Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

We are the alchemists of our own bodies. Wim Hof

A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away. Yesterday I watched a video with Wim Hof (the Iceman).  You can find him on YouTube. Medical professionals are consulting with him to bring his methods to their patients. He is spreading the message that the cold is a hard but righteous teacher and that health, strength, and happiness for everyone may be found if we are willing to get out of our comfort zone and into the cold.

Today I found 12 reasons to take a cold shower and the health benefits associated with it.

Taken from a blog post by Michael Matthews who says he took a cold shower (almost) every day for a year.

Source: Getty

12 Reasons to Take a Cold Shower and Health Benefits:

1. Promotes fat loss

– Pouring ice cold water to the body can help cut weight

2. Improves immunity

– Cold showers trigger an increase in the metabolic speed rate, as well as increases white blood cells, which help to fight infections

3. Gives better circulation

-Among the benefits of taking cold showers is a good blood flow

4. Drains lymphatic system

– Cold Showers reduces the waste of cells, which then reduces the risk of infections

5. Promotes emotional resilience

– Cold showers can help develop a nervous system that is resilient to stress

6. Lowers stress

– Cold showers could also help cut the levels of uric acid and boost glutathione in the blood

7. Lowers chances of depression

– Cold showers stimulate the blue spot on the mind, Noradrenaline, a chemical which plays a role in alleviating depression

8. Increases testosterone levels

– A small amount of heat can affect the DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in the testes

9. Improves fertility

– Cold Showers boost sperm count and increase fertility

10. Promotes faster muscle recovery

– If you are very athletic or workout a lot, you may experience muscle aches but ice-cold baths improve circulation and help remove some lactic acid

11. Enhances skin and hair

– Cold showers lessen the risks of losing too many natural oils on the skin and hair

12. Ensures better sleep at night

– 10 min ice bath helps you sleep better at night

If we always choose comfort, we never learn the deepest capabilities of our mind or body. Wim Hof

I’m tempted to try a cold shower at night to see if I sleep better. We hear better sleep is one of the ways to improve our health. Should March be a month of cold showers?

From what I glean out of Michael Matthew’s post he doesn’t think he saw the more beautiful skin, fat loss, or the rise in testosterone promised. If he didn’t get those things why is he still doing it? He says he’s doing it because it sucks, and it reminds him every day that to be successful we have to do things we don’t want to do. Having a cold shower toughens us up. I’ve heard some people like them, but I have a feeling if I start having them it will be a challenge every day and like Michael Matthew’s that may be part of why it is good. We challenge ourselves, and by meeting that challenge we know we can meet other challenges.

This may be where resilience comes in. We are building a can-do mindset and this may be part of why it helps us with our mental health. When we do things we feel good about, we feel good about doing more things. If we have discipline about what we eat, exercise, or taking cold showers we can build on those habits.

The more comfortable we get with being uncomfortable the more we can push ourselves in other areas. If we get comfortable being uncomfortable is that when life’s possibilities open up the most?

How does taking a cold shower sound to you? What if it is life-changing? Is it worth doing an experiment of cold showers for a month, a year, a lifetime?

Fear is a natural process, a natural signal. If you ignore fear, you’re not dealing with the situation as is. You need to have fear; respect of what is going to happen. If you don’t respect it, you can’t deal with it. Wim Hof

The breath knows how to go deeper than the mind. Wim Hof

My wife jumped from 8 stories… Nature healed me. Wim Hof

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

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What Doesn’t Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength Paperback – Dec 11 2018

by Scott Carney (Author), Wim Hof (Foreword) 4.6 out of 5 stars 479 ratings#1 Best Seller in Sports Sociology


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