wellness freaks among us.

But don’t panic.
Awareness = leverage. Action = empowerment.
This issue breaks it all down.

WHAT MICROPLASTICS ACTUALLY ARE

Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments—think dust-sized—that break off from bigger plastics or are manufactured small (like microbeads in exfoliants or toothpaste).

They’re everywhere:

• In the ocean and soil

• In food packaging

• In drinking water

• In the air we breathe

• In our bloodstreams, lungs, and guts (yep, found in all three)

They’re basically the glitter of the modern world: once they’re out there, they don’t go away.

HOW MICROPLASTICS GET INTO YOUR BODY

You don’t need to swallow a water bottle to ingest plastic—it sneaks in through everyday life:

1. Drinking Water

Tap or bottled—both have plastic particles.
Bottled tends to be worse because water sits in plastic for months.

2. Food (Especially Seafood & Salt)

Fish eat microplastics → we eat the fish.
Table salt often tests positive too.

3. Air

Synthetic clothing sheds microfibers that float around your home.
We inhale them like invisible confetti.

4. Food Packaging

Heat + plastic = leaching.
Microwaving leftovers in plastic is a microplastic jackpot…in a bad way.

5. Personal Care Products

Some scrubs, makeup, and toothpaste still use microbeads.

Your body isn’t “failing”—the environment just makes this unavoidable.

CAN WE ELIMINATE MICROPLASTICS FROM THE BODY?

Short answer: not fully (yet).
But your body can excrete some microplastics through normal detox pathways—stool, urine, sweat.

Here’s what research suggests may help your body push them out:

1. Fiber (your gut’s vacuum cleaner)

Fiber can help trap particles and escort them out.
Think: chia, veggies, oats, psyllium.

2. Sauna & Sweat

Sweating helps eliminate certain toxins.
Microplastic research is early, but heat exposure supports detox systems overall.

3. Hydration

Good hydration keeps your lymphatic system moving—like a plumbing flush.

4. Reduce exposure

This is actually the most impactful step. You can’t detox what keeps showing up.

HOW TO MINIMIZE MICROPLASTIC EXPOSURE (REALISTICALLY)

1. Filter Your Drinking Water

Look for filters that reduce microplastics (many carbon or reverse osmosis systems can).

2. Stop Heating Food in Plastic

Put leftovers on a plate.
Microwave plastic = plastic inside you.

3. Choose Less Plastic Packaging

Glass or stainless steel when possible.
Water bottle? Make it metal.

4. Wash Synthetic Clothing Smarter

Use a microfiber-catching laundry bag or filter.

5. Avoid Products With Microbeads

If it says “polyethylene” or “polypropylene,” that’s plastic on your face.

6. Ventilate Your Home

Airing out and vacuuming reduces airborne microfibers.

Not perfection—just momentum.

THE PLUNGE TAKE

Cold plunging teaches us this:
Control the controllable. Release the rest.

Microplastics are real. They’re everywhere.
But stressing about them doesn’t move the needle—intentional action does.

Swap the bottle. Filter the water. Upgrade the containers.
Small shifts, massive compounding.

And remember:
Your body is resilient. You’re not fragile. You’re adaptable.
Every plunge, every breath, every choice—it all stacks.