Jumping straight into the deep end may sound tempting and is certainly the easiest, but not the best way. You should not underestimate the risk of suffering a cold shock. It is particularly important for untrained people to introduce the body to the cold a little more slowly.
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Start with a cold shower
Cold showers are a classic and very gentle on the body. It stimulates the blood circulation in your body and wakes you up. It’s best to take a cold shower first thing in the morning – it works like a coffee and gives you a relaxed start to the new day. The positive effect lasts throughout the day.
You can start warm, then switch to lukewarm and after you have washed yourself, take a cold shower for the last 10-30 seconds. Then stop using the warm setting and stop using the cold setting. If you do this for a few days or weeks in a row, you will notice how your body changes and simply tolerates cold better.
If you can easily stand it, you can extend the 30 seconds to 1-2 minutes and if that works well, then take a completely cold shower. The water from your tap is usually not ice water either, it usually comes out of the tap at a temperature of around 15-20 degrees Celsius. You will notice that there is still room for improvement (or temperature) 😉
Alternating showers
If taking a cold shower straight away or a longer cold shower is too much for you, you can also try alternating showers. Alternating showers is, as the name suggests, alternating hot and cold showers. You can simply do this 2-3 times in a row and then stop with the cold phase, which will constrict your blood vessels again.
Correct breathing
It is relatively natural to start gasping for breath as soon as you take a cold shower. Train yourself to breathe in and out slowly and evenly. The natural reflex is to breathe quickly and briefly, and you need to overcome this. As soon as you calm your breathing, you will notice that the pain is no longer as strong and you will be able to endure it much better and for longer.
Take the time you need
Don’t put yourself under pressure and don’t rush. It is often more unpleasant to think about having to go into the cold beforehand than it actually is for you. Try not to take a cold shower for too long, otherwise you can quickly become hypothermic and lose interest. Taking a cold shower under stress because you have to leave super quickly or your head is full of other thoughts is not ideal. Try to stay focused and observe yourself – your breath, the cold, your body’s reaction both during and after the shower. Try to celebrate the cold a little. You’ll notice that after a while it’s really fun and you’ll enjoy it.
Find a partner or a group
As is usually the case in life, it’s more fun and you have to be less disciplined if you have a partner who shares the same interests. Meet up regularly for your first attempts at ice bathing. It also makes sense to be out and about with someone who can look after you in an emergency. Ice bathing is not without danger and you can get hypothermia. That’s why it’s always good to have someone by your side – even if it’s just to make you feel good.
Warm yourself up
You should warm up both before and after the ice bath. Exercise works wonders, especially after bathing. Start slowly and then intensify. Put on thick clothes because you will be cold for quite a while after the bath, depending on how long you have been in the cold water.
Protect your head, hands and feet from too much cold
You can lose a lot of heat very quickly through your head. Up to 30% can be lost within a short period of time. The head is also one of the most sensitive parts of the body and heat escapes through long hair long after the ice bath.
A lot of heat is also lost through the hands and feet. This is because these are the parts of the body that are no longer supplied with blood as well during a cold shock, as the blood is drawn back to the center of the body. Hands and feet usually start to ache very quickly. If you want to avoid this, simply keep your hands out of the cold water and protect your feet with neoprene shoes or socks.
So that would be wrong in the truest sense of the word 😉
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