Celebrating a year of ice cold showers

As part of my 8% body fat quest, I came across the idea of cold showers and brown fat through Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Body. Beyond the appeal of burning a few more grams of fat was the idea of returning to a simpler time where most everyone took cold showers (excepting those living close to hot springs). Naturally, the Spartans thought that hot baths were for absolute pansies, and that taking ice cold baths strengthened the body and spirit. Even James Bond made it a habit to turn the water cold for the latter part of his showers in Ian Fleming's novels.

There are number of supposed benefits of cold showers. They oftentimes include improved circulation, enhanced immunity, higher testosterone, increased fertility, improved skin, and increase in overall energy and well-being. This is not to mention the fact that you are decreasing consumption of water (showers are shorter) and energy (not heating).

To be completely fair, taking an ice cold shower for me meant turning on water as cold as it would get (i.e., no hot water whatsoever). It didn't mean trekking to the nearest frozen lake and chainsawing my way to my bath. Nonetheless, it took some amount of will to do this. At first, I thought it would just be until I reached 8% body fat. But afterwards, I enjoyed the discipline that it required, so I just kept doing it. Now, a year later, I think I'll just keep it going indefinitely.

Just for kicks, the coldest shower I had was winter in Vancouver, followed by showers in Tahoe after snowboarding. Brisk! The easiest showers are the ones I'm taking now on the Isla, as the cold water comes out at a light drip and is approximately lukewarm at best. The only time it felt useful was when I went to the company gym to work out and there was a sign stating that the hot water was out. I laughed.

Give it a go and see what you think! My personal trick is to just let the water hit the back of my neck and wait for it to feel warmer (usually 10-15 seconds or so). Maybe you'll find something that works for you too!

Now that looks refreshing!