Every morning, Tony Robbins wakes up and plunges into a 57-degree Fahrenheit pool of water. It’s not exactly a gentle way to wake up, but he’s not just doing it to shock himself into wakefulness. Cold water immersion activates the body’s natural healing powers that can relieve the symptoms of many medical conditions and promote a sense of health and well-being. And when practiced on a regular basis and turned into a habit, cold water immersion can even provide long-lasting changes to your body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems that enhance the overall quality of your life.
You might not have an immersion pool available to you, but you can still see the same kind of results as Tony does – you’ll just use your shower instead of a pool.
WARMING UP TO COLD SHOWERS
When you first get started with reaping the health benefits of cold showers, you may want to begin slowly. You can slowly decrease the amount of hot water you use and ease yourself into cooler showers. Of course, you can also jump right into it by not using hot water at all, but this could be a bit of a shock to the system. Once you’ve got the temperature that’s right for you, enter the shower slowly and take a few deep breaths. Then start getting wet slowly with your hands, then feet, then the rest of your body. Progress through your normal routine of hair and body washing, getting out as soon as you feel you’re getting too chilled. As time progresses and you get used to cold showers, you’ll be able to spend more time in the shower and lower the temperature of the water even more.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF COLD SHOWERS
You can turn a cold water shower into the starting point of a new push toward wellness. Cold showers help your nervous system manage stress better and build willpower. They can also help improve the condition of your skin and hair and increase alertness, which is why they’re often recommended in the morning. Here are some additional proven health benefits of cold showers:
IMPROVES LYMPHATIC CIRCULATION
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels that run throughout the body, clearing out waste, bacteria, and microbes from your cells. The lymphatic system essentially helps your body cleanse itself.
Unlike your blood, which is constantly pumped through your body by the heart, your lymph fluid doesn’t have a central pump. Instead, your lymphatic system relies on muscle contraction to pump the lymph fluid through the vessels. So if you don’t exercise or your lymphatic system itself becomes slow or inefficient, the fluid stagnates and toxins build up, manifesting in colds, joint pain, infection, and even disease.
Cold water immersion causes your lymph vessels to contract, forcing your lymphatic system to pump lymph fluids throughout your body, flushing the waste out of the area. One of the benefits of cold showers is that they trigger the immune system’s white blood cells, prompting them to attack and destroy any unwanted substance in the fluid. It’s sort of a domino effect – the cold water affects the lymphatic system, which in turn affects the immune system, which ultimately keeps you feeling happy and healthy.
IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR CIRCULATION
We rarely think about cardiovascular circulation, but it’s one of the most critical components of our overall health and well-being. Poor cardiovascular circulation compromises blood flow, thus stressing the heart. This can ultimately lead to health problems like fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, muscle cramping or even heart attack and stroke.
With improved circulation, on the other hand, we can improve heart health, enhance mental performance, boost the immune system and the body’s metabolism, and simply give ourselves more strength and energy to live our lives the way we want.
Exercise and diet are two well-known factors in better cardiovascular circulation. But among the health benefits of cold showers is the stimulation of blood flow. When you immerse your body in cold water, the blood rushes to surround your vital organs. Your heart is then forced to pump more efficiently, pushing blood through all your vessels and supplying every part of your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs. Doing this on a routine basis can help promote healthy blood circulation and a healthy body.
REDUCES MUSCLE SORENESS & INFLAMMATION
Have you ever participated in a high-intensity workout and woken up sore the next morning? How about trying a new type of physical activity that left your muscles throbbing? This physical discomfort is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it can be so painful that those afflicted instantly reach for the anti-inflammatory meds to soothe their pain. All too often, people can’t take the pain that comes with this new or increased movement, and they use it as an excuse to stop their workout routine either temporarily or, in extreme cases, entirely.
The pain of DOMS can be explained this way: any activity that pushes your muscles beyond the limits they are accustomed to – even common household chores, if you’re largely sedentary – can lead to microscopic tears in the fibers and inflammation in the tissue. The tears and inflammation are the cause of the pain you’re feeling.
But cold water immersion – along with an alkaline-based diet – has been scientifically proven to help counteract these side effects. One of the top cold shower or cold bath benefits is the fact that they lower the damaged tissue’s temperature and constricts the blood vessels. This helps reduce any swelling and inflammation and even numbs the nerve endings, bringing immediate relief to any pain. This is why professional athletes soak in an ice bath following a strenuous workout.
But you don’t have to be a serious athlete to reap the benefits of cold water immersion. By simply taking a quick cold water shower after a stint at the gym or some heavy work around the house, you can help reduce soreness and inflammation. And by incorporating cold water immersion into your daily routine and reaping the benefits of cold showers, you may find that you don’t need to reach for the pills because you’ve found an easy, natural way of expediting recovery and comfort.
BOOSTS HAPPINESS
Feeling down or having trouble managing stress? Try taking a cold shower. It may seem like a superficial fix, but the benefits of cold showers actually run deeper than you think when it comes to boosting your mood. A 2007 research study found that cold showers can help treat depression symptoms, and if used on a routine basis, may be more beneficial than prescription medications in lifting moods.
This is due to the stimulation of the dopaminergic transmission in the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal pathway. In plain English, the cold water triggers a flood of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, which make you feel happy. So the next time you find yourself in a depressed state, consider the benefits of water, be it an ocean, a lake or a simple cold shower. You may just find that water can play a vital role in keeping your body and your mind happy.
AIDS WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS
When practiced routinely, cold water immersion can boost your metabolism. Not only does cold water force your body to work harder to keep you warm – burning calories in the process – it also has an unexpected impact on the type of fat we produce.
According to a 2009 study, researchers found that cold water can promote healthy brown fat, which is the good fat our bodies generate to keep us warm. Brown fat is activated when exposed to extreme fat and helps eliminate white fat, which is the body fat that piles up around our waistlines and thighs when we consume too many calories. While cold water immersion should not be considered a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise routine, it does make an excellent supplement.
IMPROVES HAIR AND SKIN
If you struggle with dry or dull skin and hair that never appears healthy, you’ll be interested to know that one of the benefits of cold showers is improved appearance and health of your skin and hair. Cold water helps to reduce the size of your pores and tightens your skin. Because cold water doesn’t encourage your body to release oils as warm water does, you won’t have excess oil that can lead to greasy hair or breakouts. You’ll retain those oils to keep your skin adequately moisturized, leaving skin and hair balanced and healthy. The cold water also stimulates hair follicles, increasing its thickness and length.
Conditioning your brain and your body to accept, endure and embrace cold water immersion may be challenging, but the health benefits in both the short and long run are well worth it. You will be able to activate your body’s natural healing powers to properly support your physiological and mental state of being, begin to feel healthier and happier and even experience some aesthetic benefits in shinier, longer hair and a brighter complexion.
Even if you begin with a quick cold water shower that lowers your skin temperature only briefly, the results can be dramatic. So consider the benefits of cold showers, whether it’s for an extra dose of energy during the day or long-lasting change for the future.
Info provided by Team Tony