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So i tried cold showers for 30+days
#1
Greetings. Today i am gonna share my personal story of trying cold showers, plus the positive/negatives of it.

First of, why did i wanna try cold showers in the first place?

There are many people boasting about the benefits of exposing yourself into the cold, and cold water . At first, they sound really good, but on a second though the sound  like hippie science stuff, and to tell you the truth most of the "benefits" you hear, are unfortunately as far as i know, anecdotal and of no statistical significance. To make matters worse, there have not been many studies done on cold exposure, hence why we dont know for sure on the benefits you get.
Having said that, what made me expose myself into cold water?

Emotional Resilience. Let me clarify now,
One of the things i envy in army special forces, is the ability of these men to put aside their wants vs needs, in order to accomplish X order. One of the key things in special forces bootcamps, is cold exposure and cold water swimming. In my opinion, such mindset is very useful to have, especially in a world of instant gratification. Exposing yourself into cold water, especially now in the winter time, is... hardcore to say the least. However, it requieres a lot of determination and "lets get this done" mindset. In my (short) experience, this has slowly transfered into other areas in my life, not just bathing.

I think its the fighting your "wants",that actually helps develop discipline and willpower. So, the same could be accomplished by other extreme examples, like fasting for 24 hours or some sort.

Now, to the more anecdotal benefits i see,
I feel invigorated after cold showering - helps you wake up, without coffee or tea - great thing in the morning
My skin has become thicker to touch - hot water removes natural oils of your skin, leading to skin dehydration
I dont feel as cold as other people - I live in Greece, and during november almost everyone is out with full clothing and/or jackets. Me? A sleeveless t-shirt, and a light jacket is all i need, and if i walk for a bit i tend to remove the jacket because i quickly get sweaty and hot.
I feel a sense of "empowerment" that i can bath with cold water, while the rest of people need their "woosy" hot water . Big Grin 
My total bath time is reduced, so i save up for both for water/electicity bill and precious time that i can expend somewhere else.

Drawbacks: When you first try cold shower, you get really really cold. I hated it. It was almost like self-subjected torture. My "ego" wanted me to switch back to hot water immediately.
If done right before sleep, the jolt of energy wlill remove your need for sleep for like an hour or so. Never do cold showers right before sleep, unless your body has accustomed to the feeling.

So, should everyone do cold showers? Thats up to you - and none is superior or inferior for not wanting to bath with cold/hot water. Thats a big myth usually portraid by manosphere blogs, and tbh thats a really bad mindset to have and marketing tactics of those blogs in order to sell you their agenda.

Cold exposure teaches you discipline, and to be cool and present in the moment while under stress. Thats something i noticed, over the days. While i cant prove what i say (there are no scientific studies - as far as i know) i have a theory. When you pour cold water over your body, your blood pressure and heart rate rise. Its your bodies way to quickly increase blood transfer and heat, while this is happening a small cortisol release happens also, because of the stress you put your body though. This stress, is also released in everyday living, like being late for school/work, exams etc. So, my theory here is that by subjecting your body into cold water, you "teach" your mind to be cool while under stress.

Thanks for reading.
tl;dr : Cold water is more of a cultivation of mindset, discipline and willpower. The benefits you read online, like increased brown fat,better immune system etc, are not proven facts. They are mostly anecdotal. While i have heard of many winter swimmers never getting cold, and want to believe this is true (who wants to get the flu in the winter?) i am skeptical about the validity of those claims .
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#2
Everybody who does cold showers eventually goes back to regular showers after the placebo works off. Speaking from experience when I say this. After a hundred or so cold showers it just becomes another daily routine. Novelty fades.

I would also avoid super hot showers. Inhaling the steam is not so good for you when the water is filled with chemicals.

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#3
I did cold showers one summer a couple of years back, but it was hard to keep up when the cold months came. I did feel superior for doing it, though.

I think the toughening effect could be worth it in some cases.
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#4
(11-22-2019, 06:54 PM)Brett Wrote: Everybody who does cold showers eventually goes back to regular showers after the placebo works off. Speaking from experience when I say this. After a hundred or so cold showers it just becomes another daily routine. Novelty fades.

I would also avoid super hot showers. Inhaling the steam is not so good for you when the water is filled with chemicals.

I actually do hot showers once every week or so. It makes me feel grateful for having access to hot water (i know, this can sound stupid or mental masturbation ). Its amazing how we can get accustomed to having  luxuries (or things in general) for certain.

What i forgot to write above, is that i took inspiration from   the quote of Seneca "learn to practice poverty, and ask yourself, is this the situation i so feared"? This quote gave me the motivation to start cold showers


Didnt you feel like cold showers helped you in any way? (mostly your mental aspect, cause i am very skeptical about any health benefit whatsoever).

I do know that after a certain point, i may return back to normal showers. Thing is, i take this period as a self teaching way , kind of like "hardening up" to myself and develop a thicker skin. How could cold water possibly help? Well in my opinion subjecting yourself to something  unpleasant everyday, will eventually make you develop self discipline and willpower. As i said above, this could also be done by other things, like working out every day or diet adherence etc. I dont know, time will tell.
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#5
(11-22-2019, 10:22 PM)khrazz Wrote: I actually do hot showers once every week or so. It makes me feel grateful for having access to hot water (i know, this can sound stupid or mental masturbation ). Its amazing how we can get accustomed to having  luxuries (or things in general) for certain.

What i forgot to write above, is that i took inspiration from   the quote of Seneca "learn to practice poverty, and ask yourself, is this the situation i so feared"? This quote gave me the motivation to start cold showers


Didnt you feel like cold showers helped you in any way? (mostly your mental aspect, cause i am very skeptical about any health benefit whatsoever).

I do know that after a certain point, i may return back to normal showers. Thing is, i take this period as a self teaching way , kind of like "hardening up" to myself and develop a thicker skin. How could cold water possibly help? Well in my opinion subjecting yourself to something  unpleasant everyday, will eventually make you develop self discipline and willpower. As i said above, this could also be done by other things, like working out every day or diet adherence etc. I dont know, time will tell.

They made me feel stronger and more manly, but after a while I couldn't be bothered and went back to heated showers.

Maybe I will do some cold showers again in the future though. I don't have anything against them I just lost interest.

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#6
(11-22-2019, 11:38 AM)khrazz Wrote: Greetings. Today i am gonna share my personal story of trying cold showers, plus the positive/negatives of it.

First of, why did i wanna try cold showers in the first place?

There are many people boasting about the benefits of exposing yourself into the cold, and cold water . At first, they sound really good, but on a second though the sound  like hippie science stuff, and to tell you the truth most of the "benefits" you hear, are unfortunately as far as i know, anecdotal and of no statistical significance. To make matters worse, there have not been many studies done on cold exposure, hence why we dont know for sure on the benefits you get.
Having said that, what made me expose myself into cold water?

Emotional Resilience. Let me clarify now,
One of the things i envy in army special forces, is the ability of these men to put aside their wants vs needs, in order to accomplish X order. One of the key things in special forces bootcamps, is cold exposure and cold water swimming. In my opinion, such mindset is very useful to have, especially in a world of instant gratification. Exposing yourself into cold water, especially now in the winter time, is... hardcore to say the least. However, it requieres a lot of determination and "lets get this done" mindset. In my (short) experience, this has slowly transfered into other areas in my life, not just bathing.

I think its the fighting your "wants",that actually helps develop discipline and willpower. So, the same could be accomplished by other extreme examples, like fasting for 24 hours or some sort.

Now, to the more anecdotal benefits i see,
I feel invigorated after cold showering - helps you wake up, without coffee or tea - great thing in the morning
My skin has become thicker to touch - hot water removes natural oils of your skin, leading to skin dehydration
I dont feel as cold as other people - I live in Greece, and during november almost everyone is out with full clothing and/or jackets. Me? A sleeveless t-shirt, and a light jacket is all i need, and if i walk for a bit i tend to remove the jacket because i quickly get sweaty and hot.
I feel a sense of "empowerment" that i can bath with cold water, while the rest of people need their "woosy" hot water . Big Grin 
My total bath time is reduced, so i save up for both for water/electicity bill and precious time that i can expend somewhere else.

Drawbacks: When you first try cold shower, you get really really cold. I hated it. It was almost like self-subjected torture. My "ego" wanted me to switch back to hot water immediately.
If done right before sleep, the jolt of energy wlill remove your need for sleep for like an hour or so. Never do cold showers right before sleep, unless your body has accustomed to the feeling.

So, should everyone do cold showers? Thats up to you - and none is superior or inferior for not wanting to bath with cold/hot water. Thats a big myth usually portraid by manosphere blogs, and tbh thats a really bad mindset to have and marketing tactics of those blogs in order to sell you their agenda.

Cold exposure teaches you discipline, and to be cool and present in the moment while under stress. Thats something i noticed, over the days. While i cant prove what i say (there are no scientific studies - as far as i know) i have a theory. When you pour cold water over your body, your blood pressure and heart rate rise. Its your bodies way to quickly increase blood transfer and heat, while this is happening a small cortisol release happens also, because of the stress you put your body though. This stress, is also released in everyday living, like being late for school/work, exams etc. So, my theory here is that by subjecting your body into cold water, you "teach" your mind to be cool while under stress.

Thanks for reading.
tl;dr : Cold water is more of a cultivation of mindset, discipline and willpower. The benefits you read online, like increased brown fat,better immune system etc, are not proven facts. They are mostly anecdotal. While i have heard of many winter swimmers never getting cold, and want to believe this is true (who wants to get the flu in the winter?) i am skeptical about the validity of those claims .

I also live in Athens - Greece. Check this: http://inhealthanddisease.blogspot.com/2013/09/blog-post_13.html


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#7
Cold showers are complete nonsense - also you are more susceptible to cold viruses at lower body temperture

https://news.yale.edu/2015/01/05/cold-virus-replicates-better-cooler-temperatures
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#8
I am just trying to get through life why torture myself
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#9
(12-02-2019, 02:50 AM)Plato Wrote: I am just trying to get through life why torture myself

"To become a real man."
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#10
(12-02-2019, 06:30 AM)TruthSeeker Wrote: "To become a real man."

you can't in this  world sorry the dynamic does not put you in that environment. what is real man that the question .

is it just being true to your self. your is it more complex then that .
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