Get in that cold shower, I don’t care if you like it
I’m sure you’ve heard about cold showers and their exponential benefits. Digital Gurus, Youtube Stars and bloggers such as myself all harp on at you about how fucking GOOD they are. They’re the solution to all your problems. The gateway to productivity and success. The thing you’ve been missing all this time….
Sounds like nonsense, right?
I too was a non-believer until i actually took that dreaded plunge into an arctic shower at 7am on a Tuesday. Yes, it was as horrible as it sounds.
For all the stick they’re given, they actually work.
Below i’m going to lay out X amount of reasons as to why you should take the plunge right now. I’ll also discuss a relatively easy method of acclimatising yourself to the sub-zero temperatures; only in the hope that the sense of dread you feel thinking about it is converted to emotions of negligible dissonance or even excitement?….
A REAL REASON, I PROMISE IT’S ACTUALLY A REASON — №1
If you’re really looking for something to wake you up in the morning, don’t hazily brew a cup of double-strength coffee or gradually ease yourself into a gentle morning yoga sesh. Take a cold shower, take a really cold shower, take a baltic shower. Jump under a jet of cold water. Immerse yourself yourself in some freezing liquid. Whatever you do, take a cold shower. Honestly, speaking from experience nothing will wake you up quicker than a cold shower. Not only will you wake up in a blink of an eye, you’ll also be more alert for the rest of the day. Your bodies now in go-mode and ready to rattle out the days activites. Trust me, if you’re looking for something to wake you up in the morning — take a cold shower.
A REAL REASON, I PROMISE IT’S ACTUALLY A REASON — №2
Increased willpower is probably the most coveted benefit you receive from enduring cold showers. Let me tell you, this benefit is very real. If you’re willing to endure something so against your primal instincts every morning, if you’re willing to hop in a cold shower every morning while your body screams no, if you’re willing to keep this up for months on end then you’ll really start to see the leaps and bounds of improvement that your willpower is making. I have witnessed legitimate increases in my ability to endure tough physical and mental processes due to submerging myself under some icy cold water every morning. In Steven Covey’s “7 habits of highly effective people” he mentions the existence of Quadrant 2 activities. These are activities that are important and non-urgent. Things such as exercising, meditation and practices that aren’t crucial to complete but will ultimately benefit you in the long-run. This is exactly what a cold shower is. Start today and you’ll start to see your willpower increase substantially.
A REAL REASON, I PROMISE IT’S ACTUALLY A REASON — №.3
Taking cold showers lowers your stress levels. By exposing your body to cold showers every morning, your body gets used to the stressor signals that your body sends to your brain. By continually taking cold showers, your nervous system gets used to the stress signals and over time your body gets better at handling more stress. This leads to a process called hardening which is your bodies ability to manage stressful situations. It’s really one of those benefits that actually translates in to your daily life and provides noticeable benefits. You’ll notice that you get less stressed out by situations this is 100% i’ve been most amazed at with cold showers.
A REAL REASON, I PROMISE IT’S ACTUALLY A REASON №.4
Cold showers can actually help you lose weight. I’ll be honest, this isn’t something I’ve particularly noticed myself or put down to cold showers but there is some scientific research that shows cold showers could lead to weight loss. This is because cold showers activate the energy-burning brown fat in your body. Higher levels of brown fat are also related to lower BMIs as well. So taking a cold shower can actually help you lose weight when compared to a hot shower. Every little helps, right?
Just to remind myself of why I’m writing this article, I ran myself an icy cold shower and hopped into it. At 6pm on a tuesday, it’s exactly the push I needed to keep me going through the day.
A REAL REASON, I PROMISE IT’S ACTUALLY A REASON NO.5
Taking a cold shower is good for your immune system. As the current coronavirus situation unfolds across the globe, people are becoming more aware of their immune health and have actively taken steps towards supporting it. Cold showers have been shown to increase the amount of white blood cells in your body, which helps fight off nasty infections and improve the overall health of your immune system. This is perhaps the most relevant benefit of all considering the predicament we all find ourselves in.
How should i take my cold showers?
The answer to that is gradually. Don’t just jump into an ice bath on day one. You’ll hate it and there’s no chance that you’re ever going to stick with it. What I recommend is starting off with a lukewarm shower and gradually decreasing the temperature of your shower until it’s cold by the time you step out.
Over the coming weeks and months, as you start to acclimatise to the temperatures, you can start to work your way down the temperatures at which you step into the shower and the temperature at which you step out the shower.
Eventually, after about 3 months you should be able to jump into a pretty cold shower first thing in the morning with feelings of negligible dissonance, or maybe even excitement?…
Yours Honestly,
Liam Lawson
