7 health benefits of a cold shower _ the art of manliness

16
The Art of Manliness Men's Interests and Lifestyle Home A Man’s Life Dress & Grooming Health & Sports Manly Skills Money & Career Relationships & Family Manvotionals Book Community Shop The Trunk Man Knowledge Like 3K 12 154 S 7 The James Bond Shower: A Shot of Cold Water for Health and Vitality by Brett & Kate McKay on January 18, 2010 · 120 comments in Health & Sports Pre-order our new book Manvotionals!

Upload: nick-kirk

Post on 04-Mar-2015

80 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness

Men's Interests and Lifestyle

HomeA Man’s Life

Dress & GroomingHealth & Sports

Manly SkillsMoney & Career

Relationships & Family

Manvotionals Book

Community

Shop

The Trunk

Man Knowledge

Like

3K

12

154

StumbleUpon778

The James Bond Shower: A Shot of Cold Water forHealth and Vitality

by Brett & Kate McKay on January 18, 2010 · 120 comments

in Health & Sports

Pre-order our new book Manvotionals!

Page 2: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Share

228tweets

retw eet

As a kid, I was a big James Bond fan. Saw all the movies and read all the books. One thing Inoticed about the book version of James Bond was that every time he took a shower, he would

start off with the water nice and hot, and then turn it down to cold for the last few minutes. Perhaps

this little detail of Bond’s personal bathing regimen was a subtle way for Ian Flemming to illustrate

Bond’s Scottish ancestry, as this type of shower is commonly known as a “Scottish Shower.” Who knows.

Being an impressionable kid, I started doing it too. I didn’t know the proper name for this type of shower, so I justcalled it the “James Bond Shower.” Taking a shower that started hot and ended cold proved to be quite invigorating. It

woke me up and added a bit of pep to my step throughout the day. I’ve continued the practice of the James Bond

Shower into adulthood. Along the way, I’ve discovered that cold water baths have been used for centuries as a way to

treat various ailments and that modern studies lend credence to the health claims associated with this age old treatment.

Below we give a brief rundown on the benefits of the James Bond Shower.

A Brief History of Cold Water Therapy

Page 3: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

“Nothing like sitting in an ice cold bath with nothing but my bare bum

in it while reading the latest Dickens novel to invigorate and enliven the senses. Tally ho!”

James Bond wasn’t the first to enjoy the benefits of a shot of cold water. In ancient times, hot water was a luxury.

People had to live near a hot springs in order to enjoy the comfort of a hot bath, so for most of human history peoplebathed in cold water. But even when the Ancient Greeks developed heating systems for their public baths, they

continued bathing in cold water for the health benefits.

The Spartans, hard-asses that they were, felt hot water was for the weak and unmanly. When they did take baths

(which was, like, once a year) they used only cold water because they thought it tempered the body and made it

vigorous for ass kicking.

During the first century, Finnish folks would sweat it out in saunas and then jump into an ice cold lake or stream, a

pastime which is referred to as “avantouinti” or “ice hole swimming” and is still enjoyed by modern Finns and others wildand woolly Scandinavians.

Those Finns are so crazy! Or are

they?

Page 4: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Many cultures incorporated a cold water dousing into their religious ceremonies. Some Native American tribes would

alternate between sitting in a sweat lodge and jumping into an icy river or snow bank. Ancient Russians also took

frequent plunges into ice cold rivers for health and spiritual cleansing. Japanese practitioners of Shinto, both in ancient

and modern times, would stand under an icy waterfall as part of a ritual known as Misogi, which was believed to

cleanse the spirit.

In the 1820s, a German farmer named Vincenz Priessnitz started touting a new medical treatment called “hydrotherapy,”

which used cold water to cure everything from broken bones to erectile dysfunction. He turned his family’s homestead

into a sanitarium, and patients flocked to it in the hope that his cold water cure could help them. Among his clientele

were dukes, duchesses, counts, countesses, and a few princesses to boot.

Priessnitz’s hydrotherapy soon spread to the rest of Europe and eventually to the United States. Celebrities and other

famous folks took to it, like, well, a duck to water and helped popularize the cold water cure with the masses. For

example, Charles Darwin (a chronically sick guy and owner of an awesomely manly beard) was a huge proponent of

hydrotherapy. The first hydrotherapy facility opened up in the U.S in 1843, right when the sanitarium craze hit America.

By the the end of the 19th century, over 200 hydrotherapy/sanitarium resorts existed in the U.S., the most famous being

the Battle Creek Sanitarium founded by John Harvey Kellogg. You know. The guy who invented corn flakes. And

believed in the awesome power of enemas and a “squeaky clean colon.”

The popularity of hydrotherapy began to decline in the 20th century as many in the medical field moved to drugs to treat

illnesses. As doctors concentrated on conventional medicine, more holistic methods began to be seen as quackery.

While hydrotherapy was prescribed less and less to cure illnesses, doctors continued to use it to treat injuries such as

strained muscles and broken bones. You’ll find athletes today taking ice baths to speed their recovery from injuries and

intense workouts.

Benefits of Cold Water Showers

While doctors may no longer instruct their patients to take a cold bath and call them in the morning, a shot of cold water

can still impart real health benefits:

Improves circulation. Good blood circulation is vital for overall cardiovascular health. Healthy blood circulation also

speeds up recovery time from strenuous exercises and work. Alternating between hot and cold water while you shower

is an easy way to improve your circulation. Cold water causes your blood to move to your organs to keep them warm.Warm water reverses the effect by causing the blood to move towards the surface of the skin. Cold shower proponents

argue that stimulating the circulatory system in this way keeps them healthier and younger looking than their hot water-

loving counterparts.

Relieves depression. Lots of great men from history suffered bouts of depression. Henry David Thoreau is one such

man. But perhaps Thoreau’s baths in chilly Walden Pond helped keep his black dog at bay. Research at the

Department of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine indicates that short coldshowers may stimulate the brain’s “blue spot”- the brain’s primary source of noradrenaline — a chemical that could help

mitigate depression. I guess a bout of the blues isn’t so bad after all.

Keeps skin and hair healthy. Hot water dries out skin and hair. If you want to avoid an irritating itch and ashy

elbows, turn down the temperature of your showers. Also, cold water can make your manly mane look shinier and your

skin look healthier by closing up your cuticles and pores.

Strengthens immunity. According to a study done in 1993 by the Thrombosis Research Institute in England,

individuals who took daily cold showers saw an increase in the number of virus fighting white blood cells compared to

individuals who took hot showers. Researchers believe that the increased metabolic rate, which results from the body’s

Page 5: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

attempt to warm itself up, activates the immune system and releases more white blood cells in response.

Increases testosterone. During the 19th century, many doctors and ministers recommended that young men take

baths in cold water to reduce the sin of “self-pollution,” i.e. whacking off. Cold water was thought to extinguish a man’sflaming carnal desires. There was even a ghastly device invented on this principle.

How wrong they were! The same study by the Thrombosis Research Institute cited above showed that cold water

showers actually increase testosterone production in men. Increased testosterone levels not only boost a man’s libido,

but also his overall strength and energy level. If you’re looking to increase your testosterone, instead of juicing up like

Mark McGwire, hop into a cold shower.

Increases fertility. Trying to become a dad? Cold showers are good for your little swimmers. Your testes aren’t

meant to get too hot; that’s why they hang outside your body. Sperm counts decrease when the temperature of a man’s

testes increases. Experiments done in the 1950s showed that hot baths were an effective contraceptive. Men who took

a 30 minute hot bath every other day for 3 weeks were infertile for the next six months. More recently, the University of

California at San Francisco did a study with men who were exposed to 30 minutes of “wet heat” (hot baths and such) a

week. When the men cut this exposure out, their sperm count went up by 491%, and their sperm’s motility improved aswell. While switching from a hot to cold shower may not have as dramatic an effect, if you’re trying to create some

progeny, it surely won’t hurt.

Increases energy and well-being. Every time I end a shower with cold water, I leave feeling invigorated and

energized. Your heart starts pumping, and the rush of blood through your body helps shake off the lethargy of the

previous night’s sleep. For me, the spike in energy lasts several hours. It’s almost like drinking a can of

Diet Mountain Dew, minus the aspartame. And while it hasn’t been studied, many people swear that cold showers are asurefire stress reducer. I’m a believer.

Getting Started with Cold Water Showers

If you’ve spent most of your life taking hot showers, suddenly turning the dial in the other direction can be a big shock to

the system. I took a break from the James Bond Showers for a few months. When I decided to get started again with

them, my heart almost jumped out of my chest, and I nearly passed out from hyperventilating when the cold water hit my

body. Too much, too soon.

My suggestion (based on personal experience) is to gradually decrease the temp of the water so your body can adjust.

Which reminds me, some people with certain conditions should avoid cold showers because of the shock to the

body’s system. If you have the following conditions, you’ll have to harness your inner 007 another way:

Heart disease. If my normal, healthy heart felt like it was about to explode, imagine how a diseased heart will

feel.

High blood pressure. The contraction in your blood vessels caused by cold water could cause a stroke.

Apparently.

Overheated or feverish. Your blood vessels need to dilate in order to release heat. Cold water causes them to

constrict.

Okay. If you’re healthy enough for a James Bond Shower, here’s how it’s done.

1. Start off with the hot water.

2. Wash your hair with some Pinaud Elixir shampoo, just like 007.

Page 6: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

3. When you’re ready to rinse, just turn it down to cold. Bond would spend a few minutes under the cold water,

meditating about a lost love or on how awesome his job is.

4. As you walk out the shower, kill the hitman that’s been hiding in the closet using nothing but a towel and a Scotch

tumbler.

5. Say a pithy one liner; proceed to put on tux.

You’ll start seeing the benefits right after the first shower, and it only gets better as you continue. While cold water

showers won’t give you the charm or skills of 007, you’ll feel like a new man.

Like 3,191 people like this. Be the first of your friends.

Related Posts

1. The Case for Cold Water Shaving

2. 6 Lessons in Manliness from James Bond

3. Never Let the Sun Catch You Sleeping: Why and How to Become an Early Riser

4. 30 Days to a Better Man Day 19: Schedule a Physical Exam

Page 7: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Enter your email address... Subscribe

{ 112 comments }

← Previous Comments

101 sam June 5, 2010 at 10:52 am

my granddad has taken cold showers all his life and he is so healthy and strong

102 Jeff June 15, 2010 at 10:32 pm

Best post I have read in a long time! I too take cold showers regularly and it always gets the day started

103 Jonny Smith June 17, 2010 at 5:09 am

I started taking cold showers (very cold, daily) about 18 months ago. I’ve not had a cold or virus of any kind

since I started doing it. It also helps me to recover from strenuous exercise (of the old fashioned manly variety

with very heavy weights). Great article.

104 Milton June 30, 2010 at 12:56 pm

I LOVE ICE COLD SHOWERS! Most definitely wakes you up and clears your mind. Maybe it’s because

you’re too damn cold to focus on anything else haha. I have a question though! Is it better/worse/same to just

take a cold shower all the way through?btw thanks for creating such a great website. I just started visiting it and it’s incredible. kudos my friend.

105 Richard Rivers June 30, 2010 at 1:16 pm

As an aspiring physician, I have to say I’ve been pretty disappointed with the quasi-scientific claims that find their

way into a lot of articles here at AoM. This article was so terrible that I had to comment. It takes the cake,

definitely.

“Cold water causes your blood to move to your organs to keep them warm.”

No. Cold water acts as a cutaneous vasoconstrictor, causing the skin to get less blood flow. This doesn’ttranslate into blood “moving to your organs”. Blood follows the same vessels either way. The difference is really

that your blood pressure will be higher after exposure to cold water, an effect which is generally considered

unhealthy.

“Cold shower proponents argue that stimulating the circulatory system in this way keeps them healthier and

younger looking than their hot water-loving counterparts.”

Nonsense. There is no such thing as “stimulating the circulatory system” just as there is no such thing as “boosting

the immune system”. What you’re actually doing is stressing your body by lowering your core temperature,

forcing the body to expend calories to maintain thermal homeostasis. By the way, if your core temperature drops

below around 95 F, you’re hypothermic, and that’s a medical emergency. The first sign is usually uncontrollable

shivering, followed by tachycardia — rapid heartbeat — and an immediate urge to urinate. Such conditions are

Page 8: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

also absolutely terrible for the liver, and doing it regularly might eventually trigger type 2 diabetes.

“Research at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

indicates that short cold showers may stimulate the brain’s “blue spot”- the brain’s primary source of

noradrenaline — a chemical that could help mitigate depression.”

Nikolai Shevchuk is basically a charlatan. The study you cite was done by him, and it flies in the face of basic

science. While the locus caeruleus is being studied in relation to such things as depression and panic disorder,

there’s absolutely no physiologic reason to believe cold water on the skin has any particular effect upon it, or that

it ever could.

“Hot water dries out skin and hair. If you want to avoid an irritating itch and ashy elbows, turn down the

temperature of your showers.”

This is an argument for warm showers as opposed to hot. Not an argument for cold showers at all.

“Also, cold water can make your manly mane look shinier and your skin look healthier by closing up your cuticles

and pores.”

This is merely cosmetic. To “look healthier” is culture-bound, and not necessarily the same thing as actually being

healthier. There is no particular health benefit associated with “closing up your cuticles and pores”. Cuticles don’t

open or close, and pores don’t open or close so much that it has any great effect on one’s dermatology either

way. One can still get blackheads with “closed pores”, and one will still sweat the same amount. What other

possible benefit could this produce?

It also seems that I need to remind the group that neither hair nor the outermost layer of skin are actually alive.

Hair was never alive. It’s a proteinaceous waste product of the body, conceptually similar to feces, though

thankfully not chemically similar. And, all humans are covered with a good bit of dead skin, which protects the

more sensitive living skin underneath. The human epidermis is divided into five layers, the first two of which are

dead (the strata cornerum & lucidum). The next layer, the stratum granulosum, is in the process of dying. This is

perfectly normal.

“According to a study done in 1993 by the Thrombosis Research Institute in England, individuals who took daily

cold showers saw an increase in the number of virus fighting white blood cells compared to individuals who took

hot showers. Researchers believe that the increased metabolic rate, which results from the body’s attempt to

warm itself up, activates the immune system and releases more white blood cells in response.”

Absolute nonsense. There is no such thing as “activating the immune system”. It is always on if you have a

working one. Some people don’t. Even if the study you mention actually supports such a conclusion and was

rigorously done (which I can’t determine because you don’t provide enough information to identify it), this is a

mere correlation. To jump from a correlation to a particular causal relationship is fallacious without more

substantial evidence.

“The same study by the Thrombosis Research Institute cited above showed that cold water showers actually

increase testosterone production in men.”

Still being unable to identify the study, I can’t rebut in detail. Nevertheless, the mere fact that the same study

sought to test both immune response and testosterone levels of men after different types of showers suggests to

me that there’s some pathological science going on here, and a detailed examination of the methods would

expose flaws in the experiment. I’d bet money on it.

Page 9: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

“Trying to become a dad? Cold showers are good for your little swimmers. Your testes aren’t meant to get too

hot; that’s why they hang outside your body. Sperm counts decrease when the temperature of a man’s testes

increases. Experiments done in the 1950s showed that hot baths were an effective contraceptive. Men who took

a 30 minute hot bath every other day for 3 weeks were infertile for the next six months.”

Okay, this is just stupid. You’re relying on the vague usage of the word “hot” to imply that the hot showers an

average person takes could do this, which is flatly false. One would have to take a literally scalding hot shower

— burning the skin — to have any chance of inducing invirility (funfact: the word “fertility” only applies to

females, the male equivalent is “virility”). A standard hot shower at around 100 F is not going to reduce sperm

count, particularly if you don’t spend several hours per day in such water. A shower at 130 F might, but then

you’re going to be covered in first degree burns as well. Your hot water tank shouldn’t be set to exceed 120 F to

begin with.

Also, there’s a fallacy involved in the idea that, because a scalding hot shower causes invirility, therefore a cold

shower causes excessive virility. It’s non sequitur. It doesn’t follow logically. It could also be the case, for all

YOU know, that both extremes of heat and cold cause invirility. You didn’t bother checking, did you? Looking

only for confirming evidence and remaining intentionally ignorant of disconfirming evidence is how things like

homeopathy and chiropractic neck manipulation get invented.

“While switching from a hot to cold shower may not have as dramatic an effect, if you’re trying to create some

progeny, it surely won’t hurt.”

Neither will not bathing at all, on that front. So what? Pointless aside masquerading as an argument. “Do it

because it won’t hurt” isn’t very persuasive. For the most part, licking a dog’s ass won’t hurt you: they’re usually

cleaner than human hands. Nevertheless, I’m not going to be doing that any time soon.

“Every time I end a shower with cold water, I leave feeling invigorated and energized. Your heart starts pumping,

and the rush of blood through your body helps shake off the lethargy of the previous night’s sleep. For me, the

spike in energy lasts several hours. It’s almost like drinking a can of Diet Mountain Dew, minus the aspartame.And while it hasn’t been studied, many people swear that cold showers are a surefire stress reducer. I’m a

believer.”

Perhaps that’s the basic problem here. You’re a “believer” rather than an “investigator”. This is apparently akin to

a religious conviction for you, and so you’re more interested in a presentation which persuades by dint of

rhetorical misdirection than by dint of real evidence.

As I already mentioned, your heart “starts pumping” due to borderline hypothermia, which induces tachycardia,

which is absolutely NOT a good thing to repeatedly induce. Likewise, far from reducing stress, it causes it.

Vasoconstriction -> hypertension -> stress. Regular bouts of hypertension also cause damage to internal organs,

particularly the kidneys.

So the only real incontestable point you’ve made for the entire article is that a cold shower produces, for you at

least, a subjective feeling of vigor. Not exactly impressive or convincing.

106 Zach July 6, 2010 at 7:57 am

It’s not just the Finnish who ascribe to the hot sauna followed by a cold dip. Several Asian countries (particularly

Thailand, Korea, and Japan) have a long-standing cultural affinity for hot/cold baths for health, vigor and, in the

Korean mind, male “stamina.” Since I live in Korea, I’ll give a short breakdown of the Korean traditional bath.

Page 10: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Traditional Korean bathhouses, called jjimjjilbang, are so popular as to be almost ubiquitous. Every town will

have at least one local jjimjjilbang, and in the larger cities, each neighborhood will have their local (more simple)

houses, with enormous super-houses featuring more ameneties like manicures, “Zen” rooms, special tea houses,

and the like. Many smaller towns will feature specialized jjimjjilbang. Some, as in Jeollanamdo (a region famousfor some of the worlds finest green tea), will have green tea baths or soaps, while others, famous for sulfur springs

or beneficial mud (i.e. Daecheon, a small coastal town famed for its mud), will feature these specialized baths.

The experience works something like this. Start with a wash in hot water, scrubbing thoroughly, then sit in a hot

(ranging from 35-45 C degree) pool for 10-15 minutes. Move to the cold (about 12 C) water shower and

plunge. Repeat as necessary, adding in massage, full body scrub by an Korean grandfather (a bit strange the first

time, but the Grandfather scrubs with a vengeance, and your skin will never feel cleaner or softer), sweat in a wetand/or dry sauna, or dip in an herbal tea/sea salt/mineral water bath as you like. Take one last plunge in the cold

bath, and finish a shower, (self) scrub down, and nap in a dry, warm room.

Koreans do it at least weekly, and I can see why. It’s absolute magic after a night drinking the Korean firewater

(soju), or on a Sunday afternoon to start the week off right. Your body feels totally relaxed and your skin will feel

like silk. All for about $15.

Even at home, I’m a firm believer in ending a wash with a progressively colder stream. Also useful if you live in a

tropical climate and have little-to-no Air Con to lower your core temperature.

107 R.A. Stewart July 12, 2010 at 3:21 pm

Thought I was gonna die.

“Wow, I just tried this and I have to say that I almost passed out. It was like my blood stopped and did a 180

degree turn. I feel strangely good though.” (Michael January 22, 2010)

“I did a silent scream cuz i couldnt even make a noise at that point

“but i felt so good afterward!” (saeed January 24, 2010)

Yeah, like that. Maybe it’s a case of “It feels so good when it stops!”?

On the assumption that the weather will indeed be cold again some day (whoever started the whole idea of

Chicago’s summers being short obviously felt differently about summer than I do), it will be interesting to see if

this helps ease the transition from warm house to cold yard. Assuming that the family hasn’t found me stiff and

blue in the shower stall and planted me by then.

108 sophia July 12, 2010 at 11:08 pm

>>>Richard Rivers June 30, 2010 at 1:16 pm:

Nikolai Shevchuk is basically a charlatan. The study you cite was done by him, and it flies in the face of basic

science. While the locus caeruleus is being studied in relation to such things as depression and panic disorder,

there’s absolutely no physiologic reason to believe cold water on the skin has any particular effect upon it, or that

it ever could.

>>>

you don’t know what you are talking about. there is a world of literature showing that lowering the skin

temperature increases wakefulness and activates the sympathetic nervous system and the locus ceruleus.

Page 11: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

J.S. Baffi and M. Palkovits, Fine topography of brain areas activated by cold stress. A fos immunohistochemical

study in rats, Neuroendocrinology 72 (2000), pp. 102-113.

A. Beley, P. Beley, L. Rochette and J. Bralet, Time-dependent changes in the rate of noradrenaline synthesis in

various rat brain areas during cold exposure, Pflugers Arch 368 (1977), pp. 225-229.

L. Yuan, C. Brewer and D. Pfaff, Immediate-early Fos protein levels in brainstem neurons of male and female

gonadectomized mice subjected to cold exposure, Stress 5 (2002), pp. 285-294.

A.P. Mahapatra, H.N. Mallick and V.M. Kumar, Changes in sleep on chronic exposure to warm and cold

ambient temperatures, Physiol Behav 84 (2005), pp. 287-294.

G.G. Giesbrecht, J.L. Arnett, E. Vela and G.K. Bristow, Effect of task complexity on mental performance during

immersion hypothermia, Aviat Space Environ Med 64 (1993), pp. 206-211.

G. Flensner and C. Lindencrona, The cooling-suit: case studies of its influence on fatigue among eight individuals

with multiple sclerosis, J Adv Nurs 37 (2002), pp. 541-550.

R. Fronczek, R.J. Raymann, N. Romeijn, S. Overeem, M. Fischer, J.G. van Dijk, et al., Manipulation of corebody and skin temperature improves vigilance and maintenance of wakefulness in narcolepsy, Sleep 31 (2008),

pp. 233-240.

I could go on about your other baseless claims, but it is pretty clear that you know nothing on this subject

because you are not citing any sources.

109 Bee July 15, 2010 at 8:40 pm

It all comes down to perception, beliefs. If you think cold water will benefit you then it will. If you believe it won’t

do squat for you then it won’t. Also the body is very adaptable to such treatments. So hypothermia can be

overcome once the body adapts to the cold water.

110 Louise July 16, 2010 at 9:16 am

Well, I have no central heating and no way to heat water, cold showers for me are out of necessity (and I’m not

talking any of your ‘with a little hot water so it’s lukewarm’ nonsense, no, I’m talking full on cold tap from the

mains). Having such showers is tolerable in the high summer (which is very short in the UK), the rest of the time,not so much. In the winter, when showering daily under icy cold water, in an icy cold house, you experience

something that cannot be described effectively in words.

So, I couldn’t help but laugh at coming across this article! People voluntarily taking cold water torture showers!

“Health benefits”?!?! Pffft! Sure, it’s was invigorating when I first took them lol, but the novelty wares off pretty

quickly when you realise your toes are about 90 secs away from frostbite!

Oh, and I’m a woman – does this now make me an honorary ‘manliness man’? ;)

111 Dave Ridarelli August 6, 2010 at 1:53 am

I’ve always enjoyed the alternating shower when I wake up and after my workouts. 30 seconds cold followed by

a minute hot for about five rounds. It’s The Best…

112 Rodger August 17, 2010 at 2:33 pm

I had a Quadruple bypass 3 years ago and have been having a cold shower for the past year .

My method is to start with a warm /hot shower , soap , gel , shampoo etc and then slowly turn the hot water off ,

I spend a few minutes under a very cold shower.

I feel so fantastic ,my body shines , hard rubbing with a rough towel, man you can’t beat it.

Page 12: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Oh I haven’t had flu or a cold for a year

cheers

← Previous Comments

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post: Manvotional: Do You Have Hardihood?

Next post: My Daughter Does Push-Ups

Enter your email address... Subscribe

Join 106,593 subscribers!

RSS - Or subscribe in your reader!

Art of Manliness on Facebook

Art of Manliness on Twitter

100 Must Read Books: The Man's Essential Library

How to Shave Like Your Grandpa

100 Must See Movies: The Essential Men's Movie Library

Page 13: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

How to Tie a Tie

9 Ways to Start a Fire Without Matches

Bringing Back the Hat

Stop Hanging Out With Women and Start Dating Them

10 Worst Products For Men Ever Created

Do More Than One Stinking Pull-up

Rediscovering the Barbershop

Page 14: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Pre-Order Manvotionals Today!

Manvotionals- Official Site

Page 15: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

Help an AoM Reader Get on Mad Men

Father Teaches Sons a Hard Lesson in Honesty

In Soda Revival, Fizzy Taste Bubbles Up From The Past

Dress for the Job You WantBecoming a Dad by Edgar A. Guest

Blogroll

1001 Rules for My Unborn Son

A Continuous Lean

A Tailored Suit

Better Men

Bull Men's Fiction

Chad Howse Fitness

Esquire

Gear Patrol

Jalopnik

Mister Mort

Real Men Real Style

Tankfarm

Willow Haven Outdoor

Community

Community

Man Knowledge

Page 16: 7 Health Benefits of a Cold Shower _ the Art of Manliness

About

Advertise

Archives

Comment Policy

Contact

Legal

Copyright © 2010 The Art of Manliness | Thesis theme by DIYthemes.com | Customized by Eric Granata