This week I wanted to talk about the benefits of hot and cold showers. For the last, I dunno, around 5 months or so I’ve been experimenting with hot and cold showers trying to see if they really have something to offer in terms of revitalizing my energy levels and contributing to my overall health and quality of life. I’m happy to report that yes, I find they do indeed help and they have now become a part of my energy boosting, vitality boosting repertoire.
What is a hot/cold shower? Well, it’s where you spend x amount of time in the shower under hot water (as hot as you can take) and then x amount of time under cold water (as cold as you can take) and repeat the cycle, ending with cold. For example you can do 3 – 5 minutes of hot followed by 3 – 5 minutes of cold for 3 – 4 rounds. The results are awesome, leaving you feeling invigorated and refreshed time after time. I’ve tried it at times when I had really low energy and found that it gave me a quick boost, allowing me to re-align myself and keep kicking on for the rest of the day.
It’s super popular with athletes for it’s recovery boosting qualities which most likely stems from the fact that your blood flow is increased due to dilating and contracting cells allowing for toxin release and nutrient delivery. So think about that not only is it a tool to boost your energy and productivity for the day it also aids in the recovery and “cleansing” of the cells – awesome.
It’s also interesting to talk about the fact that cold showers are a good way to teach you about courage, or at least some aspects of courage anyways. I remember hearing a story about these native Indians that used to take their children to the cold lakes during winter instructing them to take daily baths there. When asked why they did that they said they were teaching the children to be brave.
And courage is a bit like that sometimes. Sometimes you don’t have the wherewithal, energy, or confidence to do a certain task or action. It’s not there, you just don’t have it. And the only way to accomplish it is to just force yourself to charge in and do it. Just like a cold shower if you’re not used to it. You can stand there in front of it all you want but the only way to get it done is to charge right in and do it. It’s a cool, harmless mini-teaching on courage.
So the added benefits of hot cold showers are well worth it. Think about that, on top of all the health benefits and energy boosting benefits you get, you’re gently teaching and re-affirming yourself about courage. About facing discomfort and how it ain’t that bad, but actually empowering. Pretty cool, huh?
