“It was like a thousand knives stabbing me all over my body”

Yup that was a Titanic quote, but when is it not appropriate to quote Titanic? Well I suppose in an Irish pub…in Belfast..with a terrible Irish accent “towsant Erish ands bewlt dis scheeep”…well I digress that’s another story. But seriously that’s what I felt like taking my first intentional cold shower.

So why did I do such a inane thing? Not once, but a for a week straight.
My buddy sent me this link to the health benefits of taking cold showers. Increased circulation, improvement in capillaries, strengthen immune system and quicker recovery if your and athlete after a workout. Not to mention the side effect of pushing you out of your comfort zone. That challenge appealed to me so I was willing to give it a go.

Day one was the hardest. That water knocks the air out of your chest like a cop to a jay walking black pedestrian. Being cold like that for me makes me super gitty. I start belting out showtunes to keep myself focused and distracted from the intensity. My favorite songs to sing are from Les Miserable especially ” empty chairs at empty tables” not really sure what my roommate made of it. I could only bare about 4 minutes. Day two and on I jumped in as fast as possible. The water hitting the top of my head was the hardest. Automatically I’d start hooting like a snow owl. You know that sound you make when you walk on hot sand barefoot and your bouncing up and down. That’s when I realize heat and cold and cause person to burst out hooting. Now it did get easier day by day but I never will enjoy a cold shower. I can only tolerate it. A hot shower relaxes me. Revitalize my very essence. I feel recharged like I have fresh willpower to tackle something. When I take a cold shower it takes willpower to get and stay in there however physically energized I am.My willpower remains low, to me that’s not a worthwhile trade off. I can see that some people could make cold showers a habit but I’m not one of them.