Stress is generally not good for us. When we hear about stress, we think about anxiety, increased heart bit and definitely nothing good. This is true for stress caused by our thoughts, and as a result, difficult emotions. However, there is another type of pressure that we would like to embrace moderately. It is stress that helps our bodies to grow and indirectly helps our minds to be more resistant to the bad stress. Staying fit is nothing else than putting pressure to our bodies to improve. Another type of good stress that we can easily apply is exposure to cold. It has a long list of benefits. It helps to strengthen an immune system and to develop the Spartan mindset. Let’s introduce the cold shower challenge!
Why is it worth taking a cold shower? 🚿 🥶
Some time ago, I read about a fascinating person – Wim Hof. He developed a method by which he can control his body’s reactions to cold and create a Spartan mindset. He can sit in a bathtub full of ice and cold water for more than two hours … Every year, with a group of daredevils who want to challenge themselves and adopt his method, Wim climbs Mount Śnieżka in Poland wearing only shoes, shorts and hats … I do not have such ambitions, but while investigating the matter, I came across an article that lists the advantages of exposing our body to the unforgiving cold:
- Increased resistance to infections or even cancer
- Gives the glands (thyroid, adrenal glands, ovaries/testicles) an impulse to increase hormonal activity
- Quickly launches the better mood and motivation (mainly by realising dopamine)
- Has beneficial effects on the brain, in particular on memory
- Helps in metabolism, including in the fight against type 2 diabetes, obesity, rheumatic diseases and depression
- Normalises blood pressure
- Reduce of chronic pain
- Improves blood circulation
- Helps detoxify the body
- Fights fatigue
- Rejuvenates and even help in healing the skin issues
- Deepens the breath
- Helps in the fight against insomnia
- Improves kidney function
- Reduce swelling
- Reduce stress by regulating the autonomic nervous system
- Adjusts body temperature, helps fight chronically cold hands and cold feet, and excessive sweating
- Improves lymph circulation, thus improve the immune system
Practical tips – 60 seconds and you will feel like Spartacus 😬👇
Nothing will replace taking a nice and warm shower, or, even better the “jacuzzi-like” long and hot bath. However, if you decide to leave the comfort zone, you must apply some cold calculation. How should I take a cold shower for the first time? You may ask. The answer is simple – go and take the cold shower. 🙂 The Spartan mindset will follow..
It was a typical day. In fact, I didn’t plan it. I just felt more tired than usual that day. Perhaps because my second kid began to teethe and the nights got shorter again. After returning from work and on my way to the bathroom, I remembered the “cold shower challenge”, and the fact that it apparently helps to fight fatigue. I started with a standard shower, basically hesitating to the very end. Finally, I stood in front of the water temperature control knob. I leaned one hand against the shower wall, took three super deep breaths counting to three and … 🚿 oooooh 🥶 …
In the beginning, it is definitely not a pleasant experience. Especially in the first few seconds. But after just a few moments, the skin gets used to it, and the cold water becomes less and less crisp. In fact, it is a mental struggle to keep going and endure as long as possible. However, just as soon as in the second week, small miracles began to happen and my Spartan mindset started showing on. I mentioned the long list of benefits at the beginning of the post, but basically, even after a couple of first days, I noticed things that helped me to decide that from now on, every shower will end “cold”:
- Mood improvement
- Temporary – taking the cold shower is like a reset after a hard day at work, allows me to take on the evening family challenges with some new energy
- Long-term – people simply become more positive (there is a scientific explanation for this – the release of dopamine, endomorphin and other chemicals that exposure to cold releases and they start to flow through the brain).
- Fight against physical fatigue
- Satisfaction with self-victory
- Savings on heating 🙂
If you are interested in this topic, I encourage you to investigate more and take the challenge. Below I also provide links to some information on this topic. You will find accurate information about the beneficial effects of cold on our body, as well as some scientific studies that confirm something that I know from experience today. 😉
Cover photo: 2011, Iceland 🇮🇸
More on staying fit while working from home
Wim Hof’s method
Tim Ferris Show podcast prison with Wim
The Journal Podcast by Kevin Rose with Rhonda Patric
Download your own “20 days Cold Shower Challenge” sheet
Do you dare to try?
