June 18, 2018
My Case for Cold Showers
It was 7am on a Monday in January. I had just finished a workout, and had to be at the office by 8am for a meeting. I turned on the shower to no hot water. Not even a smidge. I contemplated not showering, as the thought of freezing cold water was terrorizing, but it was going to be a long day, so I decided to brave the cold. In short, it was a mind fuck. I squirmed and screeched my way through it, feeling the cold water jolt and spike into my skin. But when I finally got out of the shower, I actually felt great. Really great.. the best I had felt in a while. Not only was it a huge sense of accomplishment (and relief), I felt alive and excited about the day ahead.
January was a hard month. I was in the middle of construction on Skyview Hotel, launching Nourish at Granada Hotel, and rebranding The Vanity Project. I was starving for the feeling of accomplishment. Later that night, I googled ‘cold showers and their benefits’, which sent me on a rabbit hole of scientific research on the health benefits of cold water immersion, of which there are many. I decided to hold off on calling the plumber and continue to cold shower for a month. While googling I found numerous high performers who cold shower as part of their ritual- Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris, Katherine Hepburn, Triathlete Joel Runyon, to name a few. Maybe there’s something to it??
Fast forward to now- it’s mid June and I still have not called the plumber. I crave the cold shower every morning, and the feeling of vigor it provides. The instant gratification of feeling awake and alive are enough for me to keep doing it, but here’s a list of other reasons why it’s worth a try.
The benefits Cold Showers and Cold Water immersion in the morning:
~Strengthens the immune system
~Flushes toxins from the skin
~Increases blood circulation which helps flush out toxins everywhere in the body
~Promotes growth and repair of the circulatory system by stimulating capillary beds often left to "stagnate" with blood
~Keeps your skin tight, elastic and vibrant
~Balances the autonomic nervous system (This makes you feel relaxed and peaceful, yet still alert, when you get out of the shower.)
~Wakes you up in the morning!
Read More:
Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2018/03/03/cold-showers-the-latest-silicon-valley-fad-to-get-people-to-work-harder/#34799adb34b4
Tony Robbins: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/health-vitality/the-power-of-cold-water/
Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/3043767/the-scientific-case-for-cold-showers