It’s likely you’ve heard by now the buzz around taking cold showers and how it is a “healthy” practice to add to your routine. If you are anything like me you are hesitant or even skeptical about adding this into your life!
As a born and raised Florida boy, the one thing I REALLY struggle with is COLD water! Believe it or not we do have four seasons in Florida: Hot, Warm, Hot and Really Hot! Needless to say I rarely had to experience cold water for most of my life. I tell you all this to say that there has to be an overwhelming reason to add in cold showers to my lovely hot showers. Which is why I’m here writing this article today!
The truth is cold weather immersion is super beneficial for your health, mood, mindset and recovery. And since finding a cold body of water or cold tub may be challenging to some we are going to focus specifically on cold showers!
Today I’m going to dive deep into the benefits and details for you! We are going to cover:
- Why cold showers.
- How to get started and the proper way to take them.
BENEFITS OF COLD WATER IMMERSION:
First and foremost let’s talk about the benefits of cold water immersion in general (showers, ice bath, etc). Here are some of the top benefits:
✅ Boosts Human Growth Hormone
✅ Boosts Immune System (up to 300%)
✅ Increases testosterone in men, while lowering cortisol (up to 490%)
✅ Increases circulation
✅ Reduces swelling in joints
✅ Increases metabolism via activation of your fat-burning “brown” fat in the body
✅ Norepinephrine increases ( up to 200-300%)
✅ Increases energy levels and overall well-being
✅ Natural way to treat depression
✅ Improves mental toughness & resiliency
NEED I SAY MORE?! The benefits are astounding and just like most things in life it’s about consistency. Cold Water Immersion is a practice and needs to be done regularly to reap these benefits. Which is why we are going to talk specifically about cold showers because we all have access to these.
So by now hopefully your interest has at least peaked as to why you would want to try cold showers. I know you still may be on the fence because there is nothing quite like a hot shower to start or end your day. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to completely give up your hot showers and it’s all about starting very gradually!
HOW TO GET STARTED
The easiest way to begin is to take your regular hot shower and then at the end stay in for a few extra minutes while turning off the hot water. It’s going to feel like a shock at first. The change in your heart rate and breath is an actual wake up call, kickstarting your body mentally and physically.
Just like with training the more you do this the easier it will get. I recommend starting to focus on big slow breaths right before changing the water from hot to cold which will help you stay calm and present as the cold hits you.
Start your first few cold showers with as little as 30-60 seconds and then you can work your way up with two to three minute cold showers.
It’s going to be uncomfortable at first but the health benefits are well worth it. Additionally the mental toughness and resiliency you will build by doing the ‘hard things’ and have so much carry over to the rest of your life. When you put yourself in tough situations consistently it will increase your mental resilience so that when tough or stressful events happen in life you will be more capable of handling them.
I challenge you to a 7 day challenge! For the next week take at least one cold shower a day (as little as 30 seconds) and see how you feel!
Coach Taylor