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I started taking cold showers about 3 months ago when my cofounder challenged my statement of: "Why don't more people eat healthy and exercise? It sucks at the

I started taking cold showers about 3 months ago when my cofounder challenged my statement of: "Why don't more people eat healthy and exercise? It sucks at the beginning but it just keeps getting better." With the statement of "for the same reason you don't take cold showers." I'd never heard that cold showers were good for you and after validating his claims, I gave myself two weeks to get used to as-cold-as-possible showers. After about ten days it started being less painful, and now I can barely imagine going back. Yes the 3 degree Celsius showers still kinda suck; but they wake you up and they make the towel afterwards so warm and inviting. They make you hardened to the outdoor cold and they make you not need that first coffee in the morning. If fixing diet and exercise are number 1 and number 2 to being a happier human. I'd put fixing the person you're dating at number 3, the people you're friends with at number 4, and the temperatures of the showers you take at number 5. A+ / 5 star - would have my cofounder challenge me again.

uberdog 11y ago
You're a crazy motherfucker, but variety is the spice of life. Props for that. I'm going to stick with heat for my showers and leave cold for when I'm skiing.
gh02t 11y ago
I take cold showers every now and then (more often in winter actually) and like you said I kind of like it. However what I usually do is warm it up at the end, partly because I like the feeling of warming up from being cold but also because I feel cold the rest of the day otherwise.
humbleMouse 11y ago
I like taking cold showers after getting out of the sauna at the gym. Living in minneapolis though, there is no way in hell I would ever cold shower in the morning before work. The hot shower in the morning and my leather heated seats are the only salvation from the cold ass winter.
- RogtamBar 11y ago
  The thing is cold showers warm you up by booting up the metabolism. 3 mins after stepping out of a cold shower I'm usually feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, as if I had just kicked some disgusting dog off my porch. (/s)
  - humbleMouse 11y ago
    Lol, you may have convinced me to try a cold shower just because of the great metaphor.
holografix 11y ago
Is be curious to hear you expand on points 3 and 4.
visakanv 11y ago
I've been taking cold showers for about a month just because it's been extra hot and humid where I'm from (Singapore), and I've actually been really enjoying it. My water isn't 3 degrees C though, probably more like... 20. I wish I could have it colder.
- fsiefken 11y ago
  Perhaps a river or lake can provide you with colder temperatures? I've got a similar issue, I practice outdoor swimming the year round and the temperature doesn't get below 4 degrees. I've got to move countries to swim in colder water
  - dualogy 11y ago
    > Perhaps a river or lake can provide you with colder temperatures? Nah, down there in the equatorial tropics, the only things that get much below 20°C are those in fridges or freezers. The aircons don't go below 16°C.
  - snaily 11y ago
    Not really, unfortunately: http://www.seatemperature.org/asia/singapore/singapore.htm http://www.seatemperature.org/asia/singapore/singapore.htm
- Lxr 11y ago
  I recently moved to Singapore and assumed cold showers were pretty much the norm here. Can confirm it's not comparable to having a cold shower elsewhere though, in terms of willpower :)
- antisthenes 11y ago
  I'm not sure a 20 degree shower really counts as a cold shower. That is a comfortable swimming temperature on most summer days and people can easily spend 20-30 minutes in water just to cool off even if they are unaccustomed to taking cold showers at home. I've only been to such hot countries on vacation, and I think if asked, most people would confirm that they mostly don't use the hot water, except perhaps to sanitize hands with soap.
tomjen3 11y ago
Disagree. I took them for a month and I didn't notice any benefit. This was in February in Denmark at the lowest possible setting btw.
dingaling 11y ago
I started taking cold showers outside after my morning run when the heating element in the electric shower failed for the second time. I just use a house and spray nozzle off the back-yard tap ( winter in Ireland is quite mild! ) and the main benefit I feel is the warmth when entering the house afterwards, rather than the typical step-out-of-shower chill. After a couple of weeks it becomes a routine and normal showers now feel weak and insufficiently cleansing. I haven't noticed any particular health benefits, still susceptible to colds and flu.
tempestn 11y ago
Wow, 3 degrees is not just uncomfortable, but literally cold enough to be painful. Our pool gets down to about that over the winter and sticking my hand in for even a few seconds hurts. Interesting that you found it less painful after a while though.
- 3pt14159 11y ago
  Yeah, I don't think they will be that cold once we're out of the winter. I live in Canada, so I'm a little bit used to the cold. Although not as much now that I live in Toronto.
  - tempestn 11y ago
    I'm in Canada too, but in Victoria we don't really get Canadian weather. :P
fpoling 11y ago
I tried to take very cold showers for months or swim in winter. It never became less painful.
bitL 11y ago
When I started, it was 2.5 minutes of horrible feelings, then next 2.5 minutes were kinda Okay. Nowadays the adaptation takes like 3 seconds, then I just coast under cold water. And I sometimes take a cold shower at 3am and go to sleep right after. Body adapts. But I haven't really seen it helping to get rid of belly fat; it helps sore muscles recovery after/during workout significantly though. For belly fat I still need to do all the aerobic exercises and proper diet until 6-pack shows up.
maartenpi_ 11y ago
I gave it a try as well, after reading an article on getting more energetic throughout the day. I didn't notice the difference and the cold showers are not something I could get used to. Guess it's different for each person.
SyneRyder 11y ago
I tried cold showers for at least a month. I can confirm it gets easier & feels less painful over time, and there is a kind of rush that you get from it. But ultimately I stopped. Partly because my hair never washed right in the cold water, but mostly because the showers were making me grumpy & irritable for the rest of the day. I didn't enjoy that feeling, I didn't particularly enjoy the showers, and I didn't notice any productivity or health benefit. I first heard about cold showers from Joel Runyon, so I'll give him a link [1]. But it quickly went from blogs about "here's a self-motivation idea I'm trying" to "here is my TEDx talk and Cold Shower Therapy™ email course and download the Cold Shower Therapy™ app on the App Store". [1] http://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy/ http://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy/
- dajbelshaw 11y ago
  I've taken cold showers every weekday for the last few years. The way I get around the problems raised (washing hair, etc.) is that I have a really hot shower just before bed. This helps me sleep by lowering my core body temperature. Cold showers are great and, as someone who's suffered from depression in the past, I go into each day thinking, "what's the worst that could happen"?* *I realise that sounds flippant, but it's true...
  - unicornporn 11y ago
    So you shower twice a day? My skin wouldn't approve...
    - culturestate 11y ago
      I've been doing this (both hot, though) most of my life. My skin is fine, but my hair used to take a beating -- now I only wash it every other day, rinsing in between, and it seems to work well.
    - joelrunyon 11y ago
      The cold water doesn't dry your skin off nearly as much as hot water does.
cauterized 11y ago
Tried it for two weeks once and promptly came down with the worst cold I'd had in a decade. causation? Maybe, maybe not -- but that doesn't incline me to try it again.
- bitL 11y ago
  Likely causation. Try rather adding 10-15s a day to the duration of your cold shower. Some research shows cold showers after 2-2.5 minutes aren't giving you any benefits and over 10 minutes are outright dangerous (unless you are a pro-athlete in recovery). Even if you do it for longer time, you can still catch horrible cold - I got deep sinusitis knocking me out for a month and am still have some mild symptoms (it was a combination of a bacterial infection, another virus and cold showers prior to catching it). Be careful!
hkhall 11y ago
I have been doing them for a while. Yes they suck to start but then they start getting meditative. As winter ended in New England I wanted to up the stakes a bit. Where my wife and I live there is a lovely little waterfall where we go swimming in the summer. Decided to start swimming in Mid March while taking the dog on a walk next to it while she was gone on a trip. Max time in the water at first was maybe 90 seconds but doing it almost everyday since (combined with the changing of the seasons) means now I can stay in as long as I want without discomfort: on the order of 5 minutes.[1] Side bonus: it has reset my internal thermometer for what is "cold". Most cold snaps are now, by comparison, "ehh this isn't so bad." [1] http://i.imgur.com/b9GHHQr.jpg http://i.imgur.com/b9GHHQr.jpg
cyphar 11y ago
Cold showers are much harder than getting healthy. I started exercising and changed my diet a few months ago and it felt great after a week or two. And you're right that it keeps getting better.

uberdog 11y ago

You're a crazy motherfucker, but variety is the spice of life. Props for that. I'm going to stick with heat for my showers and leave cold for when I'm skiing.

gh02t 11y ago

I take cold showers every now and then (more often in winter actually) and like you said I kind of like it. However what I usually do is warm it up at the end, partly because I like the feeling of warming up from being cold but also because I feel cold the rest of the day otherwise.

humbleMouse 11y ago

I like taking cold showers after getting out of the sauna at the gym. Living in minneapolis though, there is no way in hell I would ever cold shower in the morning before work. The hot shower in the morning and my leather heated seats are the only salvation from the cold ass winter.

RogtamBar 11y ago
The thing is cold showers warm you up by booting up the metabolism. 3 mins after stepping out of a cold shower I'm usually feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, as if I had just kicked some disgusting dog off my porch. (/s)
- humbleMouse 11y ago
  Lol, you may have convinced me to try a cold shower just because of the great metaphor.

holografix 11y ago

Is be curious to hear you expand on points 3 and 4.

visakanv 11y ago

I've been taking cold showers for about a month just because it's been extra hot and humid where I'm from (Singapore), and I've actually been really enjoying it. My water isn't 3 degrees C though, probably more like... 20. I wish I could have it colder.

fsiefken 11y ago
Perhaps a river or lake can provide you with colder temperatures? I've got a similar issue, I practice outdoor swimming the year round and the temperature doesn't get below 4 degrees. I've got to move countries to swim in colder water
- dualogy 11y ago
  > Perhaps a river or lake can provide you with colder temperatures? Nah, down there in the equatorial tropics, the only things that get much below 20°C are those in fridges or freezers. The aircons don't go below 16°C.
- snaily 11y ago
  Not really, unfortunately: http://www.seatemperature.org/asia/singapore/singapore.htm http://www.seatemperature.org/asia/singapore/singapore.htm
Lxr 11y ago
I recently moved to Singapore and assumed cold showers were pretty much the norm here. Can confirm it's not comparable to having a cold shower elsewhere though, in terms of willpower :)
antisthenes 11y ago
I'm not sure a 20 degree shower really counts as a cold shower. That is a comfortable swimming temperature on most summer days and people can easily spend 20-30 minutes in water just to cool off even if they are unaccustomed to taking cold showers at home. I've only been to such hot countries on vacation, and I think if asked, most people would confirm that they mostly don't use the hot water, except perhaps to sanitize hands with soap.

tomjen3 11y ago

Disagree. I took them for a month and I didn't notice any benefit. This was in February in Denmark at the lowest possible setting btw.

dingaling 11y ago

I started taking cold showers outside after my morning run when the heating element in the electric shower failed for the second time. I just use a house and spray nozzle off the back-yard tap ( winter in Ireland is quite mild! ) and the main benefit I feel is the warmth when entering the house afterwards, rather than the typical step-out-of-shower chill. After a couple of weeks it becomes a routine and normal showers now feel weak and insufficiently cleansing. I haven't noticed any particular health benefits, still susceptible to colds and flu.

tempestn 11y ago

Wow, 3 degrees is not just uncomfortable, but literally cold enough to be painful. Our pool gets down to about that over the winter and sticking my hand in for even a few seconds hurts. Interesting that you found it less painful after a while though.

3pt14159 11y ago
Yeah, I don't think they will be that cold once we're out of the winter. I live in Canada, so I'm a little bit used to the cold. Although not as much now that I live in Toronto.
- tempestn 11y ago
  I'm in Canada too, but in Victoria we don't really get Canadian weather. :P

fpoling 11y ago

I tried to take very cold showers for months or swim in winter. It never became less painful.

bitL 11y ago

When I started, it was 2.5 minutes of horrible feelings, then next 2.5 minutes were kinda Okay. Nowadays the adaptation takes like 3 seconds, then I just coast under cold water. And I sometimes take a cold shower at 3am and go to sleep right after. Body adapts. But I haven't really seen it helping to get rid of belly fat; it helps sore muscles recovery after/during workout significantly though. For belly fat I still need to do all the aerobic exercises and proper diet until 6-pack shows up.

maartenpi_ 11y ago

I gave it a try as well, after reading an article on getting more energetic throughout the day. I didn't notice the difference and the cold showers are not something I could get used to. Guess it's different for each person.

SyneRyder 11y ago

I tried cold showers for at least a month. I can confirm it gets easier & feels less painful over time, and there is a kind of rush that you get from it. But ultimately I stopped. Partly because my hair never washed right in the cold water, but mostly because the showers were making me grumpy & irritable for the rest of the day. I didn't enjoy that feeling, I didn't particularly enjoy the showers, and I didn't notice any productivity or health benefit. I first heard about cold showers from Joel Runyon, so I'll give him a link [1]. But it quickly went from blogs about "here's a self-motivation idea I'm trying" to "here is my TEDx talk and Cold Shower Therapy™ email course and download the Cold Shower Therapy™ app on the App Store". [1] http://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy/ http://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy/

dajbelshaw 11y ago
I've taken cold showers every weekday for the last few years. The way I get around the problems raised (washing hair, etc.) is that I have a really hot shower just before bed. This helps me sleep by lowering my core body temperature. Cold showers are great and, as someone who's suffered from depression in the past, I go into each day thinking, "what's the worst that could happen"?* *I realise that sounds flippant, but it's true...
- unicornporn 11y ago
  So you shower twice a day? My skin wouldn't approve...
  - culturestate 11y ago
    I've been doing this (both hot, though) most of my life. My skin is fine, but my hair used to take a beating -- now I only wash it every other day, rinsing in between, and it seems to work well.
  - joelrunyon 11y ago
    The cold water doesn't dry your skin off nearly as much as hot water does.

cauterized 11y ago

Tried it for two weeks once and promptly came down with the worst cold I'd had in a decade. causation? Maybe, maybe not -- but that doesn't incline me to try it again.

bitL 11y ago
Likely causation. Try rather adding 10-15s a day to the duration of your cold shower. Some research shows cold showers after 2-2.5 minutes aren't giving you any benefits and over 10 minutes are outright dangerous (unless you are a pro-athlete in recovery). Even if you do it for longer time, you can still catch horrible cold - I got deep sinusitis knocking me out for a month and am still have some mild symptoms (it was a combination of a bacterial infection, another virus and cold showers prior to catching it). Be careful!

hkhall 11y ago

I have been doing them for a while. Yes they suck to start but then they start getting meditative. As winter ended in New England I wanted to up the stakes a bit. Where my wife and I live there is a lovely little waterfall where we go swimming in the summer. Decided to start swimming in Mid March while taking the dog on a walk next to it while she was gone on a trip. Max time in the water at first was maybe 90 seconds but doing it almost everyday since (combined with the changing of the seasons) means now I can stay in as long as I want without discomfort: on the order of 5 minutes.[1] Side bonus: it has reset my internal thermometer for what is "cold". Most cold snaps are now, by comparison, "ehh this isn't so bad." [1] http://i.imgur.com/b9GHHQr.jpg http://i.imgur.com/b9GHHQr.jpg

cyphar 11y ago

Cold showers are much harder than getting healthy. I started exercising and changed my diet a few months ago and it felt great after a week or two. And you're right that it keeps getting better.