Nothing is sacred. I used to step into the bathroom, turn the knob all the way to the left (HOT) then walk away, brush my teeth, shave or wax my legs and THEN, maybe, if the water was sufficiently cozy I’d step into the shower. Never before the water was steaming up the bathroom mirrors though. Then I read all this nonsense about the benefits of cold showers, and now, as stated above, nothing is sacred anymore.
I can’t even list all of the things I love about a hot shower: the feeling on my skin, the warmth, the comfort, decadence, luxury. Instead I’ll focus on the one thing I don’t love about hot showers: I use a lot of water.
I’ve been known to shower for over 10 minutes. I once took a 15 minute hot shower after a long run on a punishingly cold day. The cold of the day had seeped so completely into my bones that I needed to thaw, or melt, or something.
Afterward I’d see some graphic about California being in a drought and I’d feel guilty. Not guilty enough to stop taking my sweet, sweet, luxuriant showers though.
I HATE the cold
Can’t stand the cold. I’ve asked my Primary Care if I have poor circulation because every winter my hands and feet hurt constantly from it. His answer: ‘Nope. You’re just tall.’ Ask those close to me and they’ll tell you that I’m about 20-30% less charming come March. The winter hurts like a months long assault on my joints.
The worst is waiting for the Train. Sitting on the platform, waiting for a train they say will arrive in 4 minutes when you know its 10.
And then the Ice Man…
Sometime around May/June I started reading about the Ice Man: Wim Hof. I read about his adventures walking up mountain peaks wearing no shoes and a Hawaiian shirt. I read about how through breathing and cold resistance training he’s enabled his body to fight infection, burn calories, and stay warm while trapped in ice for hours.
HOURS.
Is Wim Hof the new Chuck Norris?
Then I read the book ‘What doesn’t Kill You’ by Scott Carney. I learned he has helped others accomplish similar feats. In the book, Carney, a journalist who specializes in exposing false shamans and profits, goes to debunk Wim, and ends up becoming a believer. In an immersive week long class with Wim he learns his method, climbs an icy mountain in shorts, loses 8 lbs and changes his life. Carney details how the Hof method has helped people with severe autoimmune diseases climb Mt. Kilimanjaro without their shirts on. When they adhered to his method the symptoms of their diseases (crowns, alzheimers, arthritis) lessened significantly.
Maybe this training can help me wait on the train platform in February and March without cursing the world or wanting to move to San Diego.
Maybe I too can become immune to the cold.
The two pillars of the Wim Hof method are breathing and cold immersion. I’m covering breath work in another blog so for today we’ll talk about cold showers.
No more 10 minutes of pure, steamy bliss.
No more wasted water.
I started short. My morning showers were of the normal lavish variety, but my short and sweet post workout showers were cold. I’d keep them to a minute or 2. Just enough to rinse off the soap and get clean. They were, all in all, not bad.
Everything changed
I was rushed, not enough time to let the water warm to my normal steamy perfection, just time for a cold shower. I turned the nozzle all the way to the left (HOT) praying for a miracle, and reluctantly stepped in. To my surprise, the water heated right up.
Here’s the real shock: it felt off. I turned the nozzle back to the right. As in back to cold. As in I had a choice and I chose cold.
The cold shower actually felt better.
The benefits of Cold showers according to science?
The bennies according to the smart kids are:
- they help burn fat
- help you fall asleep faster
- improve immunity/circulation
- drain the lymphatic system
- lower stress and depression
- increase testosterone and fertility
- lower inflammation
- don’t waste water
This wasn’t just a one off experience. I tried again the next day. I stepped into a cold shower with the nozzle twisted all the way to the left. After 2 minutes the water started to warm, and again my left hand turned the nozzle back to cold.
It is tough to describe why? Warm showers feel great, but cold showers feel like something my body needs.
I thought this was just a fling. The temp would drop and I’d go back to my old ways with the nozzle all the way to the left, but it was 59 degrees in the bathroom this morning and I still washed cold. In fact I have taken 2 warm showers since July.
Warm showers were once my religion. Who the hell am I?
Science hasn’t completely come around to explaining the Wim Hof method. So I have signed up for a workshop this weekend. I’ll report back once I’ve learned more.
Until then… stay frosty my friends.