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.
Saturday, 31 January 2009
Friday, 30 January 2009
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
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
Thursday, 29 January 2009
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)
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)
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
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
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
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
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
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?
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:
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:
- Straight out of bed into the cold water: exercise or not afterwards? how to warm up if you dont exercise
- Some exercise first, cold bath, exercise after. What type of exercise is best and for how long?
- Other scenarios that work for you. Tell me about them and I will post the best responses.
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?
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
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
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
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:
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.
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?
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.
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