Cold shower challenge in the cold

Yeah there’s really no way I’m gonna take a full on cold shower with this weather so I just alternate hot and cold. It still has a lot of really beneficial effects. I just put it on the hottest I can stand for about 30 seconds to a minute then the coldest I can stand it for 30 seconds to a minute and repeat 5-10 times. Personally, I find this more rejuvenating and relaxing than cold showers.

@vernalsoul, Man up! haha jk :)

@vernalsoul,

Yes, very, consider the physiological effects, you are acclimating yourself to a degree that is less then the temp outside the shower, therefore you are transitioning from a colder state to a warmer state, regardless the room temp, your body will be telling you… “warm”… consider the opposite, the warm shower, when you come out of the hot, wonderful shower you are going from a very warm state to a much cooler state, regardless the room temp, your body will be telling you… “cold”… it turns usually cold mornings where you shiver throughout your routine into a wide awake, energized, and not-concerned-about-the-chill awesomeness.

Try this: ( Cold to Hot ), ( Hot to Cold ), ( Cold to Medium )
( Cold to Hot ) is when you start it cold until you cannot stand it anymore, then turn it hot. This has a couple effects, going from one extreme you do not like to the opposite feels awesome and your muscles go from extreme tightened to extreme relaxed. The goal is to make the interval you spend in the cold longer each time.
( Hot to Cold ) is when you start it Hot, let the heat soak in and your muscles relax, then set it Cold. This has similar effects mentioned above, but this seems a more advanced approach due to going from such a warm extreme to the cold. The goal would be similar to above. This is also the approach that I enjoy the most for muscle relaxing.
( Cold to Medium ) is to stand under the Cold until you cannot stand it then turn it up, slightly. I recommend this one, as the slight increase in temp tells your body… “warm”, but the water is still cool enough to be beneficial in getting used to colder temps. The goal here would be to lessen how slightly each time.

When I get in, here’s what I do, I immediately get my head wet for about 5 secs then I slowly do a 360 letting the cold get everywhere. This is equivalent to, ‘diving in’ the freezing ass lake, and is always the fastest way to acclimate.

Consider this, now that you can take cold shower, how COLD can you stand it? New challenge……

@vernalsoul,

and don’t make excuses, the water being too cold is the point

Even stepping out from a warm shower when it is cold is… hmmmm….. Refreshing.

When my water comes out it’s at or below freezing because we have a well so the water comes from outside, I think if I wasn’t careful, I could easily get mild hypothermia. So here’s what I do; first I run hot water for a minute to warm the pipes so the water isn’t ice cold, then I just turn it until it’s unreasonably cold but not dangerously cold. If you need to add a little hot water it’s absolutely acceptable, just remember you’re challenging yourself, so you know if the water isn’t cold, not us. Use your own judgement.

Also wanted to mention the cold water makes my muscles very stiff which I think is a terrible way to start the day so I’ve been making sure to do yoga afterwards to release all the tension. The combination has made my morning routine so much more fulfilling!!!

I’m in Toronto, and I still do cold showers. i’ve been doing them for more than a year now. Well, I do contrast showers now. the hottest i can handle, to the absolute coldest setting, to hot, back to cold again.

i actually find that getting out of a cold shower is easier than getting out of a hot shower in the winter. when i get out of a hot shower im freezing. when i get out of a cold shower i just feel like a greek god. i find that resistance makes it hard. if you surrender yourself to the challenge, let it swallow you whole and embrace the cold, it works.

I always start with a hot shower and then switch to cold (maximum). I feel less cold for the day then before when I always had a hot shower. Also I sweat a lot less.

Just try it for a week and if you can not see any benefits from it then stick to the hot shower.

@vernalsoul, Since a couple of weeks I am back to a climate with temperatures reaching far below zero, have been taking cold showers just like I used to, but the water is so freezing cold that I cannot let the shower stream on my head for too long, because it simply hurts too much. It is not per se more difficult or something like that, I just cannot hold on for so long. I do not know if the pain from the cold can be harmful or not, but I rather not take the risk. I have enough time to do whatever I want to do (cleaning myself), so I just continue doing so.
I had a warm bath for the second time since I have started this challenge (8/9 months ago) a couple of days ago, and it felt so good! I tried a warm shower as well, and honestly, it sucked!!! I am so used to the cold showers right now and a hot shower does not satisfy me at all! The whole bathroom was full of steam, I was sweating when I got out of the shower and I did not feel clean at all ! So I will just stick to my cold shower routine!