Cold shower challenge

For the past 6 months or so I have been subjecting myself to daily cold showers in the name of personal interest. I first became aware of the benefits of cold water immersion, or ‘cryotherapy’ a few years ago but couldn’t quite get myself to stand under a freezing cold shower or sit in an ice bath more than a handful of times. This time I made a plan to have daily cold showers (and maybe a few ice baths along the way too) for 6 months! Well I am 4 months in and wanted to tell you what I discovered and what the known benefits are of this madness!

The most talked about benefits of regular cold showers are:

• Speeding up recovery after exercise

• Increased alertness (Oh yes you will feel truly awake after a cold morning shower!!)

• Eases stress

• Increases energy

• May help with weight loss as the cold helps increase brown fat that is more metabolically active i.e. it burns more calories than white fat. (To help enhance this action ensure you hit those brown fat receptors in the back and front of the neck)

• Better deeper sleep

• It actually feels so good after you step out of the shower and get a warm glow as you heat back up again.

Day 1: No, I can’t do it, its too cold to just jump right into a freezing cold shower. After procrastinating for what seemed like 10 minutes I negotiated with myself to get into a warm shower then turn down the temperature for just 10 seconds. Wow that’s cold, I only managed about 5 seconds and screamed so loud!

Day 2: This time no delaying just get in to a warm shower then try to beat yesterday’s time. I managed a few seconds more today but it still felt horrible!

Day 3: Why am I doing this? I held firm to my challenge and wanted to see if it got any easier as the week went on. Nope not today just as cold but I am starting to feel that nice warm glow after the shower and I also think my skin feels a lot softer too. (Softer skin and shinier hair is also a known benefit).

Days 4-8: It has become part of my routine now and I am starting to feel the benefits. After a tough workout I actually looked forward to the cold on my muscles.

1 month in: Well I wouldn’t say I am totally hooked but I am definitely noticing that I sleep better after a cold shower a few hours before bed.

Now: Does this shower dial turn any colder? I couldn’t get the dial to turn any colder this morning as I felt it was too warm. WAIT, I wanted to turn it colder?? I did laugh to myself as this was definitely not something I would have tried to do a few months ago. I think I have got used to the cold! No Ice baths to date but maybe it is time to give them another go.

Always listen to your body when trying something like this and ask your doctor before trying it if you have a medical condition. Work up the time spent in the cold water from a few seconds at first so you acclimatise slowly.

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The Joy of Pilates

Increased flexibility, incredible core strength, enhanced endurance and great for creating a long and lean body too! Who doesn't strive for these?

Don't underestimate the benefits of practicing pilates as there are many and often more than meets the eye including stress reduction, injury prevention and rehabilitation and better mind and body connection.

If you have ever attended a large Pilates class and been stuck at the back wondering if you are doing the exercises correctly and struggled to locate your 'core' or even know what it truly is or how it works in conjunction with the exercises and everyday life, then trying a small group (2-6 people) or one-to-one sessions with a Pilates instructor could be just right for you.

To truly gain the benefits of Pilates really going back to the very principles at the heart of this amazing art is essential and from there progress can be made to identify and address weaknesses and build more challenging exercises into the sessions when you are ready. 

What we love about Pilates is that it is such an inclusive form of exercise whatever your age, fitness or experience , there is always a range of exercises and adaptions that are possible. 

Set some 'me time' aside and explore the joy of Pilates. 

Red Hot Personal Training and Pilates offers tailored one-to-one or small group Pilates sessions carried out in your own home, work or local park to help you realise the true Joy of Pilates.