TLDR
Invest 2-4 weeks into adjusting to the coldest shower you could possibly have on a daily basis and get more healthy, energetic, and focused! Cold conditioning is free and takes only willpower and dedication.
The origins of cold conditioning
The concept of conditioning human body with cold to make it stronger is as old as human civilisation. Ancient Greece and Egypt, Japan and Russia, Scandinavian and South American countries have a long history of different techniques to use cold for health and mind improvement purposes.
Modern research only proves this point, studying different subsets of cold conditioning – it can be ice baths, contrast showers (hot and cold, repeat N times ), or dousing with ice-cold water outside. You can check out research in Huberman Labs or PLOS ONE publication.
In this post I will focus on cold showers specifically, I have tried it and I am truly amazed by the effect of it.
The benefits
The benefits are truly vast and complex
- Better blood circulation – train you blood vessels in controlled fashion
- Boosted immunity – train your body to resist harsh conditions
- Increased energy and alertness – let’s be honest, experiencing cold temperatures is stressful. However, it is controlled stress, so organism gets bigger amounts of cold and the “what does not kill us makes us stronger” fits this perfectly
- Boosted mood and mental health – every time you take shower, you are happy from the fact that you can endure unpleasant things, which is fascinating evolutionary advantage (and you body knows it!)
Why cold showers
I chose the cold showers from variety of different cold conditioning techniques for its low cost in terms of time and money. Plus I am going to move to the country where hot water is expensive, so this will definitely help with family budget.
- Ice baths – you need to have actual ice always ready before you take the bath, too much hassle to prepare for it
- Classic nordic sauna when you jump out of the heat into the snow or cold water – hard to do it every day in a big city
- Dousing with water outside – I live in apartment complex, so might take some time answering questions why I am walking around with buckets of water and dripping like after heavy rain
- Cold showers – need to spend extra 5 minutes in the shower, plus it is cheap as the hot water is not used when you reach the goal of taking the as cold shower as possible
As you can see, for those who live in cities, who does not have private backyard or terrace, or who just wants to save time – taking cold shower is the best option.
My journey in cold conditioning
The place where I live has hot water that comes around 43C degrees and the cold one around 18C degrees at this time of the year. I started slowly decreasing the temperature in the end of the shower for 2-3 degrees every time, so in two weeks I reached the lowest possible temperature. From the very beginning I was taking cold part around 4 minutes and plan to keep it like this.
It is important to take the regular warm shower in the beginning – this way you actually wash, warm up, and only after put yourself under stress.
How to start with cold showers
Easy – start today.
Create a recurring action item in your to-do list for every day.
I think it is better to start a day with cold shower, rather than ending the day with it. Fell free to try and find the regime that suits your organism and goals!
Important precaution
Check with doctor first if it is okay for you to take cold showers. There are conditions when you do not want to risk and stress your body. Particularly be aware that this is a big stress for heart and regulatory system.
Let’s connect
Share your journey in comments of this Telegram post