Cold showers

[Princess Pineapple]

Why does Art of Manliness look 100 times more awesome than any women's focussed website?

[Leego]

A friend of mine once suggested that I try this. I jumped right into taking a cold shower, and although it didn't feel bad, and DID make me feel more alert, I can't say it was something that I really enjoyed.

 

I still think I'm gonna try this the next time I take a shower. It might be a way to cut down on the water heater bill, as well.

[PMyrrh]

I take cold showers all the time...in the summer, lol. I don't have AC, so its a great way to cool off. I don't know if I'd have the guts in the winter tho.

[Rurik Harrgath]

I usually stick to cold showers in the winter too.  Less of a shock to the system going from borderline hypothermic to... less hypothermic.  Maybe lukewarm is more accurate then, haha.

[doc_apoo]

Take a hot bath then a cold shower.  Game changer.

[Nedwin]

I can't shave my legs with goosebumps on them, so I can't do cold showers all the time...I have been taking cool showers after my workouts this week, and it feels great! Besides the goosebumps...

[KAllen]

I've finally settled w/ a happy medium. 

 

I shave in the shower(and refuse to go back to shaving in the sink after or before), so I start w/ hot shower to shave, then blast the cold after.  Seems to work for me. 

[BLACKBOARD MONITOR]

I've dabbled with cold showers in the past, after reading about them on AoM (like most of you). Reading about it again has got me thinking it could be a good idea in the morning. She it's winter, part of me feels some trepidation already!

[Yraen]

I usually take James Bond type showers. Hot as you can stand it for awhile then as cold as it goes. Started doing it after reading the same article as so many of you.

[Shen]

So how do people do this? Cold showers all the way? Start hot, and then cold? Just use cool water?

[JarrodCL]

I start them cold and then drop from there.  Having said that, it's because I usually take them after gym and I need to get back into a suit, so, cold water to cool me down as quickly as possible.  These make up the majority of my showering, so, warm showers become a bit of a luxury.

[J.Sark]

I do this aswell, and I'm a strong believer that taking a cold shower every day no matter what for 4 or 5 minutes will change your life. You learn about yourself, and how to deal with excuses (even after a year, some days when it's snowing outside your mind is going to be "nah, take a hot shower, you deserve it blablabla"). And you feel awesome after it.

[Starstuff]

I've been trying this for the past several days, and I'm finding it rally unpleasant. I try to stay under the cold for at least three or four minutes, but I don't ever seem to acclimate, and often I feel unpleasantly cold for hours afterward even if I bundle up. Has anyone else had these issues, and if so, do you have any tips for overcoming them?

[itisnotlogical]

Start with lukewarm or even warmer water. Slowly turn down the heat and acclimate to each stage instead of just stepping into the cold water.

 

I find that cold showers actually really help if you have a fever. It helps get rid of the sensitive skin issue, and paradoxically keeps the shivers and chills away. I still don't take them for fun however

[RamboCA]

I heard about the benefits of cold showers from Wim Hof from one of the podcast I listen to, Its a Fantastic Feelng after you take the cold shower, I have been doing this now for the last 3 months, Check out this video by him.

 

[RamboCA]

I've been trying this for the past several days, and I'm finding it rally unpleasant. I try to stay under the cold for at least three or four minutes, but I don't ever seem to acclimate, and often I feel unpleasantly cold for hours afterward even if I bundle up. Has anyone else had these issues, and if so, do you have any tips for overcoming them?

Hello Starstuff,

 

I totally get how you feel, try the breathing technique (Wim Hof)and then try to stay in the cold shower, It takes a few days to weeks and  its amazing how the body can adapt and raises the temperature to balance the cold

[DollarStoreHero]

I used to take cold showers back in my school days. (Not for that reason you pervs) But when my friends would come over and spend the night we would want to stay up all night playing SNES.  When one of us would start to doze off, we would hop in the shower for a few minutes.  Looking back it seems like lunacy.  So I didn't know there were any kind of health benefits.

[Scream]

I've been trying this for the past several days, and I'm finding it rally unpleasant. I try to stay under the cold for at least three or four minutes, but I don't ever seem to acclimate, and often I feel unpleasantly cold for hours afterward even if I bundle up. Has anyone else had these issues, and if so, do you have any tips for overcoming them?

I've been taking cold showers almost exclusively for about 2 years now. My personal experience:

 

1. You never get used to the initial 'shock' of turning on the water, and trying to avoid it is just an exercise in futility and fear (YMMV). For me, the whole point of it is to do something that's hard to do. And I can do hard things. (cold showers did wonders for my mood/confidence). Just jump in, crank on that handle, and try not to gasp. Once the initial shock passes, that's when you get used to it.

 

2. I always feel very warm inside after a shower (internal heat cranking up) but my wife is always afraid of my icy touch. After a little bit, my inner heat extends to my skin as well, and if anything I'm warmer. If you're just forcing yourself to stand under the cold water, I think you're doing it wrong. It's more like getting into a cold pool. At first there's a shock, but you warm up after moving around a bit. If you just stand still the whole time, it's going to be more miserable.