Cold showers

During October, I decided to run a random experiment and stick to taking nothing but cold showers, regardless of the weather. Why would anyone do this? The idea was shared with me by my brother, who went through a month-long experience of taking showers at 5 a.m. at the advice of his therapist. I was intrigued by this (I love body hacking and will try most things at least once!) so I decided to challenge myself to see if there was any merit. It also just boiled down to challenging myself to get outside my comfort zone and see if I could improve my performance and health by living differently! My findings:

First week

The first day at 6 a.m., I remember how scared I was to step into the shower because it was pretty damn cold. It took me a while to muster enough courage to step in, two minutes of mild procrastination and trying to talk myself out. I figured the easiest way was to lather myself with soap, then make the step as a way to rinse myself. I opened the hose full throttle, closed my eyes and walked in! The second the water hit my back, my body got a jumpstart I wasn’t expecting. I was shocked by how all of me responded to the cold as my heart went into overdrive. My breathing was heavy at first but quickly settled after a few minutes. I felt so alive. The day went exceptionally well, and I basked in the afterglow well after lunch time. It proved to be the kick I didn’t know I needed.

For the rest of the week, I acclimatized well to my new schedule, and by the 4th day, I could control my breathing as my mind knew the showers wouldn’t last long; we just had to go through it. I started looking forward to them more and more as a way to put some energy into my mornings and get me ready to face whatever else came my way.

The rest of the month

After the third week, taking the cold shower became second nature, and I was so glad I took the plunge and decided to go with the experiment. A side effect of doing this was the willingness to face most situations head-on. There’s something to be said of some placebo effect here, probably; it’s very plausible that I programmed my mind to think I could now take a more confrontational approach to most problems; that aside, I found calmness under pressure and an evident willingness to face up to situations.

What I also didn’t expect was the ripple effect this would have. It made me quite conscious of my decisions that had anything to do with health. I started eating and sleeping better because, after a morning shower, I was pretty productive at work, which created more time for other things like gym, writing and reading.

In conclusion, take a cold shower now and then! I’m super curious to know how you will find the experience!

Follow me on X / Twitter @therealchiko for more content!