{"id":8662,"date":"2018-08-29T07:47:20","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T07:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/?p=8662"},"modified":"2018-08-29T07:47:20","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T07:47:20","slug":"cold-showers-change-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/cold-showers-change-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Shower Routine That Could Change Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard that a well-balanced diet and consistent exercise routine promotes good health, but what about something as routine as a shower? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Few can argue how nurturing a long hot shower feels, especially when seeking refuge from a chilly morning or <\/span>freshening up in a day room<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if we\u2019re able to bite our lip, take a few deep breaths and adjust ourselves to a momentarily jarring polar stream, could we put ourselves in a better position to succeed?<\/span><\/p>\n

While the scientific evidence behind cold water showers indicates that more studies are needed, it doesn\u2019t mean a brisk cleanse can\u2019t start changing your life tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Happy<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll Be On Your A-Game<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Feel like you need a coffee first thing in the morning to feel alive? Building a cold shower habit could free you of your addiction. Taking (or ending) your cold showers relieves fatigue and increases alertness. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cold showers could also mean reduced sick days. A <\/span>study<\/span><\/a><\/span> asked 3,000 volunteers to finish their showers with a 30, 60 or 90-second duration of cold water, or to shower as they usually did for a month straight. The group that opted for cold showers took 29 percent fewer sick days than their hot-water counterparts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, the cold-shower participants felt ill the same amount of days on average as those who kept their hot water routine. However, cold shower volunteers felt more energetic and able to persevere through their affliction. Two-thirds of them also continued their cold shower routine after the study. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/h2>\n

You’ll Strengthen Your Willpower<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Despite what we tell ourselves, willpower isn\u2019t an exhaustible resource. If you believe your willpower runs out, that’s what will happen. This is according to a study that measured participants\u2019 behavior between viewing willpower as a limited resource or infinite. Subjects who had preconceptions about willpower being a finite resource experienced signs of ego depletion after exercising their willpower. Subjects who saw willpower as infinite did not exhibit symptoms of ego depletion. <\/span><\/p>\n

By turning the dial cold for even a portion of your shower, you\u2019ll realize you\u2019re capable of making the right choice regardless of how many disciplined decisions came before it.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll Feel the Flinch \u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

As complicated and ever-changing as life may feel, it\u2019s quite simple at its core: do you act with fear or love? Taking cold showers won\u2019t permanently choose love for you in life, but it\u2019ll at least begin or end your day with a daily dose of fear. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019ll take you out of your comfort zone and allow you to recognize your flinch, as Nikita Kazakov details in a Medium <\/span>essay<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re thinking that consistent cold showers would build a tolerance, slowly eroding one\u2019s daily apprehension, consult Niklas G\u00f6ke, who took a cold shower every day for a year. Among <\/span>G\u00f6ke\u2019s many observations<\/span><\/a><\/span>, the fright of the showerhead\u2019s brisk flow never ceased. <\/span><\/p>\n

Developing Your Cold Shower Routine<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Compelled to inject some mental toughness into your daily routine? Approach the habit\u00a0<\/span>responsibly. <\/span><\/i>We are talking about cold water showers after all. You wouldn\u2019t want to kill your motivation by going arctic on day one. <\/span><\/p>\n

Clean yourself with lukewarm water and finish the last minute of your shower slightly cold. After a few weeks, turn the dial a little colder. Following another successful week, increase from one minute to two (or longer depending on your comfortability).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A month into your new glorious habit, you should be able to shower with the water completely cold. Feel<\/span> free to extend your glacial sessions to the entire shower or continue ending your showers with a few jubilating minutes\u2014it\u2019s up to you!<\/p>\n

Still skeptical about cold showers? Try it for yourself. What do you have to lose by trying? Besides fear, of course.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Featured photo, “In my bathroom”<\/a><\/span> by\u00a0yip vick<\/a><\/span>\u00a0via Unsplash<\/p>\n

“Happiness is getting the job done”<\/a><\/span> by\u00a0Ali Yahya<\/a><\/span>\u00a0via Unsplash<\/p>\n

“Cold suds on glass”<\/a><\/span> by\u00a0Valentin Lacoste<\/a><\/span>\u00a0via Unsplash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all heard that a well-balanced diet and consistent exercise routine promotes good health, but what about something as routine as a shower? \u00a0 Few can argue how nurturing a long hot shower feels, especially when seeking refuge from a chilly morning or freshening up in a day room. But if we\u2019re able to bite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[224,573,1085],"class_list":["post-8662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-daily-routines","tag-life-hacks","tag-work-productivity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/yip-vick-583033-unsplash.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotelsbyday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}