What cold showers do

  • Ali

I first heard about people taking cold showers or even fully immersing themselves in cold water when I was listening to a Tony Robbins Podcast. A couple of years ago when visiting Japan we fully immersed ourselves in their Onsen culture. These amazingly beautiful Japanese Hot Spring also have an element of cold about them with plunge baths and iced water on tap! Lately I’ve heard Chris Evans on Virgin Radio talking about the benefits of cold showering and whilst I’ve never been into anything cold – I don’t even really like ice-cream! I decided to give it a go.

So here’s my video of me demonstrating the process – it’s hilarious (unless you’re the one doing it) so I hope you enjoy it and will give it a go.

It turns out thousands of people, from all over the world, already incorporate cold showers into their daily routines. The main benefits reported by people who use this method of torture (sorry I mean stimulation)  are well worth looking into and include:

Reduced stress levels. Regularly taking cold showers imposes a small amount of stress on your body, which leads to a process called hardening. This means that your nervous system gradually gets used to handling moderate levels of stress. I’m still learning!!! The hardening process helps you to keep a cool head when you next find yourself in a stressful situation.

Higher level of alertness. Cold showers wake your body up, inducing creating a higher state of alertness. I’ve definitely noticed this. The cold also stimulates you to take deeper breaths, (watch the video and you’ll see) decreasing the level of CO2 throughout the body, helping you concentrate. Cold showers can therefore keep you ready and focused throughout the day.

More robust immune response. Scientific studies have found that taking a cold shower increases the amount of white blood cells in your body. These blood cells protect your body against diseases. Researchers believe that this process is related to an increased metabolic rate, which stimulates the immune response.  

Increased willpower. It takes a strong mind to endure the cold for extended periods of time. By incorporating cold showers into your daily routine, you are strengthening your willpower, which benefits many aspects of your daily life from resilience at work, to sporting achievement, healthy eating and even exhibiting patience with your family – all rather vital during this pandemic!

Weight loss. Research has shown that cold showers (and exposure to cold in general), in addition to increasing metabolic rate directly, stimulate the generation of brown fat. Brown fat is a specific type of fat tissue that in turn generates energy by burning calories. Cold showers can be an effective tool for people who are looking to lose a few pounds.

I discovered this free Wim Hof method min class if you’re interested in learning more. To experience the most benefits though, I’d say ‘Take the Plunge and just get started!” excuse the pun!

 

If you give it a go please share your video or how it felt on one of my social media platforms - Facebook or Instagram.

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