Newcomer Assistance

Greetings, I’m totally new to this and haven’t done anything with it before. I’m considering purchasing a bondage belt, along with wrist and ankle cuffs plus a gag. If I secure my ankles together and connect the wrists to the bondage belt, can padlocks handle that? Will I be able to lock myself up effectively? Also, I have no clue how long I should stay locked. My plan is to use ice for the release method, but how much ice do I need? How many hours would you suggest staying tied up? Does boredom kick in after a while? And what about using the gag? I’ve noticed lots of people saying not to. Thanks for any advice:) ❤️