From Health magazine
Gwendolyn Witherspoon, 54, of Baltimore, came across her stay-healthy secret—an icy shower—during a power outage. “I felt great afterward,” she says. A year later, she says her chilly regimen keeps her cold-free, her skin glowing, and her energy level higher than ever.
The scientific jury’s still out on cold showers, but Mary Ann Bauman, MD, author of Fight Fatigue: Six Simple Steps to Maximize Your Energy, says there’s no harm in trying. Devotees claim cold showers help with low energy, migraines, circulation, and pain reduction, in addition to enabling women to age gracefully. (Some even argue that they’re the French woman’s secret to firm breasts.)
Make cold showers work for you: Try small doses. Witherspoon limits her 10-minute cold showers to summertime; in the winter, she opts for a 1-minute blast at the end of a warm shower. Consult your doctor if you have cardiovascular problems, because the sudden chill can cause a spike in blood pressure.
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Comments (4)
I do the cold shower thing all the time too, usually after a warm bath. I don’t know if it makes you more healthy but it really is a stress reliever for me. Just 5-10 minutes will make you feel great for a good hour. It is relaxing afterwards so by my book relaxing is healthy. Furthermore, I tend to flex my whole body when I’m in a cold shower (mainly to try to keep warm) which is excercise in itself.
Works for me. Peace.
It sounds like cold showers can provide a few benefits, but I can’t see how they would be as effective at killing bacteria as a nice, hot shower.
Alexis, the shock of cold water raises your bodies immune system over time. That is not to say its a good idea to hop in an icy cold shower when you have a fever. But admitting yourself to continuous cold showers in short increments is a good investment, even though it is unpleasant as hell.
I take a complete cold shower , no warm water at all , & I do it for about 90 minutes in a winter &in a yearly basis , & I never seen anything negative at all of doing it !
I feel stronger , younger , healthier , my hair is getting thicker than ever , my skin is firmer & healthier , my muscles are harder & stronger than ever , no more migraine , no more cold or flu , & I can remain wearing only a tee shirt during a very cold season , without complaining or anything !
All I can advise you , is :
make that move to the shower , & think this way :
-I’m stronger than the others !
- I can do it easily
- the water is ICY cold , so what ?
- after that shower , I will feel so great & beautiful than ever !
- & people , including my family , will recognize me as a better looking than ever , which is very true !
- I will take all the advantages that I read on the net from very skilled M.D & researchers !
- there you go !
- I’m just fine , i’m in a good mood already !