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.
1 comment:
I've never smoked, but I guess it's a bit like giving up cigerettes or becoming vegetarian. UR making a decision to stop doing something U have always done, in your case bathing in hot water. If U can persuade yourself to always use cold water you will be better in the long run (Hot water is OK if UR ill, fever, tum upset, etc, etc.)
Go for a plunge pool in garden if U can. Though how do U explane that to UR family if U can't explane cold baths? [Show them the stuff on web about "Ivanov Therepy" perhaps??]
3 to 4C internal temp drop is about OK.
Toughness buddy... Get in touch with Nigel, he seems quite keen.
PL
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