I have a book offering 365 suggestions for Somethings New to try. One of the entries I marked to try but hadn't yet is "For the last minute of your shower or bath, adjust the water temperature to as cold as you can possibly stand it." Then, in yesterday's mail, came a postcard from our real estate agent touting the benefits of a 30 second cold rinse, those benefits being: Stimulates white blood cell production and increases circulation in the blood and lymph systems; Heightens awareness and attention, and stimulates the release of endorphins and noradrenaline; Stimulates hair follicles; Makes it easier to get out of the shower.
So today I did that, stood in cold water for the last 30 or so seconds of my shower. And you know, it wasn't bad at all (although I admit I didn't have the water turned as cold as it can get). There is the first shock, which is what does all that stimulating mentioned above, but then the body adjusts and it becomes easier to tolerate.
When I go to a women's spa north of here, I always alternate sitting in the hot pools with dipping into the cold pool. I can almost feel my pores snapping shut, and it feels sort of painfully good. I think ending showers with cold water is something I'm going to continue doing now and then. Maybe it's a vestige of Calvinism, or maybe just the pioneer spirit, which has me associate something being hard and painful with it being good for me. A nice antidote to all the ways I live in warmth, sloth, and comfort.
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