Cold water immersion, anyone do it? page

[Acmebike]

I've been ending showers with 2 minutes of the shower on COLD only. Pretty zesty, I gotta say, and I make sure to get the cold all over. Really get a "gasp" and shiver reflex going. I've especially enjoyed adding the cold rinse after a fasted state intense workout.


http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cold-water-therapy/


Can't imagine this is bad for me at all, but don't really know that there are true fitness/health benefits to it. Anyone got any input or experience with this? Perhaps with primal eating, exercise, sleep, healthy natural fat intake and Vitamin D (sun and supplements), and a touch of cold shock will ward off the N1H1 Flu virus for me! HAH!

[eva]

dont know about cold showers, but around here "winterswimming" is quite popular- you basically saw a hole in the ice (10 x 10m is enough) and swim a small round. Its usually done in the mornings. its supposed to work the heart and the bloodcirculation...

[Mick]

Yes, I do it sometimes.
[quote]

Can&#39;t imagine this is bad for me at all, but don&#39;t really know that there are true fitness/health benefits to it.</blockquote>


Early ethnographic writings report North American Indians breaking the ice on rivers and going in to bathe. Also, several cultures use steam baths, and a cold finish - rolling in snow, plunge-pool, whatever - seems to be de rigeur among people who take those (excepting only the more effete Middle Eastern version).


http://www.cyberbohemia.com/Pages/sweat.htm


And here are men of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre of the Royal Marine Commandos undergoing immersion training:


http://www2.armynet.mod.uk/sports/mountaineering/contents/expeditions/nansens_endeavour/contents2/photo_video_gallery/immersion_training.htm


In short, it&#39;s a common enough practise, and I doubt it does a young, strong, healthy person any harm. However, I think it&#39;s thought that the shock might be not be a good thing for for someone who has heart problems. As they say, anyone who&#39;s in any doubt should check with their doctor.


Some benefits are claimed, but I&#39;m not sure whether any are provable.

[PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess]

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cold-water-therapy/

[Shine]

I take cool showers with one minute of cold water at the end. I guess it&#39;s not as shocking as the transition from hot to cold, but I find that a cooler shower overall is more refreshing. I can&#39;t even remember the last time there was steam in my bathroom.

[Grumpycakes]

Art De Vany writes about the benefits of cold showers. It&#39;s been a while since I read his stuff but I believe he says it stimulates the growth of brown adipose tissue which helps keep a person lean by burning a lot of calories to keep them warm.

[DaveFish]

That&#39;s one of the tips listed in this article on preventing colds and flu:


http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/01/27/beat-the-flu-for-4-a-month/


I&#39;ve been following most of those tips since January of this year and I&#39;ve not gotten sick since then even though my wife and kids have had colds and flu.

[Madame P]

I&#39;ve been washing my hair in cold water for years. It makes it shinier, healthier, and grow faster.


I also take cold water showers when I&#39;m fasting, to stave off hunger. It works.

[Griff]

I take warm-to-hot showers to get clean, but after I&#39;m clean I turn the water to cool (not cold, I can&#39;t take that big of a switch!) and rinse off for a minute or two. I find that it helps not just with blood sugar but also with itching - I tend to get skin itchiness after a shower, and the cool water calms down the histamine response.

[Get Primal]

No cold showers for me, but I do jump through the ice into nearly frozen water every New Year&#39;s Day. Not sure refreshing is the word I&#39;d use. As an ultrarunner I&#39;ve used ice baths with great results following races. Looking forward to sitting in Lake Superior for about 30 minutes after my race next weekend...un-primal cooler of beer right next to me