A Beginner’s Guide to Taking Cold Showers: Everything You Need to Know

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Cold showers have gained a lot of popularity over recent years.

The claimed benefits are vast and range all the way from improving the quality of your skin to possibly improving symptoms of depression and many things in between.

Is it all hype? Or are there real benefits to making cold showers a part of your daily routine?

If you have yet to enter the world of taking cold showers, we will break down everything you need to know to get started.

By the end of this article, you will have a new tool in your arsenal to help you stay more motivated and energized throughout the day!

Let’s get started!



A Brief Overview Of The Benefits Of Taking Cold Showers

If you’re adventurous enough to have already tried cold showers, then you are already aware of the many benefits a quick cold shower can have.

For the other 99% of the population, here’s some of the scientific research currently available on the benefits of cold showers:



Physical Benefits:

Boosted Immune System – One study has found a link between cold showers and boosted health, showing a 29% reduction in reported “sick days” at work for those who practiced taking cold showers.

Improved Energy – Cold showers can help reduce “brain fog” and improve your overall energy levels throughout the day. The cold temperatures can “zap” you back to reality like an electric shock to your nervous system, increasing blood flow in your body. There is some further evidence that cold showers may be beneficial for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Improved Metabolism – Cold showers can increase your metabolism by increasing your heart rate and boosting your body with adrenaline. Cold showers have also been said to increase testosterone levels, which can help shed unnecessary fat stored in the body.



Mental Benefits:

Improved Self-Discipline – Cold showers teach you how to better manage self-control and self-discipline, by showing you how to manage temporary pain and discomfort, and step outside of your comfort zone. If you can go way outside of your comfort zone by taking cold showers, the little things outside of your comfort zone begin to look easy.

Boosted Alertness and Motivation – Cold showers are a great way to “wake yourself up” and boost alertness before you start the day. This is why many make cold showers a part of their morning ritual, especially if you have trouble getting yourself going in the morning.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety – Cold showers can help relieve stress and anxiety by helping to reset your nervous system. During cold showers your body is flooded with adrenaline and put into “fight or flight” mode, but afterwards you’ll feel in a much calmer state. One study also suggests that cold showers may be beneficial at reducing symptoms of depression.







A Beginner’s Guide to Cold Showers: Tips and Techniques

So how do you know if cold showers are right for you?

Ultimately, you just have to try them for yourself and experience the benefits first-hand.

But beware: it’s not going to be pleasant. Once that first blast of ice water hits us, it’s hard to not want to turn it off and grab a nice warm towel.

The intense discomfort of the cold manages to easily wash away all of the reasons which seemed so great two minutes prior.

Be ready to experience and overcome that temporary discomfort! Overcoming that pain is what makes you stronger at the end of the day.

That’s the power of cold showers.

For the past month I’ve been doing a “30 day cold shower experiment” as a part of my morning routine. Just 2-3 minutes for each session!

It’s been difficult, but rewarding. Anecdotally, I’ve definitely noticed significant benefits in my alertness and energy levels throughout the day.

Here are easy tips, tricks, and advice for people who want to try cold showers!



Tip #1: Make A Playlist

Your greatest ally in battling through a cold shower is to simply distract yourself from the temporary pain and push forward.

Music is one of the best ways to do this. Create an epic movie soundtrack to pump yourself up and get inspired.

Feel free to sing and dance along – really get into it and have fun.

Not only will this distract you from the cold shower, but it will improve your mood and energy simultaneously.

Telling yourself you can make it through one song is much easier than simply standing in silence while every ounce of your body is in shock.

This is a phenomenal way to start your morning especially if you are the kind of person (like myself) who generally has a hard time getting started.



Tip #2: Be Your Own Hype Man

Your inner dialogue is an important source of motivation and inspiration.

Be your own hype man by giving yourself a “pep talk” before jumping into your cold shower.

And then once you jump in, continue feeding yourself positive affirmations and motivation, like a boxing coach keeping you focused while you’re in the middle of a fight.

Use motivating language such as:

“Nothing can stop me!”

“I will conquer my day!”

“I can overcome any pain or obstacle!”

“Does this get any colder – is that all you got?”

“If I make it through this, I can make it through anything!”

Prepare some affirmations beforehand. Or be spontaneous in the moment and see what comes to you!

Coach yourself through the pain!



Tip #3: Focus On Your Breath

Your breath is a controller for your nervous system.

You can hyper yourself up by breathing faster and shallower, or calm yourself down by breathing slower and deeper.

Being able to changing your breathing is a great way to better manage your physical and mental state.

Monks are known to meditate under cold waterfalls and use their breathing to “generate heat” in their body to fight the extremely cold temperatures.

You can use your breathing in a similar way during cold shower.

First, focus on your breathing and observe how it changes when you step into the cold shower. Then find ways to change your breathing to help you better manage the pain and overcome the moment.

Ultimately, if you can better control your breathing, you’ll be surprised by how much more power you have in any given moment.



Tip #4: Ease In

Nobody said you had to hop straight into ice cold water.

For many people, it’s easier to start with something lukewarm and then gradually work your way to colder and colder temperatures as your body adjusts.

Slowly work your way toward the completely “cold” setting on your shower over the span of 1-2 minutes. Then test how long you can last.

They say if you drop a frog in boiling water it will jump right out but if you increase it slowly the frog will not recognize the perceived danger.

The same is often true of taking a cold shower. By adjusting as you go, the perceived threat becomes much smaller and more manageable.

Give yourself a fighting chance or you may shy away completely.



Tip #5: Contrast Showers

Another technique to help make cold showers easier is to do something known as “contrast showers.”

This means alternating between “hot” and “cold” temperatures.

You may use a 60 seconds cold and 20 seconds hot ratio or any other one that makes you more likely to actually follow through with your cold showers.

Just make sure you don’t slip back into a full hot shower.

By adding heat back in for a few seconds it will give your muscles a few seconds to ease up and additionally allow the temperature of your skin to warm up.

When reintroducing the cold water you will feel a slight recharge and kick of discomfort again.

Keep in mind when doing “contrast showers” it’s often best for you to end the shower on a cold temperature to maximize the benefits.



Tip #6: Time Yourself and Break Your High Score!

Turn your cold showers into a personal challenge!

Set a timer before each session and see how long you can last. Make sure you write down your score each day and track your progress.

This can be a really fun way to push yourself to go that “extra mile.” Make it a goal to break your high score every week or month.

It will be even better if you can find a friend to do cold showers too.

Then your friend can track their progress and you can both have a little friendly competition amongst each other. Another great way to boost your motivation!



Tip #7: Pretend You’re A Hero

One fun element you can add to your cold showers is imagining yourself as a hero in an action movie.

Pretend that you’re working your way up an icy cold mountain in a storm on the way to slay your final dragon – or imagine you are a survivor in the arctic trying to find shelter, warmth, or food.

Play pretend. If you can tap into your imagination, you can often access extra motivation and inspiration that you didn’t know you had.

I’ve written before about the power of pretending to be someone else. For example, students who imagined they were “Batman” worked harder on a computer task and dedicated more time to it.

We often lose this power of imagination as we get older, but it’s a skill we should continue to practice for our entire lives.



Give It a Try!

Now you know everything you need to know about cold showers.

The next step is… actually DOING it .

Schedule a time at some point this week (preferably morning or night), and commit yourself to trying cold showers at least ONCE and seeing how you feel.

Often people notice instant benefits after just their first session.



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