Ok, ok- so we all know one reason for taking a cold shower… but did you know that there are actually real health benefits tied to taking a cold shower?
Growing up in a houseful of people, taking a cold shower was sometimes a thing you did just because there wasn’t any hot water left, but it wasn’t something I did on purpose. I’m one of those classic girls that is always cold. Even when I take a hot shower, the second I step out I’m cold.
But when I started hearing the benefits, from improving lymphatic circulation to reducing inflammation and even boosting happiness, how could I not try it.
Ancient Romans were said to use cold water in their famous Roman bath by moving through a series of hot pools and then into cold. Many current European cultures believe polar plunging is the secret to robust health and longevity.
Why is it so many of us have gotten into this rhythm of not wanting to feel uncomfortable? By avoiding this uncomfortable cold, we are missing out on so many great benefits.
Cold showers can:
- Strengthen your willpower: getting out of your comfort zone and pushing through when you need to slowly gets less hard and actually becomes addictive.
- Improve skin and hair: hot water can strip natural oils from skin while the cold water will tighten up pores.
- Speed up muscle recovery: think about athletes who take an ice bath after training. You could even try alternating between hot and cold to allow blood to come to the surface.
- Strengthen immune system: body gets better at dealing with oxidative stress.
- Stimulates weight loss: this alone should make us all jump in a cold shower!
It’s also been mentioned that cold showers can help reduce stress, help you rest better at night and even relieve depression symptoms.
How to do it?
- Reframe your mind. If you go in already thinking you can’t bear the cold, the shower is going to literally be un-bearable.
- Remember to breath. Inhale for 5 seconds. Hold for 5 seconds and then exhale for 10 seconds
- Try starting from a hot shower and moving to a cooler shower, each time going colder and colder.
I start with warm water and then end all my showers with cold water- It actually becomes invigorating and makes me feel like bad ass!
Now that you can see cold showers have some great benefits, why not try it for 30 days and let us know what happens??