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
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