pull down to refresh
21 sats \ 13 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 5 Jun \ parent \ on: Daily Accountability Thread HealthAndFitness
That’s one of the only health things that I’ve just been unwilling to do, even though I’m fully convinced of the benefits.
I’ve done lots of cold plunges and swimming in cold water, but for some reason stepping under that cold stream is too much.
It's only difficult the first time. Cmon give it a try 😆
reply
I have given them a first try and now I have confirmation of my suspicion that it never gets better.
reply
For me, I cold shower for mental reasons more than physical reasons. I think it's a great way to force myself into doing something uncomfortable, plus train myself to handle discomfort and stress.
Although, 1 year into regular cold showering, my late Spring allergies to cottonwood trees seem to have completely vanished. It could be because of other things, but the most obvious and major change I had was continued cold showering for about a year. I also don't seem to get sick much, and even if I do get sick, I seem to recover rather quickly. So I guess there's probably some physical benefits to cold showering as well. Not trying to convince you to do it or anything, just reporting on my experience from consistently doing it.
reply
I love getting more information, but I'm still not even slightly tempted.
Most of what you described seem like they could be related to cold showers being anti-inflammatory. I wonder if that's what it is.
reply
According to Wim Hof:
When you take a cold shower, all of those little muscles in your vascular system — millions of them — are activated and exercised. Within ten days of taking these showers, you will notice that your heart rate has decreased significantly, as much as fifteen to thirty beats per minute, and that it remains that way twenty-four hours a day. That translates to a lot less stress.
Source: The Wim Hof Method — Activate Your Potential, Transcend Your Limits. Chapter three "A COLD SHOWER A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY"
My heart rate, especially my resting heart rate at night, is much lower than average, as I recently found out after reading this blog post.
According to my Oura ring, m'y cardio age is two years younger than my actual age. Cold showering, which I've been doing for more than two years now, surely have contributed to this result, I think...
reply
That's the most persuasive cold shower propaganda I've seen in a while.
reply
After all these years, I still need a little bit of time to collect myself before jumping into the cold stream of water. But the rewards are worth it. I just had my shower, and I'm feeling so at peace. All these feel good hormones rushing through my system make it worth it.
Here is something interestingly surprising. The chart below shows the short-term stress of cold shower on my system (orange), compared to yoga, and walking.