Coldest Run

Today was very frosty and cold. Clear skies overnight meant a hefty frost and temps of around -2C this morning. I decided to run shirtless anyway! It was quite a shock getting straight out of bed, into my running gear and out on the road. However, the cold seems to have spurred me on to run my best time yet for my standard run - 36 Minutes and 15 Seconds - that's almost a minute faster than I have done before.

My hands were cold and painful at the end of the run too, but not unbearably so and they recovered quite quickly. I had one motorist sound his hooter (horn) at me this morning - first time in a long time that this has happened. I am sure that they can't believe someone would go out running not fully dressed for arctic conditions in this kind of weather.

Nevertheless, I found the run quite invigorating and not unpleasant in any way. I just wish that I could fit in a cold water swim along the way too.

Recent Activity

Well, its been much of the same, mostly running these days to keep the weight off over the last 3 weeks. Cold showers most days for around 5 minutes too.

Have been running at least twice a week (sometimes 3 times) for the past 3 weeks and I am sticking at around the 66Kg to 67Kg mark weight wise. My run times are consistent between 37 and 39 minutes for my standard distance of approx 4 miles/7Km. Pulse at the end of my run is around 132bpm and goes down to around 90bpm within 5 minutes and back to the 70-75bpm mark after around 15 minutes.

Today's run was done in the normal gear - shorts and trainers only - even though the outside air temperature was only 3C. It was not the coldest I have been over the past weeks - I did a run in driving rain and cold (approx 2C) - about 2 weeks ago where my hands were painful after the run to the point where it was difficult to use the key to get back into my house! It seems the colder mornings lead to better times (Today was 37m 35s only a few seconds off my best time) maybe its an innate thing to work harder to keep warm while running to maintain the core temperature?

Mountain biking for about 2 hours on one Saturday through vast expanses of wet, muddy tracks also led to a cold water hose down of the bike and me to wash the mass of mud off at the end of the session. A lot of fun but a cold ending which did not end with a cold water shower like my runs do but a warm (not hot) one to gradually warm me up (along with a nice cup of tea, of course).

Hope to do 3 runs next week before heading off to a much warmer climate for a short winter sun holiday.

A Change in Routine

No Posts for a while - just too lazy I guess! Apologies to those that wait with bated breath for each installment.

I have been running quite a lot recently - up to 3 times a week (mon, wed & fri Mornings) around my standard route. Times are fairly consistent at around 37 to 40 minutes. I am still running in just trainers and shorts without a shirt (although my new running partner thinks I am a little crazy as he runs with a long sleeved T-shirt and track suit pants)even though the temps are starting to drop. I have run in the rain several times now and I must say that I quite enjoy the feeling of getting wet and cold. With the paths getting muddier and pools of muddy water building up in the woods I think it wont be too long before I will risk a mud bath along the way one of these days.

Just for interest on a cold morning I took my temperature orally after my run and subsequent cold shower and it was 33.7C - a little lower than the normal body temp of around 36.2C! No ill-effects so I guess I am getting used to being cold. I will monitor and let you know once the outside temps are firmly in the single digits range and there is a little frost on the ground in the mornings. I dont know how low the digital thermometer goes before it fails to register - maybe I need to see if I can get my body temp down another degree or two.

My weight seems to be relatively stable, despite all the running, so maybe I am replacing fat with muscle. Weight fluctuates around the 67Kg mark. Today for instance was 66.4Kg , but yesterday was 67.2Kg. I put the difference down to hydration levels - is this likely? What do you think?

Water out of the tap is still well above 10C so no opportunity for cold baths as yet. Am going to explore different areas for outdoor swimming soon. I will let you all know if I find somewhere.

Winter is coming

Just a short update and a promise to do so more regularly in future.

I finally found a running buddy. Hopefully it will improve my endurance a bit as he seems fitter than me and we tend to push each other along. 3 runs this week already so a good start. Time improving a little - getting closer to the 37 minute mark for my standard run. Today was 37m40s only 20s off my best time.

Cold showers (water temp 13C out of the tap) are still the order of the day. I decided to wait till the water temp goes below 10C before doing the cold bath thing in earnest. Still looking for a cold water venue close by to swim in.

Added new vid on YouTube too. Take a look - links on the right.

Autumn is officially here

I know it's been a while since I last put a post on here, but there always seem things to do these days. However, as today is officially the first day of autumn I thought that I would begin my winter cold water routine again. So today for the first time in a long time I ran a cold bath. Water temp was 15C and I stayed in for a full 15 minutes. No shivering, hands in the water most of the time and head under a few times during the session.

I had done some yard work just before so was quite warm to start off with and gradually cooled down during my long soak in the bath. Dried, dressed and warming up now as I sit here to write this.

As the weather cools down so, hopefully will the water temp out of the tap. The coldest it got last winter at my house was 9C. Let's hope it goes a little lower this year.

I am still running about 2-3 times a week - a lot more fluidly than before the summer. Also seem to have reached a stable weight of around 67kg. On the scales this morning the reading was 66.4Kg but this can vary by as much as 1Kg depending on when I weight myself and when I last ate or had a drink.

I hope to intersperse some pictures to liven this blog up soon. If there are still followers out there or you discovered this for the first time. Please write a comment or send me an e-mail.

Back in Circulation

I know it has been around 5 weeks since my last post but I have an excuse - I was on vacation.

The pic on the right was my everyday view (yes, sunny skies, >30C every day and cool, clear water for swimming in). Sorry for the poor quality but it was taken on my phone rather than with my digital camera. Still working on some more pics to post here in the coming days.

Spent 3 weeks in Greece replenishing my Vitamin D content (i.e. nude sunbathing to get an all-over tan). Also did a fair amount of walking, running and swimming (a lot of that was done naked too!) as well as trying to not eat too much (mostly clothed to eat, unfortunately!).

The effort seems to have paid off as since I have been back in the UK I have seen a slight improvement in my time for running my standard route and also am less breathless during the latter stages of my run - also I am managing to run the complete route now too which I found very difficult before.

It has also had an effect on my weight - which, depending on when I weigh myself, occasionally shows below the 66kg mark (today was 65.9kg so very close to my self-imposed goal weight of 65kg). There is definitely not a lot of fat left on my body but I don't have the tools to get an accurate body fat assessment.

Am still running shirtless all the time and do not intend to run with a shirt on through the winter either. Looking for a local running partner in the hope of improving my fitness further.

The cold showers are more like luke-warm showers at the moment, but still have one after my run to cool me down as I am normally very hot when I get back after around 40 minutes of solid running. Haven't measured the water temp since I have been back but it is certainly not that cold.

Till the next post......

Last Post for a While

Hi, not much to report and as I am off on vacation from today for 3 weeks you are not gonna get a post in a while. Normal, or should that be sporadic, service will be resumed soon.

Not been doing much running this week except to do the final chores and get ready for holidays. Am looking forward to doing a lot of naked walking, swimming and suntanning over the next 21 days. Hope to post some pics on my return and give you an update on the fitness side too.

Weight today 68.0Kg Hope to get this down a bit more on the holiday and to get a bit more defiined as well (I am hoping that the swimming and running whilst away will drop the body fat% too). I will just need to watch my hydration levels cos its going to be hot (35C+) most days.

3 Weeks On........

Well, here I am 3 weeks on from my last post. I have not been as good with my posts as I would have liked, nor have I been as active with running either.

Nevertheless it has at least been hot and sunny here in the UK. Adding to the tan is always nice as is working outside. I also went away for a weekend with a mate of mine and did a bit of running, cycling and swimming at the coast, which made a real nice change from the usual weekend fare. 40+ miles on a bike after a very long layoff meant I had a sore butt for a while! Swimming in the UK sea is also a very cooling experience.

Some travel for work in sunny climates has also added to my tan. Not done any running on my travels mainly because it has been way too hot (30C+). Done some in the UK since being back but only on a few mornings. Still managing to do my standard run in around 40 Minutes.

With the weather being so hot my weight has also been fluctuating from its lowest of 66.9Kg (on a really hot day in which I did go for a run) to around 68.5Kg. The difference I think is based on the amount of fluid I have in me which can vary quite a lot depending on temperature. I still plan to be at around 65Kg by the end of the summer and will try and keep to that weight year round thereafter. Anyone else have any comments about weight fluctuation?

Till next time.

A Great Day

After the thunderstorms of last evening and a night of rain it is a beautiful day today - clear skies and sunshine. Up early for my normal run followed by a cold shower and then catch up on mails and work stuff. Working from home does have its highlights and advantages - like being able to sit outside on the patio without clothes on, laptop on the table and the telephone next to me for those all-important business e-mails and phone calls.

The result of all the good weather is that I have a great all-over tan, am happy and relaxed and doing what I like to do best. The fitness regime is certainly paying dividends. I am looking better and feeling better physically. I have a lot better definition and body shape and although I am not doing weights to get some more muscle, I still think I look good. And being happy with oneself is much better than anything else. My weight is still coming down too. After the run and shower the scale showed 67.7Kg.

I did 2 runs since my last mail - my normal one on Friday morning and a longer one on Saturday (a full hour) taking in footpaths and roads close to my home that I have not been on before. Being able to enjoy the scenery as I go is also fantastic. I am starting to understand how to pace myself a bit more when running. I was finding that I generally start too fast and ended up neing out of breath and had tired legs early on. By taking things easier and not so fast, concentrating on breathing and getting an easy manageable pace is better as it means i can run for longer without a break and still not feel too tired. I guess this means I am actually enjoying the runs! Also, I don't beat myself up about having to stop and walk for a while if the going gets really tough (like a steep uphill section). I am not in a race, I am here to enjoy myself and to get exercise so a few minutes of walking enhances that experience rather than taking away from it.

OK philosophical murmurings are over for today - I am off to my patio to enjoy some more sun! Till next time......

Another week

No apologies for the delay in posting - I have been away in a hot climate. Far too hot to run and just right for lazing around a pool (not distance swimming). The result is that I have a great suntan, have lost a little more weight, and am feeling much more relaxed.

Went for a run this morning and, despite having taken a break from running for nearly a week, managed to do it in under 40 minutes. I did manage a run last Saturday before I left the UK in a slightly better time. My weight on the scales today after my run was 68.3Kg so still improving. My goal is now to get down to 67Kg by the end of the month and to be able to improve my run time to less than 38 minutes.

Two Runs and a Swim

Since my last post I have been quite good. A run on 2 Mornings and a 2.4km swim. 2 cold showers and a hot one (just for a change) as well as some physical work in the garden and a spot of suntanning.

Weight is down to under 69Kg and my time for my regular run was completed in under 40 minutes! No reason to slack off though. Hope the sun shines this weekend - highly unlikely but I can always dream can't I!

10 day report

Time has gone past too quickly this past week. Exercise has been on my mind but not on the agenda. I managed 2 runs over the first weekend of this blog post and on Monday but nothing the rest of that week or this past weekend - it was too sunny by half. The hot weather is not conducive to working out or exercise except in the early morning or late evening. Maybe the weather will break and I get a chance later this week to run in cooler conditions.

No swims this week either - too much activity, entertaining and eating out and commitments elsewhere. Needless to say the weight is starting to creep back on - but still grimly hanging on just below the 70Kg level fortunately.

Cold showers (if you can call them that) are still the order of the day - in fact I find it hard to take a really hot shower now without feeling guilty or wanting to turn the temp to cold. How strange is that?

Hopefully I will be back into my normal reporting routine this week. Look out for a post before Friday (or Friday at the very latest).

This week (with pic)

Well, another week has gone past and without a post from me. Its been a fairly busy week.

The water in the taps is definitely getting warmer as I can stay in the shower for a lot longer without feeling cold at the end of it now. I am persisting with the cold showers.

On the exercise front I have been fairly active this past week. I managed my normal run on Saturday and Sunday as well as Thursday night so almost 15miles under the hoof this week! I also managed to get out to swim 2km at the local pool on Wednesday night. I seem to have reached a consistent swim time of approx 30 minutes per km. My run is also run in a fairly constant time of around 40 minutes for 4.5Miles. My weight is also back down below the 70Kg level - I hope to get this down a little more over the next month so that my body is really lean and my body fat level down below 10% for my summer vacation. I included a webacm pic I took today to give you an indication of what I look like right now (apologies for the bad quality!).

Question: Are these times for running/swimming good or not? What can I do to improve them? Any comments on my body shape/form and what I can do to get the 6-pack showing more? Do you think I should get my nipples pierced? I am thinking of getting a small barbell in each.

Another week

Seems like Fridays is my day for updates. I have been away this week on business. I did manage to get a 5k run in on machine at the hotel gym and 2 days where I managed a 1km swim. I also managed to get a good start to the summer all-over tan as I grabbed a few "my time" sun hours next to the hotel pool in a thong.

I feel like my body fat level is coming down but the weight has gone up a fraction since my last report to 70.3Kg. Is this muscle gain or just that I have been eating more and exercising slightly less? Can anyone give me ideas as to how to bring my body fat level down quicker? Are there any supplements that would help this fat reduction process so that my muscle definition comes out more?

Last night's normal 4.5mile run was in my best time yet - just under 40 minutes. I still have to regulate my run so that I can do it all without walking for a portion of it and so improve my time even further. I am still looking for a running partner - any volunteers?

Weight Milestone - Under 70Kg

For the first time in as long as I can remember I stepped on the scale this morning and did not see a "7" in the first position on the Kg Scale. Although not down to what I believe my ideal weight should be (around 65Kg) I reckon that achieving under 70Kg (69.9Kg this morning) is worth blogging about. Its taken around 3 months to get here so its not been a miracle cure.

It is, however, a milestone on the way to a much healthier lifestyle. I have not done anything special to lose the pounds, or kilograms, I just ate sensibly, exercised a lot more and had a generally positive attitude about things. I think that the cold water showers and bath have played their part in speeding up my metabolism to burn off the excess fat too, so that regime will continue.

All I need now is someone to push me a little harder and faster in my exercise and training schedule to continue the improvements.

Running Shirtless

Now that the weather is warmer I have taken to running in just my running shoes and shorts (I was running in shorts and T-shirt when the air temp was barely above freezing a few weeks ago so the 15C of today was like summer come early). My normal route is around 30% on Public roads and pavements (for those reading this in the USA pleas read sidewalk for pavement!). Total distance of around 4.5 miles which these days I seem to consistently manage to run/jog/fast walk in around 41 minutes.

Increasingly I have become aware that a number of motorists take great pleasure in sounding their hooter (horn) at me as they pass. I have no idea why they do this. Not that it is off-putting or anything, just a little annoying (and flattering to think that they have noticed me). Today I was hooted at twice! On a previous occasion about 5 or 6 motorists did this. And it is not just the women that do this either, a lot of men hoot as they go past. What is this all about? Is it that they are:

• Jealous?
• Think I am crazy?
• Think I am good looking (at 50+ years of age I doubt it) and fancy me?
• Doing it to put me off my stride?
  

Any suggestions as to why people do this please leave a comment/response and let me know. Does this only happen in the UK? Does it happen to anyone else?

Monday Update

A long weekend of exercise and relaxation is probably a good summation of the past 3 days. I managed to get my standard road/woodland of approx 4.5. miles in on Saturday in a personal best time of just over 41 Minutes. I am happy with this time although a little disappointed that I did not run the whole way - so there is room for improvement. I guess my longer run up north during week helped up my fitness just a little more.

Today I managed a 2Km swim in a little over an hour in the local swimming pool. Again a pretty good time for the distance. I think I can improve on that time too as the 2Km was done using breaststroke rather than front crawl. I am still having problems with getting my breathing correct on the crawl. I did a few extra lengths to try and improve my crawl strokes and breathing rhythm so maybe one of these days this time will come down too. At the moment its more about getting more aerobically fit and burning some excess fat off.

I even managed a few hours out in the garden in the sun and have the start of a suntan developing. Here's hoping that the sun keep appearing over the next few months so that I have a tan before my summer vacation this year.

3 Months in: let's drop the day count

Well, here we are at over 3 months of this routine now. It seems to be working for me at the moment. During the summer months I guess posts to this blog will become less frequent and only include highlights. From now on in I think it better to have more meaningful headlines rather than a day count.

At this point in time I am running around 10 -15 miles per week and swimming at least once per week of 1k to 2km each time. My weight is down to approximately 71Kg although this varies slightly from day to day depending on what I have eaten and how much exercise I have done.

As this is the first post for a couple of weeks I can tell you that since report that I have been taking cold showers each day and also swimming again (2km in one session taking around 75 minutes to complete that distance).

I can also report that I met up with a member of the toughness yahoo group (see link on the right) for a run up in Scotland. We did a run (for me more of a jog/walk) around 6 miles (10km) along a mixed tarmac/dirt trail around a local reservoir. The air temp was around 10C with a cooling wind. It was a bit more of an up/down path than my normal run so I did a fair amount of walking, especially up the steeper gradients.

We finished the run with a swim in a different lake of around 10 minutes duration. Water temp approx 9C to 10C. I was pretty cold and starting to shiver by the time I had finished drying myself off at the car afterwards, but did not feel cold at all in the water.

I was definitely not as fit as my running companion - but then he is almost 20 years younger than me and has been running and competing in events for quite a while. He is certainly a lot more acclimatised to the cold weather than I am.

Till next time......

Day 86 to 89 - Exercising again

Let's just forget the boring part - the cold showers, which I am still taking - and concentrate on the exercise part for the past few days. I am improving! I increased my standard running distance now to between 4.0 and 4.5 miles (depends on which tracks I take through the woods) of mixed tarmac and gravel/mud tracks. Time is around 45 to 55 minutes, which is not bad for a guy who used to hate running.

I also managed to get to the local pool (albeit a little warm at 29C) and swam around 2km in just over an hour. I am so out of practice at this that I can't get my stroke/breathing correct to swim crawl - I end up out of breath after about 2 lengths (100m) and have to revert to breast stroke, which I find a lot easier and can do almost endlessly but the pace is a lot slower than I would like. Any suggestions for improvement?

With all the exercise my weight is now down to around 71Kg. I am assuming that it is staying around this number because fat is being replaced with muscle. I would like to get it below 70Kg within the next 2-3 weeks if I can. Any suggestions for ways to burn off more fat? I read somewhere that whey powder supplement could work for this but I think if if just eat a little less and exercise regularly it will have the same effect? What do you think.

I realise I need to get some before and after pics and stats going here - I will try and do this later this week for you all.

Till next time......

Day 85 - Cold Water Videos

I had a cold shower again this morning. I don't know what the temp of the water is at the moment as I haven't measured it in many days. I did enjoy the sensation this morning more than most. Maybe this is because i am getting used to it as a long term part of my life, or maybe its because I was feeling more energised this morning and got in with view of really enjoying the water.

Now that the winter season here in the northern hemisphere is over it is interesting to trawl through some of the video websites such as Youtube to see what other cold water people have been getting into. There are a lot of "Polar bear" swims in some of the colder countries (Canada, USA, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Russia and others) and others where there are organised cold water swimming groups or clubs. Polar Bear events are typically one-off events on a specific day (such as Christmans Day, New Year's Day or Epiphany) whereas the club events are more geared to regular, organised swims or dips (daily, weekly or monthly).

A number of these events have photos or videos taken of them and are posted for all to see. There is a collection of these in my links and playlists on the right of this post. I must say that the open water swims tend to be the most appealing to me such as this 500m+ swim one done in 2C water by Youtube poster Ujumine (click here for video). Whilst I have not done this yet myself I certainly will be making every effort todo so next winter or whenever the opportunity arises.

There are other Youtube users such as Ulysse3329, ToughPaul and blechdose2, who also seem to share this love of cold water swimming and endurance. If you know of any more people, vidoes or other sites related to coldwater swimming and endurance, please let me know.

Day 76 to 84 - Spring is Here

There has not been much happening over the past week, especially as the Easter Holidays have intervened and other things have been happening which have diverted my attention.

The water from the cold taps is warming up so the cold showers every morning are not as cold as they used to be. I am still taking cold showers and still enjoying them. The opportunity to take a cold bath has also not been available to me the past week either.

My running has been taking a bit of a back seat as there have been a number of things going on which have meant I have not been able to get out as much. I did manage a longwalk with some friends of about 4Miles one day and around 2 short runs of 1.6miles each all within a reasonable time. I will resume the runs in earnest this week. With some recent rain the ground has started to become muddy - quite inviting to take run and jump (or even a slide) into? Anyone else tried this? The idea of being covered head to toe in slimy mud is quite appealing in a weird sort of way/

One day this week I will take my camera along and post some pics of my daily route through the local woods, especially as "Spring is Here" and the woodland takes on a completely different perspective - flowers, blossom and new growth of foliage, bushes and other exotic plants. I am still looking for that elusive pond somewhere along the way so that I can really take that swim and cool off en route.

Till next post.

Day 71 to 75 - From Cold to Exercise

Being at home after all the business travel is quite refreshing. And now the weather and the water temperatures are warming up I think my toughness regimen must move from cold water endurance to toughening up my body and muscular endurance. I will still do the cold water showers (as I have this week apart from 2 days when the water was so luke-warm that it was unpleasant - neither hot nor cold enough - so I added some hot water to it) but I will look for other opportunities to get into cold water situations (rivers, streams, ponds, ice baths, sauna cold pools etc.) which are likely to be colder than water from the tap.

As far as exercise is concerned I have been extending the distance I have been running over the past few days. Today it was close to 5 Miles on a mix of road, woodland paths and across farmland. There was a mix of up and down too, but nothing too extreme as far as inclines are concerned. The time was not that good - close to 1 hour but for the most part I did jog or walk at a fast pace. I did the majority of the run in shorts (no top) as the paths are public footpaths and there were people around. I even got a few hoots from cars when I was running without a shirt along the road!

I hope to mix the running with swimming occasionaly during the coming weeks. I don't know if I will find a cold water pool in my area but I will certainly try to find an outdoor one rather than an indoor one. If you know of one west of London let me know. Also looking for suggestions of places to go swimming in West London area (Tube accessible) during the week and/or to meet up with others with similar interests occasionally during the coming months. Suggestions welcome via mail and/or the comments section please.

I would like to find a running mate of similar ability so that it is not so boring and that will challenge me to do better (i.e. push me along a bit). So if you live on the west side of London along the M40 corridor anywhere between J2 and J4 and are interested in joining me for the occasional run please leave a comment and let me know.

Day 69 & 70 - Bath Days

These past 2 days I have been able to take my time and have baths. The water is not so cold out of the tap anymore (11C yesterday and 12C today) but still cold enough to reduce body temp sufficiently. Yesterday was a short 10 minute session but today (the same as last Friday) I stayed in the water completely immersed for just over 30 minutes. By the end of the session I was shivering but I reckon that I could have gone for quite a lot longer. I guess the question is at what point do you stop?

I also went out jogging again last night. My time did come down a bit to just over 14 minutes - I need to pick up the pace a little each evening now and gradually work the time down to 12 minutes for my 1.6Mile course and after that build up the endurance by extending the distance till I can run for up to an hour at an 8 mile per hour pace. At my present rate of progress it will take me all summer to get there.

Temperature: 12C
Duration: 30 Minutes

Day 67 and 68 - Weekend

How come weekends pass so quickly? It never ceases to amaze me that a weekend can go by without doing most of what you intended. 2 showers this weekend and 2 runs, one on friday after I posted the blog and one tonight. My times for the run are not as good as before I hurt my leg but they are improving. And after 2 weeks of business trips and entertaining my weight is back up over 72Kg! I really do need to watch what I eat and exercise more.

Any hints and tips for running/jogging training? Drop me a comment.

Day 60 - 66 Another week

Seems like I am getting less time to put a message up on here every day now. Work is getting busier and I have been travelling again. Unfortunately, this normally means cold water at a higher temp than in the UK. This time the coldest water I could find was around 16C and with no bath to lay out in and after a shower of nearly 30 minutes on the first day without feeling even a little bit shivery I almost gave up and went back to hot showers!

Common sense prevailed though and I continued with cold showers the rest of the week whilst away. Back in the UK this Friday and with the cold water temp at only 10C I pushed my bath time out to well over 30 minutes - by which time I was shivering quite a lot, but was not feeling unpleasantly cold. This is the longest I have stayed in cold water, even with my hands in most of the time they did not bother me too much, although the initial lack of dexterity on finishing is something I need to get used to. Even simple things like doing buttons up or tieing shoelaces is not easy with very cold hands.

Anyone else notice these small things?

Temperature: 10C
Duration: 30+ Minutes

Day 56 to 59

Today was the first day that I have had time to run a cold bath to languish in and be alone. At 12C it was warmer than I would have liked but I did have 20 minutes in there to relax and enjoy. The previous 3 days I made do with cold showers that were warm by comparison (21C cold water from the tap in Portugal) and 12C back in the UK. I find that I am hardly shivering these days no matter what the temperature of the water is. But as soon as I get out of the water I have what I guess you could call "small" shivering episodes. I guess this is just the muscles warming up again but the feeling is quite refreshing.

At 12C the water is not quite cold enough to numb the skin as much as I have been accustomed to over the past weeks - that is a pity because I quite like the numbness and the fact of losing feeling in the skin, then the sensations returning as I warm up again. I really liked the almost instantaneous numbness you get from 3C water. I don't think I will see that kind of temperature again this year, unless I really make a plan to buy a ton of ice!

Day 55 - Contrasts

I must say my life is full of contrasts. 2 weeks ago I was high up in the cold Alps, this week I am in warm Lisbon and inbetween home in the UK. The contrast could not be more evidenced by the temperature of the cold water direct from the tap. France - 3C; UK - 11C; Portugal - 22C!! So from cold to postively warm water by comparison. Somehow it does not seem worth the effort of running a cold bath just to lie in tepid water (I may try it however as its the best that I can gete at the moment). Being in the city also means I can't escape to a nearby river or stream either.

I think I will hit the steam bath here at the hotel instead, then take as cold a shower as I can (they do not have a cold plunge pool here, unfortunately). I find the steam better than a sauna as it does not dry your skin or nasal passages so much. A sauna, on the other hand, when combined with air-conditioned planes and hotel rooms plays havoc with my sinuses! It also has the added attraction of meeting, socialising and talking with other naked people. Its a great leveller and a chance to view the eye-candy that sometimes shares the space with you. Also a great chance to get experience some extremes of temperature.

Questions: What do you do when you are away from home and in situations like I find myself? How do you get to find cold water for your daily "cold fix"?

Day 51 to 54 - Inactivity

More boring days!
My Calf muscle is still playing up despite my daily cold showers and resting it. I saw the doctor Friday and they have organised an ultrasound scan for next week to make sure there is not any permanent damage such as torn ligaments/muscles or separation from the bone - keep watching this space. Not being active is really a pain as I want to run/walk fast/jog and get out in what is left of the cooler weather.
I went on a short, slow country walk today past a promising pond for a dip in the winter evenings. Unfortunately it is on a very popular path so not much scope of a dip during daylight hours. I also found a 2ft deep stream that runs under a road that had promising capabilities too for evening runs.
An update on the water temp at home - crept up to 11C now so would need a good quantity of ice to make a big difference to a bath.

Day 49 & 50

Not much happened since I have been back in the UK except catch up on work stuff and some other things at home. My calf muscle is till sore so I may need to see the doctor about it if it is not better by the weekend. This also means no running/jogging so I am feeling really housebound and going crazy. No time yet for a long cold soak but maybe tomorrow or Friday will bring some opportunity for me to do that.

For these 2 days it has just been a short cold shower, but even this feels warm after the very cold baths of the past week. No temperature measurement so far but I will do that tomorrow. It feels warmer than when I left for vacation so its probably above 10C now straight out of the tap. Guess I need to go find that pond/river somewhere for a really cold experience over the next few weeks - or hope for another cold spell with snow and ice to wing its way in from Siberia.

Day 40 to 48 - A Cold Vacation

Cumulative Post Days 40 to 48

Day 40
Late flight meant a late arrival in the French Alps. No time for anything but a look around at the piles of snow on the ground and feeling the cold night air.

Day 41
Early into the bathroom for a shave (in hot water at the basin whilst running the cold bath) . The thermometer shows 2.5C so the real temp is around 3C my coldest so far. I start the timer on my wrist watch as I get in. The cold hits you when getting in but not as much as I thought it would, my breathing was a little laboured as my chest went under. My skin goes numb almost immediately and turns quite red. The feeling is not unpleasant. I wait about 3 minutes before dipping my head in. At 5 mins I am still OK but don't want to push things too far on day 1 of my holiday. I get out at 6.5 minutes and dry off in a the warm bathroom. I go straight to breakfast and have a cup of hot tea and a bowl of hot porridge oats. I have almost no shivering at all (unexpected). A good day's skiing follows albeit with poor visibility.

Day 42
Same early morning start before the rest are up. Shave in warm water at the basin before getting into the bath. A longer time this morning - 10.5mins. Hands in the water for most of the time. They get numb and painful very quickly but the pain is constant and manageable after about 3 minutes so they stay in the water. I am surprised at how easily I manage the colder temperatures - it seems easier somehow. Easy to warm up despite no exercise

Day 43
Another early start to get first shot at the bathroom. Cold bath ready - set the timer and in we go..... Hands stay in for the first 10 minutes then I take them out for the next 5 as they feel more sore today than yesterday. A full 15 minutes today. I still feel fine at the end - relatively little shivering - just a bit toward the end of the session. As I did very little exercise afterwards it takes me a while to recover and I have short bursts of shivering through breakfast but all done by the time breakfast is over some 30 minutes later. Another good day skiing ensued thereafter.

Day 44
Dull and boring day today. Snowing heavily so no skiing looks possible. Regular cold bath but only 10 minutes today. No issues at all with shivering or pain in hands although at 10 minutes the mobility and dexterity of my hands is somewhat compromised (i.e. it would be difficult to do buttons up on a shirt or perform tasks requiring fine motor coordination). I take a walk along a stream but as I am with the group and the path is well utilised I resist the urge to strip off and jump in - although I would like to try it. I feel that I would need to be in a group that understands why I feel that way and would not be judgemental but encouraging such activity. On the way back we cross a field that is nearly waist deep in soft powder snow and I think i must return here to enjoy it.

Any takers for a ski/cold/toughness holiday next year at this time?

Day 45
After yesterday's rather dull and boring activity I decide to push things along a bit today. I run the bath full of 3C water and start the timer determining to stay in longer than before. I managed 17.5 minutes before I felt it was time to get out. Again, no shivering during the session in the bath but as I warm up afterwards with a few press-ups and squats in the warm bathroom and a hot towel dry-off I start to shiver and continue to do so for around 15 minutes. The bath temperature at the end was around 7C so I guess by body warmed a lot of water up today.

I guess if I am going to do these longer sessions I need to have a good warm-up routine planned. After a days skiing and a good evening meal I take a lone walk to the field of powder snow I passed through the day before. At the edge of the field and under the reflected light of the nearby streetlights I strip off and enjoy a few minutes of naked enjoyment in the snow. Covering myself from head to toe in it. Lying down and playing around in it like a child. The feeling of planting your bare feet on top of the snow and it sinking to above the knee is quite incredible. Falling over and being gently cushioned to rest on a bed of snow is also a feeling I want to have more and more of. As I lay down in the Snow I piled snow on top of me leaving only my head uncovered. I lay there for at least 1 to 2 minutes before getting up, dressed and for a short sharp walk back to the chalet to warm up. A great end to a great day.

Day 46
An unfortunate skiing fall late in the session yesterday means that today I have a very strained and stretched (if not torn) calf muscle. The only way of easing the pain and tension is to have a hot bath, it seems to ease the pain and I do manage to ski today - but not at my normal pace.

Day 47
Back to the 10 minute routine today No undue effects of 3C water - in fact I am quite enjoying the experience.

Day 48 Whilst I started with good intentions of pushing the envelope to 20 minutes plus today I did the opposite and had a warm shower. I did enjoy it and although it goes somewhat against the spirit of what I am trying to advocate here, I think that occasionally it does not hurt to have a "relapse" into the old ways.

General Observations

1. If you plan your time you can enjoy cold water and other cold experiences even in a "hostile" group environment.
2. Playing in fresh, powder snow is a thrill and adrenaline rush I want to have again and again - I need to actively plan it into future winter holidays.
3. My body can take a lot more cold punishment and recover far more quickly than I had ever imagined.
4. Pain in the hands in cold water reaches a threshold which is manageable.
5. Going with a like-minded group would make the experiences much more enjoyable. Is anyone interested in joining a "Toughness group" winter ski/walk/stream/lake/splash holiday if one were organised? Let me know via the comments box.
   
6. I am looking for suggestions as to where to go for my next winter holiday. Guaranteed snow is a must as is having a lake or stream/river/lake nearby for swimming or cold water dipping. Suggestions via the comments page or via e-mail please.

Photos: You asked me to add some pics to brighten things up so here goes.

• A pic of the stream I walked along on day 44 - I would have played in it if I had the chance
  
• A pic showing the depth of snow and close to the place I played in the snow on the evening of day 45

Temperature: 3C
Duration: 6.5 Minutes Minimum to 17.5 Minutes Maximum

Day 39 - Preparation

I think this will be my last post for about 10 days as I am off to the Alps for a skiing vacation from tomorrow. I have my thermometer with me and will be on the lookout for a lake with ice that has a hole in it to take a quick dip (or a snow melt run-off stream). Hopefully someone will film it so I can put it on Youtube. Other than that I am sure that the water in the taps will be colder than the UK so I am hoping to report back that I was able to go down a few more degrees in temp. I didn't have any feedback as to what is the best way to do the really low temps (<5C) - whether to stay in only for a few minutes the first day and then build up the time or stick with 10 minutes and gradually reduce the temp - over the time I am there. I think I may just go with the first option and see how I get on.

Today I only managed a short cold shower but I think was good enough after yesterdays re-acquaintance. Temp outside is 6C so I may just go for a run later too.

The blog has not gone away - will be back with a vengeance on the 10th of March. Have fun while I am away and leave me a comment or two, please!

Temperature: 10C (Shower)
Duration: 4 minutes

Day 38 - Up to my neck (in cold water)

Well, it's great to be back in the UK with cold water readily available. My first really cold water encounter 10C in over a week and it was one I did enjoy. No problems with gasping for breath on getting in either - much more controlled than when I first started. It was so enjoyable that I manage to stay in it for a full 20 Minutes without so much as a shiver until the very end. I would not have thought that possible just over a month ago. I was surprised that I adapted again so quickly actually. I guess I must be pretty tough, or determined, or both not to let a few days in the sun and a warm climate deter me.

Here's hoping I can get a cool evening run/jog in tonight too.

On the weight front, I find from stepping on the scales this morning that I am now down to 70.5Kg. This is really encouraging, especially as I have only been walking these past few days.

Temperature: 10C (Bath)
Duration: 20 minutes

Day 36 & 37 - Still in Hot Water

At least I can say that I am sticking to cold showers - the only problem is that for the past 5 days the coldest water I can get out of the tap has been at 30C. I suppose the bright side of this is that I now have more of a suntan than before and that I have been walking a fair bit too, so hopefully my weight will be down a bit more. The results of weigh-in I will post on the blog tomorrow.

Here's hoping the next 2 or 3 days in the UK will allow me the time for a few cold baths to get used to the cold again.

Day 34 & 35 - Hot Water

Still away in a hot climate and nothing I can do to get the water colder. It still comes out of the tap at close to 30C! I just resigned myself to the fact that I shower hot. I can see that I am going to have to get used to the cold water back in the UK in a hurry on Friday by immersing myself in a bath full to the brim with cold water for as long as I can stand it.

I have been walking (not jogging) since I am here and also, unfortunately, eating a lot too. I just hope my good work of the past weeks has not been undone in an instant. Next weigh-in will be on Friday.

Over the next 2 days I do hope to catch up on some sun tanning to add bit of colour to my skin after a winter drought of the suns rays on my body. At least at my hotel I can get away with wearing a thong swimsuit at, and in, the pool.

My next post will probably be on Friday. If you want to ask me a question, just post a comment.

Temeperature (Air from 25C to 37C; Cold water out the tap 30C)
Duration: Here, as long as you want..........

Day 32 & 33 - A dilemma

I have internet connection so I guess I can blog regardless of where I am. A brief update regarding Day 31 evening (21h30): A short jog on my normal route (Air temp 4C) with a detour into a local woodland at around the halfway point where I managed to strip off completely and cool off walking slowly for around 20 minutes. Unfortunately there is not a pool or water source that I have found where I could swim or even wallow yet to cool of even more and quicker. However, I am stll looking

I arrived last night on my trip in air temps of 26C. A 20C difference from when I left the UK. Changed and went straight to the 11m (too small) hotel pool to do a few laps. I got into what felt like a warm bath - the water was 34C!! After 50 lengths I was so hot I had to cool off - and that was useless too becuase when I got in the shower the water was warm (later measured at 29C), also some 20C above what I have been bathing and showering in and used to. My worst fear is that by the end of the week I will have lost some or all of the cold resistance I have been building up and when I head to the mountains on vacation next week I will need to go back to 15C and waste my vacation getting back down to where I was instead of being able to get down to 1C or 2C within the first few days.

Maybe I just have to tell the hotel I am on some form of strict training regime that means I have to take very cold baths and that I need half a bath full of ice every morning over the next few days! Does anyone else have any experience of wierd hotel room service requests? Have you made any such requests of hotel room service? What do you think I should do?

Maybe I will let you know tomorrow.......

Temperature: Way too high
Duration: Almost indefinite.........!!

Day 30 & 31 - A month of Progress?

Well it has been a week of showers and I am missing the cold baths. More importantly a whole month of cold showers and baths at temps from 16C down to 7C, my lowest to date. Hopefully I will get back into the bath routine again soon. Next week will be difficult too as I am away in the Middle East (topping up the suntan hopefully too), so unless I buy tons of ice to ship back to my hotel and put in the bathtub it will be "warm" cold showers for the whole week. This may change the week after though as I will be up in the Alps above the snowline. Here's hoping for a few evening runs and rolls in the snow at temps well below freezing air temperature.

After a whole month of this new routine I suppose I should pen some thoughts for consideration:

1. It has changed my way of thinking a little - every lake or stream I see from the window of a car or train becomes a potential place to cool off. Anyone else have that sensation/feeling?
   
2. I am not afraid of the cold anymore - just more aware of my limits.
3. My fitness has improved. My run on day 29 evening was around 13.5 minutes for the1.6 Mile run - not far off my current target time of 12. Maybe if I keep up my exercise routine while away I may be able to go a further distance or set a new goal time.
   
4. My weight has dropped by almost 2Kg (4.5lbs)
5. I need to tell my family what I am doing. It will be easier to practice this lifestyle change if things are out in the open.
6. I want to get to the point where I can spend several minutes in ice cold water (below 2C) before summer really kicks in. Here's hoping the Alps prove to be the place to do just that - I know there is a stream close to the place I am staying that I can run to which may prove suitable.
7. I will start running in only shorts and trainers from now on (OK, well maybe not in the alps except for a few minutes at a time, but certainly for my nightly runs in the UK).
   

If you don't see a post for a while you will know where I am - I have not stopped writing, just unable to get online. Why not send me a comment or a question to answer so that I am not bored and have lots to do when I get back from my trip(s)?

Temperature: 9C
Duration: 10 Minutes (day 30) and 12 Minutes (day 31 - of which 5 minutes straight was with the shower directly on my head despite the pain and temptation to get out)

Please dont forget to look at my playlist of videos collected about this topic on my Youtube link.

Day 29 - Shower & run

Another shower day today - 11 Minutes. Still working through the pain barrier of having 9C water flowing directly on my head from the shower. Managed about 4 of the 10 minutes today - longest session was 2 minutes straight with two other 1 minute sessions.

I went for a jog last night too and probably will tonight after I finish writing this. My standard street circuit of 1.6 Miles completed in 15 minutes dead. An improvement over the previous time which is a good thing. My aim is to get it down to around 12 minutes within about a month.

My weight is slowly coming down too with the cold water and the exercise. Weight was 71.6Kg today (stark naked on the bathroom scale after my shower as usual). Goal weight around 66kg and down to a 30" waist before the height of summer.

Temeperature: 9C (Shower)
Duration: 11 Minutes

Day 28 - A cold memory

Today was another rather boring 10 Minute shower day for me today and with no exercise yesterday I am starting to feel a little edgy. Maybe a longer run tonight in shorts only? The Shower this morning was interesting for one reson only and that was to see if I could overcome this cold head aversion that I have. The pain of cold water flowing onto your head can be quite intense. I was sure that if I kept my head under the cold for long enough the pain would go away or at least subside as my body got used to it. So after a few quick splahes I put my head into the water flow. I timed it - first one minute and then a break as the pain increased, a short break then another 2 minutes straight after which the pain subsided a little. I finished with another 1 minute at the end and that was not as bad at all. Maybe next time I go for 5 Minutes straight. What do you think?

I wanted to recall a bad experience I had with the cold a few years ago - skiing in the French Alps. I dressed as normal for a day on the slopes, fairly lightly because I ski quickly and get warm just as quick. Normal ski gear for me is a one-piece ski suit with thong underwear and a t-shirt underneath as well as the obligatory socks, boots, gloves etc. On this particular day the weather was not so great, cloudy and overcast, a little bit of snow. I had skied quite a bit and then got a long slow lift to the top of one of the runs. By this time the wind had really gotten up, the snow had started to fall as had the temperature to quite a few degrees belwo zero. Around -12C and with the windchill the station at the top it must have been around -20C effective.

The problem was not the cold while skiing but on the lift - it stopped while we were half way up. Completely exposed to the wind with no shelter at all we were left there for a good 10-15 minutes. Even a good ski suit is not that effective at such temps and with the windchill I got really, really cold. I felt OK after i got skiing again but I think the real cold did not agree with me because that evening when I got back I got really shivery, even after a warm bath/shower, and later was quite violently sick. After a few hours in a warm bed I felt much better. I think I did get a real chill - right to my core that day. I suppose its one of the reasons that I want to toughen up a bit now so that I can overcome these irrational fears about the cold and to recognize and know my limits.

Anyone else have any cold experiences that they want to share?

Day 27 - Penance

After the disappointing weekend I thought I should make the extra effort and have at least 10 minutes in the shower this morning - my self-imposed penance, I suppose.

I have noticed that I get a sort of cramp/pain on the top of my head if I leave it directly under the shower head with cold water flowing over it for a longish period. I am sure this is one of those things that I need to get used to so that the cramp is just another "brain" signal or pain barrier that I need to fight to overcome and conquer. Today I tried ot let the water flow over it for longer than normal. The pain/cramp was quite intense the first 2 times I tried it but for the third time right at the end of my shower I fought the urge to get out of the stream of water and endured a full minute of the 9C water flowing directly onto my head. I survived the ordeal so I guess it can't have been that bad. Does anyone else have this same feeling? How did you overcome it?

Temperature: 9C
Duration: 12 Minutes

Day 25 & 26 - A Lazy Weekend

After the high (or should that be low?) of yesterday, a much more mundane start to the weekend. A 5 minute cold shower. A longish fast walk of around 4 miles in the afternoon and then another cold shower in the evening of around 2 minutes.

Now for the confession. As the shower was just before bedtime I cheated and warmed myself up with hot water afterwards for around 5 minutes or so. I must admit that in the hot water phase I was able to get a good close shave on my face, chest and the rest of my body as the skin is much more supple and pliable to get that really close shave with warm water. I did finish the shower with a one minute cold water blast just to close the pores again.

Day 2 of my weekend was much less eventful - too many things going on so no shower or bath today. However, a late evening quick jog around the block (1.6 miles) in around 16 minutes in jeans and a thin cotton shirt. The next week is going to be difficult for me to take anything but showers unless my family vacate the house for an hour or two.

I really need to get myself kitted out to do proper running in shorts and vest as a maximum. As I have not been into this style of exercise before I don't want to change too many things too fast or too quickly so as not to raise too much suspicion about why I am doing this.

I am looking for innovative ways in which to tell my family about this change in my life-style.

How did others of you raise the issue of toughness and changing your lifestyle with your partners and families? How did they react when you told them? What did you do to raise this with them? Did you do it gradually or just a bold "This is what I am doing now" statement? Do they support you now? Do they think you are crazy?

Day 24 - A nice Day Out - Coldest to date

Today was the day I met up with a fellow Toughness Group (see links) member - lets call him Mr E!. We had been trying to get together for a while but today was the day. I had shuffled my diary so I could meet up mid-afternoon. I arrived at his place and we sat and exchanged conversation and experiences for a time before running a cold bath. He also showed me some of his favourite video clips from Youtube on this subject.

It turns out that his building has an exposed cold water tank on the roof so the water from his tap is about 3C colder than mine. We both had our thermometers with us so we compared notes and agreed that the water was (after adjustment) around 6C.

Mr E! went first and stayed in for 5 minutes only so as not to warm the water up too much for me. I was the second in the water by this time it was around 7C ( a good 2C colder than I have experienced before).

Observations:

• Getting into the water was actually quite easy (even though for a few days before this I had not had such cold water available)
• My breathing was quite controlled
• I ducked my head under at least twice during the session
• Having someone to talk to passed the time a lot quicker than just looking at the clock
• I moved around and had my hands in the water the whole time yet did not feel a lot of pain in them (am i getting used to this?)
  
• Having exercise equipment (static bike) to warm up on afterwards was great - better than press-ups or sit-ups for warming up. Anyone have one to loan or sell me?
  
• I find really cold water easier to handle than cold, cool or even tepid water because I think it shocks the skin more into closing the pores and sends the correct messages to the brain to bring blood back to the core of your body. Anyone else feel this?
• I was expecting to not be able to stay in for a full 10 minutes at this temperature but found it relatively easy to do a full 10 minutes
• I decided want to go colder still

All in all a good day for me. I need to concentrate on the exercise this weekend and get my weight down some. Maybe Mr E! (who I know reads this blog) would like to comment anonymously on today's session and give his thoughts and impressions of how I am doing in my cold water escapades.

Temperature: 7C
Duration: 10 Minutes 40 Seconds

Day 23 - A Pleasant Surprise

When I started to run my cold bath this morning and put the thermometer in it was a cooler 14C. Dont ask me why it was colder than only 6 hours ago but it was. it was a pleasant suprise beacuse I was expecting another boring day.

I settled in for what turned out to be a more than 15 minute soak by which time I was slightly shivering when I got out. Am also finding the cold water shaving is working OK on my face now but rest of me really has to be done in warm water!

Temperature: 14C
Duration: >15 Minutes.

Day 22 - Update

It's late at night and so after a boring evening I came back to my room and ran a cold bath. I even went to the ice machine in the hall twice to try and cool it down some more but gave up after realising I would need to do about 30 trips with the ice bucket in the room to cool it down far enough to make any difference.

So I plunged in and set the timer for 30 minutes. By the time I got out after 33 minutes, I thought I could probably manage 45 to 60 minutes more. I was shivering slightly but that was just enough to keep my muscles warm. Its now 10 minutes after I got out and the shivering has stopped even though I have done no exercise to wam up. I dont think I will try this again. Its really boring.

Thanks goodness I had a magazine to read or it would have been an exceedingly boring soak. I cant wait to get home for a cold evening walk and cold shower tomorrow night.

Temperature: 20C
Duration: 33 Minutes

Day 21 & 22 - Early Days of Cold

Right now I am frustrated. Firstly because I cant find any really cold water and secondly because even the outside air temperature is also so high that even if I went naked outside it would take only slow walking at a snails pace to keep warm. It will be another full day before I can get back to some semblance of cold in the UK. I wonder if it will be shock to get into water at below 10C again because for 3 full days I will have been using water at more than 20C for my daily routine.

I said I would share some of my early day recollections of cold. Unlike toughness group owner Paul, I didn't have a father that initiated me into this cold therapy by dipping in ice pools. I do recall, however, some schoolday experiences of Physical Education (PE) sessions at high school when I was aged 11-13 years old. In those days it was common to only wear white shorts (no underwear) and plimsolls (no socks) to PE. I think the exceptions were when you played sports such as rugby or football out on the field rather than being in the gym doing vaults, bars or rope climbing etc. In the outdoor sports you could also wear a t-shirt. As I did not like football or rugby the only alterntive offered was cross country. My school was near a public park and the school perimeter fence was open to the countryside so the natural cross country route was along public footpaths into the park and back via a different route. It was normal not to wear a t-shirt when doing cross country, even in winter.

I never like running either so taking this option was always a bit of a last resort for me. I did occasionally enjoy it however in the summer or when the sun was shining on a crisp cold day. The route used to take in one or two stream crossings and when there was a lot of rain the fields and footpaths used to flood. I recall on one of those flood days being quite cold and when running with a mate he dared me to sit in one of these very cold wet puddles of water and mud that were in our path. I suppose I was bit gung-ho and did it. I recall it was cold and I got colder as I ran back to the school heading for the hot showers. Did it give me a rush - yes, I reckon it did because I remember doing it again a few times. But then again it wasn't often because I would try and get out of doing anything too physical at that age. I wish I knew then what I know now - I would not be so timid and would throw myself into it wholeheartedly.

If you have similar experiences why dont you share them with me and I will post some of your stories on my blog too. Send me a comment or an e-mail.

Temperature: 20C
Duration: 10 Minutes

Day 20 - Another European City

Well, an 8 Minute 9C shower this morning followed by 2 minutes outside standing barefoot in the remaining snow left in the garden - all this ahead of getting a taxi to the airport to get to a European city. On arrival I checked the temperature of the cold water from the tap - very disappointing at almost 20C. I was hoping it would be colder. I guess that means a long soak in as cold water as I can find for my bath tomorrow (or maybe a lot of trips to the ice machine with the waste basket to get it colder)

Seeing as there will not be a lot to report te next few days (on account of the water temp being too high) I may recount some of my early experiences of cold.

Taking the advice of Paul I calibrated the thermometer this evening. A glass full of ice with cold water in abouot a 50/50 mix. The thermometer read zero or just below so probably a 0.5C to 1C inaccuracy but I think this is OK for my general purposes here. I guess for the 79p I bought the thermometer for you cant expect scientific accuracy to a tenth of a degree can you?

Also have a question for you experts out there: If you have a cold bath or shower first thing in the morning is it cheating to have a hot one later in the day?

Temperature: 9C
Duration: 8 minutes

Day 18 & 19 Weekend

The temptation to take a break over weekends is always there. It is difficult to find time alone to run a cold bath and soak for a long time - I really have to find a way of telling my family what I am doing and/or find a way to get a bath/tub out in the garden that I can use.

Only managed showers (9C) over this weekend - one longer (5-6 mins) the other short (2-3 mins)- and I resisted the temptation to make them hot ones. I am even finding shaving in cold water easier now. The problem with a shower is that I can't get cold enough in a short period of time so never feel really cold even after I have been in there for 10 minutes or longer. It is still a shock to the system getting out of a warm bed though so I am sure it is better than nothing.

Did manage another 4 mile walk/jog on Saturday night. The last vestiges of snow on the ground were great for laying on and rolliing in at the mid-point of my walk for around 10 minutes of the 20 that I was completely shirtless. Have to get fitter so that I can get to the field and strip off sooner and explore semi, or even fully, naked for longer. Outside air temp was below freezing (-1C) . But I was very warm by the time I got back home after putting my t-short and fleece back on for the last 10 mins or so of the walk home. I really do need to find the time to get out more in less clothing.

Observation & Question:

1. I am starting to find that my nipples are getting harder and stiffer as my body gets colder, and that they are more sensitive than I remember them being before. Is this a normal reaction when your body gets cold?
   
2. I also find that the longer I stay in cold water the more likely I am to get an erection. Again, is this normal and is this another reason why this "toughening process" is attracting more guys to try it? What do you think, let me know?
   

Guys following and commenting on my Blog: Thanks to Paul (owner of the Yahoo Toughness group that got me started on this escapade: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Toughness/ ) and Nigel (member of that group) for the comments and personal e-mails of encouragement- please keep them coming.

Also to the one follower of my Blog (Smooth103) - thanks for showing an interest.

It would be nice to hear from anyone else even if it is just to satisfy my curiosity that someone is actually out there and reading this. Anyone want to publicise it more for me?

Day 16 & 17 - Cold baths

Yesterday was a little hectic so no time to post hence you get 2 days in one today.

Yesterday and today were days I made a little more time to enjoy my bath. 13 Minutes at 10C yesterday. Today I was feeling fine and went a lot longer - a total of 22 minutes, also at 10C. For my own interest I put the thermometer back in the bathwater at the end of the session and it was almost 3 degrees higher than at the start. I guess most of the increase came from me!

What is the longest that you have stayeed in what temperature water? Leave a comment and let me know.

Temperature: 10C
Duration: 22 Minutes

Day 15 - While the cat's away .........

I will play! An early morning start today - was awake early so ran the bath to the overflow with cold water (what else these days). Temp was 9C (that seems to be the lowest temp I can get straight from the tap so far). Started the timer as I got in and was aiming for 10 minutes. I actually managed 15 minutes but was running late so could'nt really do more. Why do hotels have such small baths? If I lay with my body completely in the water my knees stick out!

Also managed to get out to a local naturist swim group I heard about. They meet later in the evening (21h00-23h00). Was worth a try so I went along and managed 1.5Km (30 lengths of a 50m pool). It was great to swim naked again and good exercise too. I feel much better for it - I am definitely gonna have to work swimming in at least 3 times a week if I want to achieve my weight and fitness goals. My closest pool at home is around 3 miles away so maybe that needs to be my run/swim/run routine. 2 good hills along the way too but all on tarmac so not so good for my knees.

Temperature: 9C
Duration: 15 Minutes

Day 14 - Away from home

Early morning shower 5 Mins straight from the tap- around 10C I think. With all the snow my trip to get my connection to travel meant an early start.

Several hours later I find myself in my hotel room running a cold bath. Temp is 9C. I set the timer for 10 mins and hop in. I take my time getting into the cold water, regulating my breathing as I go. It was much better than previously - no gasping this time, just steady breathing. I hope the water gets colder over the next few days as I want to take the coldness to a new level.

The phone interrupts my cold soak telling me I have a meeting in 5 minutes time but by then the timer has already gone off for over a minute. I dry and dress quickly. I can't believe that I am really starting to enjoy this. Is it the endorphin rush or just the fact that it is so different from my previously normal routine. I wish I had had a little more time because I end up sitting shivering a little during the meeting because I havent had time to exercise and warm up very much. Gradually I warm up over the next hour or so. Its a good feeling.

Temperature: 9C
Duration: 11 Minutes

Day13 - Snow!

Well, Snow overnight - most in nearly 20 years they say (about 8 inches here)

Start the day with a barefoot walk in the snow in the garden wrapped only in a towel then come inside for a cold shower (5 minutes). Get dressed and down to work. No exercise, didn't need to warm up.

Boring day really. Went for a walk tonight in the snow (9pm) - about and hour of which 20 mins was shirtless. Found an open space in the field where I stripped off completely and rolled and lay in the snow for a while. Covered my body too by scraping the snow from around and let the cold soak in. Great feeling, have to do that again, and soon.

Heading off on a business trip so dont know if I'll get a chance to post tomorrow.

Day 12 - A Good day

I stared the day with a 5 minute cold shower - to make up for yesterday - no time for more! It actually felt good although I still prefer immersion to a shower. I felt i should have stayed in longer.

I also started my exercise program today. I took a fast walk of about 3-4 miles after dinner (around 18h30 in the dark and alone). I started the walk on roads but then headed to open fields and footpaths close to my house. I was dressed in a button-up shirt, jeans and a winter jacket as well as having my walking boots on. There was a small amount of snow on the ground and the wind was quite chill - around 0C, and lower with the wind chill. As I walked I got hot after only 5 minutes so I undid the jacket and unbuttoned the shirt baring my chest. When I reached the open field I took both the jacket and shirt off and waked around topless for about 20 minutes before heading back to civilisation - I buttoned everything up for the last 500m or so and, surprisingly, I was nicely warm by the time I got home. I think I need to change the gear for the next walk - shorts, t-shirt, fleece and a light windproof jacket that I can stuff into a bum-bag. That should keep me generally cooler than tonight but give me ample warmth if I really need it. For safety, I also had my mobile phone with me. All I need now is an evening toughness walking buddy in my area.

I didn't feel cold at all, the skin went numb on my body and if I had worn shorts instead of jeans I probably would have taken those off too as I love to walk around naked in the moonlight. I still have a problem with my hands getting really cold on a day like today and quite painful. I know I can stand to put them in cold in water at 10C but in ice cold air with a wind chill is different in my view - warm hands means the rest of me doesn't feel cold (I think!). Will need a few more evenings of this to see if that is really the case. Maybe I need to work through the pain and cold in my hands.

Snow expected tonight so tomorrow evening's walk could also mean I could go naked or play naked in the snow when I am out.

Two questions for today:

1. Is it really cheating when out doing "Toughness" walking/hiking to keep your gloves or a hat on?
2. Do you think some pictures would help illustrate the things I am doing here?

Please leave a comment and let me know.


Temperature: 10C
Duration: 5 Minutes (shower)

Day 11 - Abject Failure! and Questions........

After Yesterday's success I thought I deserved a break, so today I took a hot shower and did my previously normal shower routine (shampoo and face/body shave). What a great feeling to be able to shave in the shower again in hot water and get a completely smooth finish. I did finish with about a minute or two of cold water right at the end but it was not the same feeling as being totally immersed. I agree with Paul that this is the only way to really get the cold water feeling.

So why do I feel so bad about this? Probably because I felt I let myself (and my few readers) down. I have not really had a chance to shower or bath later today either and tomorrow looks like it is going to be just as bad. My home situation is a little difficult and I really need to be alone at home to have the freedom and time to take a very cold bath and also have the time to recover afterwards (those around me just would not understand why I need to do this).

As I was thinking about this post I was spending some time reading old posts from the yahoo toughness group. I like Paul's idea of having a permanent cold water tub or bath available 24x7 and thinking about how I could plan this into my situation - I am sure that with planning I will be able to do this over time. I have a secluded space (i.e. where I can get in and out naked without the neighbours seeing me) at the side of my garage where I could quite easily put a tub and insulate it etc.

Also, I realise I do need to have a proper exercise routine to adhere to after the cold water dip. Running up and down stairs a few times, push-ups and sit-ups are really not my thing - a rowing machine sounds good as does a home gym. Anyone have one to give away that they are not using?

I think I may have the wrong idea about cold and warm. I initially thought that the idea was to be cold all the time to allow or force the body to generate its own heat, I now think that this is partially true - it should only be for a limited period of time. If you cant get your body to generate its own heat you need to help it get back to normal by putting on dry clothes, exercising and letting the body get back to normal in a reasonable time period or warming it up gradually as in swimming in a heated swimming pool at some 20-something degrees C or even having a luke-warm cup of tea. I guess starting this routine in the middle of winter was not such a good idea. I guess it's also permissible to have more than one cold session a day, just as it's possible to have multiple showers in a day.

Also after yesterday's, lengthy session in pretty cold water I started to wonder how low does your body temp have to drop before it has bad effects on your body (liver, kidneys, heart etc. ). I reckon my body temp went down by around 4 degrees C yesterday. According to the medial stuff on hypothermia I looked at over the past days I should have been shivering almost uncontrollably by the end of my session (but I wasn't - I was starting to enjoy it and was totally lucid the whole time). Anyone have any ideas about when enough is enough or just plain too much?

Maybe I just need a local "toughness" buddy to work with on this and to keep an eye on me to stop me from doing something stupid and to ush me to achieve more.

Day 10 - A Breakthrough?

Hopefully today is a breakthrough day for me. The bath today was the coldest to date a cool 9C and filled to the top. As the outside temp is dropping so is the water temp from the tap.

I am strangely looking forward to these sessions now. Today I set the time for 10 minutes as usual and got in. It still takes me a few seconds to adjust to the cold. I thought by now I would be able to control my breathing better when I get in. Kept my hands in the water again today. I think that is the worst part - feeling my hands become painful and then working through it. I was not shivering by the time the buzzer went so I thought I would set it for another 10 minutes and see how long I could go without getting too cold and shivering. I surprised myself by staying in for another 10 full minutes! I probably could have done longer if I was able to generate additional body heat by moving around (like swimming or water aerobics).

At the end of it my hands were quite numb and difficult to move with "pins and needles" type sensations in them. I was not shivering too badly by the end of the session. I was alert and quite invigorated. I keep looking for signs that my body (or mind) cant cope but haven't found any that I am worried about yet.

I warmed up a little by running up and down the stairs a few times and doing some push-ups. Although as I write this some 30 minutes later, fully dressed and after a cup of hot tea, my body has the occasional shivering "spasm" when I sit still for a longish period. Is this normal when recovering from lowering your body temperature by a few degrees in this way? How long should the shivering last?

Funny observation 1 hour after my cold soak: I tried taking my temperature by putting a ,edical oral thermometer in my mouth. The digital one that I tried first time registered "L" -too low to get a reading so i had to revert to the traditional one. This reads 35.1C so I guess I managed to drop my core body temp by 3 or 4 degrees this morning. I dont think i will be telling my Doctor about this as at these low temps he will be classifying it as self-induced hypothermia!

Teperature: 9C
Durations: 20 minutes

Day 9 - Boring

No time today to do much more than a quick 5 min shower - didn't even feel cold once I had dried off. If you had told me that about 10 days ago I would have said it was not possible, but today......

Water was 9C so getting colder and with the weather due to get colder overt the next day or 2 I hope that by Monday the water will be down another degree or so. Hope to start the walking/running over the weekend.

Temperature: 9C
Duration: 5 minutes (shower)

Day 8 - Another Low (temperature)

Today started off well as I ran the bath the thermometer showed just under 10c - a personal best insofar as temp is concerned. Slightly different routine today too as I did not get into the water straight from bed - I had to go out early and took the bath mid-morning. Don't think the change in routine or temp made a difference. The water was not noticeably colder to my body as I got in, although I did keep to the timer today - my standard 10 minutes - plus the time it took to rinse the shampoo out of my hair at the end. I still gasp and breathe a little faster as my chest goes under the water - I wonder when I will stop doing that? Settling into a semi-lethargic state and becoming slowly aware of the cold seeping into my body was interesting today. Also, my hands stayed in the water the whole time today.

The colder water started to take its toll at around 7 minutes with a little light shivering in my torso (noticeably in my stomach muscles). This continued after I dried, exercised and dressed. I am still slightly shivering as I write this - around 15 minutes after I got out. Again, I think that this is normal (someone please tell me if I am wrong) as it fades and does not cause me any discomfort at all.

One of the reasons I started this regime was a bid to get fitter and to lose weight. Well, I haven't been able to get to the exercise part yet (apart from the odd press-up, sit-up or squat) to try and warm up my muscles after my bath however, over the past week, I have noticed a drop in weight. I think this must be because I am stressing my body and it is having to work and metabolise some of my stored fat to keep my body warm. The loss is relatively significant (Weight at the start - eight days ago: 73.6Kg, Weight today: 71.5Kg). I think that once I start walking, running and swimming in addition to the cold water therapy I will need to up my calorie intake to compensate. I should try and find out what my body fat percentage is and keep track of that too I suppose.

I wonder if skinny muscular people with a low body fat% or larger people with high body fat% are more adept at this cold water stuff. I can see the argument for both being good at it. I think I fit into the former category, but I would not classify myself as "good" at this yet. What body type are you? How well do you cope? - let me know.

Temperature: 10C
Duration: 11 Minutes

Day 7 - 1 week complete!

Can't believe I have been doing this for a full week already. Yesterday I finally got to the shops and bought a garden thermometer which reads from around -10C to +40C. Not too worried about the accuracy - just for me to get an idea as to where I am on the temperature scale. Also this is the last of the catch-up posts so you will have to wait for a daily update from now on.

Water straight from the tap again. I resist the temptation to see how cold it is before I get in as it may put me off - I wait till the end of the session to find out the temp was 11C. Not as cold as I thought it should have been. I am a little disappointed it is not lower than this. I guess I have to wait for the weather to get colder or find a pool, pond or lake to swim in to get down to lower temps.

I shaved first this morning straight from bed in warm water- a much better result on face, chest and pubic region - silky smooth skin and no blood today!

I start the timer as usual when I get in. I still gasp a little when my chest goes under the water. A quick shampoo and rinse and then lie back. No unexpected sensual problems today! Although as the session went on I did start to sport the start of an erection - is this a normal body reaction to the cold? Is this the sensual gratification you get out of cold water sports?

I decided the fear about my hands yesterday was irrational and decide that today I should keep them in the water as long as possible. They start off getting painful very quickly but I persevere and the pain disappeared over time. Another pain barrier broken.

Today for the very first time I think I started to enjoy the sensation of the cold. In fact, so much so that when the timer went off I decided to stay in the water for longer - a whole 3 minutes as it turned out. By that time I was just starting to shiver lightly. Only a few press-ups after the session to warm up and then dressed straight away. Took me a long time to warm up (I was only beginning to feel comfortable again about an hour afterwards). Is this usual or am I just pushing myself too far, too fast?

Temperature: 11C
Duration: 13 Minutes

Day 6 - The Coldest so far

Today was the day to bite the bullet as far as I was concerned. With everyone out of the house and the bathroom to myself I filled it straight from the tap (still no thermometer). Timer set to the regulation 10 mins and started as I put my toes in. I drop into the water quickly and take a quick gasp as my body goes in. I settle my breathing quite quickly and adjust before putting my head under. This is definitely the coldst water so far. I can feel my pulse slow as the cold seeps into my body - mainly because it was pumping so hard I could almost hear it! Its almost a cathartic sensation. Maybe the real thing is less than the apprehension you feel before you get in?

Decide to wash my hair as this give me somethng to do to while away the time. Shaving is definitely off the cold bath routine as I need to be able to move around a lot more than within the confined of the narrow bath to shave down my body. Besides that the Shave gel does not foam well or do half as good a job in cold water!

Hands! What do you do with your hands in cold water situations? I always feel my hands are painful so, for today at least, I put them in for a while and then take them out again for the rest of the session. Is this logical?

10 minutes seemed quite a long time today, although the cold didnt seem as bad as I thought it was going to be - no shaking or shovering to report - maybe i cold get used to this. My skin felt like sandpaper when I dried it off - hardly any feeling there - almost like it was detached from my body. Quite a nice sensation though, one I can't remember feeling before.

One other, rather unexpected, thing happened in this session. As my torso went into the water I got an instant erection, followed almost immediately by a rather large ejaculation? I hadnt realised that this cold water voyage could be a sensual/sexual experience as well a toughening/therapeutic one. Has this happened to anyone else? I wonder ifthere is a medical reason for this to happen or if is this just me and my mind playing games here?

Day 5 - Shower

I think this cold water thing is going to take me a while to get used to. All I wanted today was a warm shower - however, I didn't give in on this and just took the plunge anyway. Wasn't so well set up today with my watch so i think I had about 8 mins. No time to exercise or do any warm-up stuff after and this left me feeling cold all day (maybe i should have dressed more warmly too, till I warmed up properly) as I only had jeans and a thin cotton shirt on for most of the day. Definitely not going to shave in the cold again as I look like a human colander bleeding from every pore and goosebump that the razor took off!

Would be interested to know what the correct preparation is for getting ready to take a cold water bath as well as what to do afterwards in different scenarios such as:

1. Straight out of bed into the cold water: exercise or not afterwards? how to warm up if you dont exercise
   
2. Some exercise first, cold bath, exercise after. What type of exercise is best and for how long?
   
3. Other scenarios that work for you. Tell me about them and I will post the best responses.
   

Can ayone help me - please post a comment or mail me.

Day 4 - Cold Shower

Due to circumstances at hoem i dont have the luxury of time to do a bath on these particular days so have to make do with a shower. Ran it cold straight from the tap. Was in there under the head for 10 Minutes. Vigorous Towel dry with some push-ups and sit-ups afterwards. Don't know if I overdid it these past days or it is just my body getting used to it but i have occasional shivering episodes during the day, even though I feel warm. Anyone else have this when they started out? let me know by writing me a comment.

Went for a brisk walk in the afternoon in Jeans, Rugby Shirt and Jacket. Was too hot so took the jacket off and carried it virtually the whole way. As I was in mixed company i did not thinkn i could get away with taking my shirt off too (although i wanted to). Air temp was 4C (so the car thermometer said) . Walk reminded me of school cross country (a story for another time maybe).

Walk was a ruse to look for an exercise route that took in a local pond or stream where I could get wet and soak in cold water. Unfortunately, nothing came of this but will keep looking.

Also noticed that the extra endorphins seem to be making me sleep less well, I hope this will pass as I hate waking up to the clock only changing by a few minutes each time I wake. Odd, or what? Maybe it is my body just getting used to the new routine. What do you think?

Day 3 - Much the same

I am back in the UK now. Water is colder than in Portugal straight from the tap so I ran a bath and added hot water so that it was colder (at least to the feel of my hand) than there. Nothing to really report on today except that cold water shampooing and shaving is not a good combination. Over the past few days I have cut my skin to ribbons because of the extra bumps and notches created by the cold water making the skin less supple. I need to execute a different plan to do this.

Water temp: Approx 18C (no thermometer yet)
Duration: 10 Minutes

Day 2 - Improving

The bath in my hotel didn't fill up any faster today so went back to bed while it filled up. Got in as normal - not so much of a shock today, similar temp to yesterday, my breathing was much more normal. Took a few ducks under the water with my head. Shampoo and shave- same as yesterday. No shivering today, at least not till right at the end of the session just as the 10 minutes was up. Cheated a bit and then went to the steam room for a while to warm up before breakfast but did finish each 5-10 minutes session in the steam room with a long cold water shower. Reckon I need to establish the exercise routine soon to get the right balance and to restore heat buildup in my body.

I like feeling the contrast between cold and hot on my skin. How good the temp differences are for me I have no idea, just that the feeling is good. That, and to be completely naked - and on the odd occasion naked with other steam/sauna users too.

Water temp: Approx 20C Duration: 10 Minutes

Day 1 - a good start

I am out of the UK for 2 days in Portugal. I had spent the previous evening reading posts from the Toughness group and decided to start today with a cold bath following the advice I found in a post there. Sent a mail to the group owner Paul telling him he has inspired me.

The weather outside is quite nice - sunny and blue sky and cool (but not as cold as the UK). The hotel has a steambath which I used last night (not hot enough) but does not have a cold plunge pool (why not, its an essential part of the ritual?). I took cold shower after the steam but it hardly does the same job.

The bath in my room took an age to run (about 10+ minutes) - very frustrating. Eventually was full. Took my phone with a timer on it to the bathroom, set it for 10 minutes, and took the first tentative steps into the cold water, lowering my body gradually in. Shock was bearable, no more than straight from Sauna to plunge pool. A few deep intakes of breath and then settle into a regular rhythm. Do normal ablutions (shampoo/shave) in the bath for 2-3 minutes then lay back to wait out the 10 minutes suggested in the Toughness Group advice.

My legs start to shake/shiver at around the 6 minute mark but not bad so I flex and taughten my muscles to control it. Manage to last the full 10 Minutes. Feel quite elated on getting out of the bath to dry off. Get dressed and go off for breakfast. Enjoy the day feeling quite warmed.

Water temp: Unknown (estimate based on hindsight 18-20C) Duration: 10 Minutes

Starting Out

Let's call this post a ground zero type of day. Why start off here, and why cold water therapy?

Well..... I have a fascination for and enjoy very much taking a steambath or sauna and following that with a dip in a cold plunge pool - I have always wanted to go straight from the steam/sauna into an ice hole in frozen lake (an ambition yet to be achieved - but open to invites from readers to experience this). However, I have also wanted to build an endurance to cold so that I could stay for longer or an undetermined period in cool or cold water without discomfort (or at least recognising when I am reaching a point where I am in danger of hypothermia or find ways to overcome it). I always seem to stay in the plunge pools longer than most other steam/sauna users after a steam/sauna session- sort of a mind-over-matter thing for me I guess (comments such as "how can you stay in there so long" or "you are crazy!" are not uncommon).

Normal commercial cold plunge pools are only at around 16-20C with some even warmer than that so not down to the level of cold that I now want to experience. Questions such as:

• What is it like to be in water that is close to freezing point?
• How long can I be in that temperature water for?
• What effects will it have on my body?
• How do I know when it is dangerous for me (it's different for each person, I know, as we all have different tolerances and metabolisms to deal with it)?
• What can I do to reverse the effects of the cold?

All of these questions I hope to answer on my quest.

In addition, after having put weight on over the past months I now need to lose it and I think to combine my fascination for cold with an exercise regime would be good. As I am a bit nomadic a gym membership is not a good investment so I think the exercise regime is going to have to be walking or running in whatever place I find myself - be that in a city, town or country setting - and in whatever weather comes along. So the gear I need to do this is minimal (running shoes and shorts) for the exercise part and a bathroom with bath and a cold water tap or a cold water swimming pool, river, lake or sea for the cold water therapy part.

How did I decide that this was the way to go? Well, I was looking at Youtube and found a number of vidoes that show cold water swims, dips as well as rolling around in snow (I have a few vids listed as favourites that show people doing this: http://uk.youtube.com/user/tremendimouse). Amongst these videos I followed an obscure link to a yahoo group: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Toughness . I joined this group and thought the advice was good and made sense so I decided to follow the advice of its owner and some of the posts on it.

This Blog will diarise my experiences and will hopefully be an inspiration for others to conquer their fears and phobias as well to overcome mental barriers of pain, cold, heat and other things in order to determine the limits of endurance of their bodies. It will be a voyage of discovery for both me in experiencing this, and you, the reader.

Please e-mail me or leave a comment if you have a question or a comment for any of the posts. It is the only way I will know if anyone out there is actually interested in this.

Today is a bit of a catch-up day as I have to post all the things I did this past week. After today I hope it gets easier 'cos this takes a ton of time and thought.