5 Benefits of Cold Showers
βStanding under freezing cold showers every morning - I did that. I got up to seven minutes most mornings, and it actually works; it immunizes your body, and your body starts getting used to the cold. It really works. β
Youβve heard it beforeβ¦.cold showers can do wonders for your body. But, do you know why? Do you actually know some of the side effects of taking a cold shower?
Sure, youβve probably done it before, but there is a reason high-performing salespeople, CEOβs, athletes and entrepreneurs take stunningly cold showers every morning. Not only does it wake you up, but there are a plethora of lasting effects (emotional resilience) throughout the day that you can actually use to hack and boost your productivity.
Letβs dive into my favorite effects of taking a cold shower.
1) Increase your circulation and help boost weight loss
It should be nothing new here, but taking a cold shower will actually speed your heart rate up (see number two) and open your veins to allow more blood to quickly rush through your body as soon as it senses the cold. This, in turn, will kick your body into a higher gear and usher the burning of fat within your body (and throughout the day) that will make you feel alive, invigorated, and motivated throughout the day.
2) Cold showers help wake you up
Coming back in from number oneβ¦..itβs kind of a no-brainer. Cold showers will wake you up. You will get the boost of adrenaline as soon as you hit the cold water. This will cause the blood to circulate back into the body to protect the vital organs (which is why you bring your arms to your chest to retain heat) and your heart rate will spike. This will actually cause your body to reduce and quiet the mind, only allowing you to focus on what is most important to you within those few fleeting moments. As your body numbs, normal thoughts will flood back in. Pay attention to where your mind and thoughts go during those first few cold minutesβ¦.it is vastly important.
3) Helps reduce your stress levels
Taking cold showers actually has an inverse effect, and it is super counter-intuitive. It reduces your stress levels and allows you to focus on what is most important to you. Pay attention to how you feel after at least 5-7 minutes in a cold shower. Your body will naturally shed the most frightening and stressful thoughts in order to retain its homeostasis (temp in the body). This is a by-product of taking a cold shower and my favorite reason for taking them.
4) Reduce soreness after an intense workout
When we workout and lift heavy, we tear our muscles. This is not anything new, but what happens when we tear those muscles, blood floods to the spot of the tear and we flood them with red blood cells and proteins (as well as amino acids) to repair them. Taking a cold shower can increase our cardiovascular response and eliminate lactic acid (what floods into the tear after a workout) and the cold temperature of the shower can ease the body out of the lactic acid, reducing soreness and increasing the repair time. This is also why athletes takes ice baths!
5) Higher levels of alertness, robust immune response and increased willpower
Taking a cold shower boosts your immune system to the point where it thinks your body is in trouble. This kicks just about everything, including your adrenals into high gear, and your body will feel the lasting effects of it. You will hyperventilate, you will have an elevated heart rate, your body will think you are dying. There is something called the, Wim Hof method of breathing you can read about below, as well. What I can tell you, is that you will have increased willpower throughout the day, and the effects are real. If you can do burpees before breakfast and take a cold shower, you can take anyoneβs shit all day long!
Have you taken a cold shower lately?
Read more on the Wim Hof method of taking cold showers.
~ See ya out there. Let me know what you think in a comment down below.
Cam // info@ckcollective.coο»Ώ
O2 Daily Breathwork. Here is why you should try it.