It’s tough, and you need willpower.
When you get in for the first time, the first thirty seconds are the Shock Seconds - your body needs to get used to the temperature. However, when this becomes a habit, the body knows, gets used to it, and it becomes easier. The first times are hard, then the moment you go out from an ice cold shower you will find out this feeling of being bulletproof and powerful and full of energy like you could start another workout again… it’s like you go from Tony Stark to Iron Man.
The feeling is so good that I quit hot showers. Even if it’s not super cold, I still keep the water temperature cold enough and never warm. When I can, I also like to alternate and jump from the sauna straight into the cold bath if my fitness center has both.
So except for the after-feeling, what makes a cold shower healthy for you?
- Alertness
According to a meta-analysis of existing cold water immersion research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, cold showers have many physiological effects on the body, a nervous system reset.
These include:
increased heart rate
higher blood pressure
elevated respiratory rate
It’s better than a coffee!
- Immune system
Research shows that Cold water triggers the body’s immune system, like I said, bulletproof and you will be less likely to call in sick
- Muscle recovery
Of course, it won’t be like a real cryotherapy, but it is the closest thing to it. The principle is that because of the very low temperature, the body will send all the blood into your heart and lungs to keep you alive and when you finish it’s a real Niagara Falls of blood into your muscles and joints, helping you with recovery from the workout, soreness and all the body inflammations.
- Mental strength
Do things that make you uncomfortable.
It’s a difficult thing to do; doing something you don’t like will make you mentally stronger.
- How to start
Do not start straight from artic temperature, let your body get used to it. Cool the water, and slowly decrease the temperature, there is no need to get the water super cold from the first shower; after a couple of showers keep doing the same but now slowly get colder and colder water.
According to medical research, you should get from 60 seconds to 3 minutes or even more if you want. But 2-3 minutes is the most effective length of time to reap the benefits.
Now the choice is yours, it’s about will power and doing what you have to do
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