I did it. Originally said 16 weeks. Think i did 13 or 14 weeks straight of cold plunging all winter. They consisted of 3 minute submersion up to the neck. Local Ponds. Lakes. Rivers. Wherever it happened to be most convenient. How will i proceed? lets take a dive in:
Though the whole process, i was finishing my showers in the morning with 2 minutes of cold as well, as taking walks outside on lunch break in low amount of clothes to ensure i got more cold shock exposure.
I noticed there were a few periods where i actually got a bit drained from the high exposure to the cold stress. i would pull back a bit at times and found a nice sweet spot. There was a mental boost afterward that lingered for hours. I did feel a sense of strong accomplishment. I remember early on before the plunges and showers I would have this urge in me to want to skip it. i would slight dread it. But then i was also reminded of how powerful the benefits are and to overcome the challenge. Always worth it each time i did it.
Later in the journey, i didn’t notice that partial anxiety kick in about dreading the cold. I did notice over the course of the last few months, that my body fat reduced and my body tightened up from an appearance standpoint. The science does show that the metabolism is increased and we are burning energy more efficiently after morning cold exposure. That effect has shown itself very well.
I also noticed my cardiovascular health feeling pretty optimal. not getting winded as easily. feeling as though my endurance at the gym was up. I stay in pretty good shape year round, so it could or could not have been the cold. The science does also show cardiovascular improvements.
Now today, i would continue the plunges if i had a fancy one that i could keep at my apartment, but i will not be doing so. instead, i am doing morning 2 minute cold showers about 4-5 times a week. I’ll start the shower warm and then go pretty darn cold for the last 2 minutes. I don’t believe there is science showing that the plunge is optimal over the shower. i do feel in the shower that my system is getting pretty darn shocked since im slowly turning around and everything. hit with that cold recurringly. where as: with the plunge, after a certain point, you go completely numb. I’ve felt just as good doing the cold showers.
I will continue to keep the cold showers in the routine. I like to do them after i hit the exercise bike upon waking. Really gets the system going.
Do i recommend the cold? of course. experiment with it and see where your sweet spot is. feels positive and mentally boosting to conquer something hard. Adding wins to our day. we need that healthy dose of system stress to keep a strong resilient system. similar to the fashion of working out and stressing the system in the gym for a short hour. Which then yields results for days to come after our system.
I heard a statement along the lines of: our society is becoming too comfortable. quick services. less reasons to move. convenience with everything. its important now than ever to add these resilience building routines to our life so we can be more prepared for the sickness that tries to penetrate our systems.
overall, im a fan of the cold. find the sweet spot. every other day. couple days in a row with a break. see what works. i noticed i was doing too much after i tried it for days in a row, and felt a bit mentally cloudy a couple hours after one of the systems. That was a good sign that i was hammering the nervous system a bit much.
So i pulled back. find the balance. with any incorporation. when i have a house some day, will i get a nice fancy cold plunge for the porch. probably yes. but for now the shower seems to have amazing benefits.
Enjoy.
THE_HUMAN_EXPERIMENT1993 