A Cold Shower AND Sex?!
Go on. I know you want to…
A cold shower AND sex. Yes, you can have both, but just don't do them in succession if you want to obtain the maximum benefits from either.
You will see why at the end of this article.
Thus, today I will focus on the first part of the equation, the cold shower. I have one every morning and I swear by it.
And before you close this article down muttering “what a psycho”, let me convince you why you should do this too and how you can approach it to make it as painless as possible.
1/ The secret to tolerating the cold shower
I do not go “hard core” when it comes to taking my cold shower. I start by spending 5 minutes in the sauna at my local gym, then I exit the sauna and enter the cold shower (within 20–30 seconds).
You might think the body’s initial reaction is “aarrrgghhh” but it is not. It is more of a minor “ugh” followed by a “woo-hoo”.
Because the body core temperature has been elevated by the sauna, the coldness of the water is not as big a shock as it would be when the body is at room temperature.
Counter-intuitive but true.
The mistake most people make is that they attempt a cold shower by just waking up, stripping down and BANG, in they go. This is hardcore, and not sustainable unless you are Captain America (Gen Y or Z) or Rambo (GenX).
If you do not have access to a sauna (like 99.999% of the population), have your hot shower as per normal, and make it really hot at the end. When you are ready, step away, change the water to maximum cold, and then get in quickly.
With an elevated core body temperature the coldness is definitely easier to tolerate.
What happens next is that I stay under the cold water for several minutes (not seconds). My aim is to lower my body temperature to match that of the cold water. By the time I have done that, the water feels just like any other shower time, but I have received the benefits of the cold shower as I will describe below.
My other hack to lessen the pain of transitioning to a cold shower is a mental hack. If you view the cold shower as a reward for yourself you will embrace the feeling and celebrate it.
If you are standing in front of the shower with a dread and fear of the impending cold, you are viewing it as a negative experience when in truth it is not.
So flip your mindset so that first "hit" of cold water will be something you look forward to rather than dread.
2/ It has proven medical benefits
The ancient Romans knew what they were doing. A sauna followed by a cold plunge pool invigorates the body like nothing else.
The hot-cold-hot-cold cycle is stimulating blood flow throughout the body, flushing impurities and oxygenating the blood.
When the body is hot the blood moves to the surface (think hot flushes) and when you are cold the blood moves inwards towards the vital organs.
Higher oxygen levels in the blood leads to increased mental cogniscence, and increased physical performance. Just ask Lance Armstrong and friends who systematically (and notoriously) took blood transfusions back in the day. They did this to maximise the oxygen levels in their (new) blood, leading to accelerated muscle recovery and improved next day performance.
A cold shower will have a similar effect without the need for needles, blood bags and dodgy doctors on standby.
This increased blood circulation is what delivers the revitalisation our body desires.
3/ It has noticeable mental benefits
If you can handle daily cold showers you feel like Captain America (or Rambo, see above).
It is a significant mental barrier that you are blasting through each day and it is something that you know very people are prepared to do.
You feel like a superhero. You have framed your day from the outset… “I am invincible”. What a great mindset to have as you commence your morning.
You also feel alive. It is bracing and refreshing. Your muscles feel revived and your mind is fully engaged.
Believe it or not, I now look forward to this part of my morning. I train hard in the gym, warm down and stretch in the pool, read and recover in the sauna, then BANG, cold shower time.
As I make my way to work I know I have paid my mind and body the due respect it needs and deserves.
When NOT to do it
Don’t have a cold shower before sex, unless you want to get out of having sex! Your libido will be crushed and the phenomena of shrinkage comes into play, another libido crusher for both partners!
Don’t have a cold shower when you are cold and the ambient temperature is freezing cold. Big mistake.
Don’t have a cold shower before bedtime. If you value a good nights sleep, do the opposite and have a warm shower (or bath).
So hopefully you are now prepared to give it a go. I do support the morning cold shower routine because I have personally conquered the fear, and I really do feel better for it each day.
By following my strategies above, the transition to this habit will be far less painful than you would have thought.
Good luck!
To find out more about the upside to cold showering, check out this article;
