Watch Your Body Change After 1 Month of Cold Showers

Just a bit more, you can already see the finishing line! Go! You’re drenched in sweat, but it was worth it! Ha, running the 5k everybody said you wouldn’t finish. You’ve proven all of them wrong!

But now, all you can think of is a cold shower. It’s scorching hot outside. Not a great day for a run, but at least, it’s over.

On these occasions, cold showers are great. For one thing, they help you cool off. They also treat your muscles that desperately need a bit of attention after all that exercise. But what if you decided to take a cold shower every day, for a whole month? It’s only day one, and you already think it’s not a very good experience. You know you’re about to start the experiment. And you’ve been dreading it ever since you went to bed yesterday.

Anyway, it’s time. You’ve just turned off the alarm, and you have to get up to go to work. A shower not only helps you get clean but also gradually wakes you up. That is... if it’s a hot shower. A cold one will make you alert right away! You open the tap. But you aren’t quite sure what to do. Do you pluck up all your courage and step under the water? Or you do it slowly and carefully? Not sure which one is worse.

It’s the first day, and you’re feeling brave! So you just jump in like the fearless person you are. Aaaaaa! It’s freezing cold. But! As the cold water hits your skin, your body starts to get used to this temperature. And the shower becomes more and more bearable as far as it goes. Take several deep breaths, it might help.

You’re instantly more alert though. That’s one of the good things about cold showers! Your body was warm before. And the shock it feels not only increases your oxygen intake but also makes your heart rate go up. It’s like a rush of adrenaline. Thinking back to a few days ago when you ran that 5k, the cold shower you took DID make you feel great. That’s because cold water has special properties that help your sore muscles recover.

And since running for that long was no joke, the shower acted almost like a day in a spa for your body. (Which might be the next best thing to do after a tiring race.) Two weeks go by, and you’re halfway through the experiment. Ah, it’s 7 am. Time for another cold shower. Ok, brrr, here we go.

After the shower is taken, you’re out the door. Once you step foot in the office, the first thing your colleagues notice about you is that... you’re literally glowing! It’s not the first time they’ve seen it, but you’re even more radiant than usual today. Your hair looks amazing, it’s healthy and shiny. You can’t help but think to yourself, “It has to be these awfully cold showers!” And you’re right! It IS because of them.

As it turns out, cold water makes your hair stronger and closes the hair cuticles. All this means your hair looks and IS healthier than ever. Hot showers can dry the skin on your head. Steam isn’t your friend either when it comes to the health of your hair. As for cold water, it doesn’t wash away natural oils from your hair. These very oils are what give it that shiny, healthy look you’ve got right now. Your skin looks great too — and again, all thanks to cold showers.

One more thing you’ve come to notice with time is that you feel more energetic in the morning. That’s because of how alert you become when cold water hits your skin. It’s as if you instantly gain some superpowers! Instead of being sluggish for the first few hours of work, you’re unusually productive. You manage to finish your tasks faster than ever. A report that used to take the whole morning is now ready in a few hours.

You’ve also been breathing better, and mornings have a different feel to them now. A walk you take right after a cold shower has never felt so good. It might also help that it’s summer, and mornings are pretty hot.

You go outside with your hair still a bit wet and your body — cooled down. The sunshine is on your face, and you feel incredible. When you’re done with your walk, your hair is already completely dry, and your body is warm again. When it’s time to go to work, you’re alert and more than ready to face the day. But why did you decide to take a cold shower every day for the entire month in the first place? It’s like waking up and taking a dip in a freezing cold pool in the middle of the winter!

Things were too comfortable for you. And your routine was getting dull. You woke up, turned off the alarm. With your eyes still half-closed, you headed to your bathroom. You showered, got into your car, arrived at the office. That was it.

Taking freezing cold showers was a new way to keep things interesting and exciting! And not only that... Before you started your experiment, you noticed that your scales showed a couple of extra pounds. Those weren’t welcome!

Good thing cold showers have a way of helping with that too. There are some fat cells in your body. They’re called brown fat. These cells can help generate heat when you need it. During a cold shower, your body definitely needs to warm up. So, the cells get to work, burning fat to produce heat. This is what helps you to lose weight. Brown fat cells are usually stored around the neck and the shoulder areas. And as luck would have it, these are exactly the places the water keeps hitting when you’re in the shower.

Another reason to start taking cold showers is that your immune system will become stronger. Colds? Never heard of them! Cold showers are quick too. Obviously, you won’t want to stay under this freezing water for too long. So, you’ll probably take no more than 5 minutes to finish getting clean. Maybe you’re one of those people who jump in the shower and stay there for an hour? Well, this month, your water bill might look much more appealing.

If after hearing all this, you can’t wait to start an experiment of your own, here are a few tips. Close your eyes before going in. Think to yourself, “It’s just a shower, and it’ll be over in no time.” You don’t have to start with freezing water immediately. You can make it lukewarm and then slowly turn it down. Some might say this is cheating, I say it’s adaptation.

Control your breathing. Take long breaths while you’re in, this will make the whole experience more tolerable. When you get out of the shower, you’ll feel great about yourself! Grab a warm drink if your body is still shivering.

But you shouldn’t take such a shower if you’re already cold. Then, it’ll have the opposite effect on what you want to achieve. You might even end up getting sick. So, if you feel unwell, stick to a hot shower. After all, it’s what your body is used to. A hot shower can open up your airways. And it means you’ll breathe more freely and, overall, feel better. Now, picture this — you’re still up at 1 AM, ready to go to bed. You do your evening routine before hitting the sack. And sooner rather than later, you’re already relaxing under your bedsheets.

The clock starts ticking, and BOOM! It’s already 2 am, and you’re rather alert. Okay, this is it. You put your phone away and close your eyes. But half an hour later, you’re still staring at the ceiling, wondering why you can’t fall asleep. Well, here’s a trick for you — get out of bed and go take a warm shower. Chances are, an hour later at the most, you’ll be asleep. It won’t be an instant remedy, but it can help.

You’ll feel more relaxed as soon as hot water starts to hit your shoulders and back. It’ll help to reduce your body’s stress. And when you finally leave the shower, your body will feel not only calm but also refreshed. A warm shower also works great if you’re having a headache! And if you want to step it up a notch, take some essential oil for relaxation to set the mood. No matter in which direction you decide to turn the faucet, a shower will always have its benefits.