Benefits of taking cold showers

With the hype of over-the-top New Year’s resolutions behind us, let’s talk about tangible changes we can make in 2022 to set us up to be better versions of ourselves.

Here at Peak Play, we practice what we preach. And one of those things is Cold Exposure.

Below are some of the more common benefits you can expect by incorporating cold exposure (e.g. burst of cold shower, ice baths or cryotherapy) in your daily routine:

Boost of energy – ever heard of the ‘fight or flight’ response? It’s been built into our psyche over hundreds of thousands of years to support our species’ survival. Exposure to cold showers stimulate our sympathetic nervous system responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response, and deliver an adrenaline rush to our nervous system, which we perceive as an energy boost

Increased alertness – cold exposure, early in the morning raises your alertness levels. Continued over time, you may even notice yourself not reaching for a coffee mug with drowsy eyes first thing in the morning.

Speeds up your body’s metabolism – after a cold shower, your body works overtime to keep you warm. The result – the body activates ‘Brown Fat’ (good fat that keeps our bodies warm) and helps eliminate ‘White Fat’ (bad fat typically found around our waistlines and thighs).

Reduces muscle inflammation and aids muscle recovery – athletes commonly use ice baths as a means of reducing inflammation and support recovery. Luckily, most of us don’t need to fill our tub with ice every morning to achieve the same benefits. Daily cold showers can deliver comparable benefits.

Most importantly – doing difficult things boosts our confidence levels, and there are fewer things more difficult than exposing your body to cold temperatures on a regular basis. Call to action - Our mantra – as with all new, uncomfortable things – is to get you to commit to taking the first step – however small it may be.

- Start with a burst of cold(er) water at the end of your daily shower.

- In your case, it may be gradually turning down the temperature on your normal shower for 10 seconds at the end of your shower on day 1. Continue to drop the temperature daily for at least 10 seconds. By day 4, you should have completely turned your hot water off. To conclude: It’s a minor change to your daily routine, but one that can potentially deliver tangible benefits to your physical and mental health.