Cold showers

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That's an awesome post, KB. I'm honored I may have been able to help in any way. Is your dry skin still benefitting from it? Rather interesting that the occasional warm shower does not satisfy. And btw, of course, that is the beauty of TH, lots of good people with many different perspectives and interests, even beyond love of all things trees.

Gary, I was doing a bunch of 6 min cold water dips in LI Sound this season, when the water temp was as in the mid to upper fifties, the time in the water was challenging but afterward you feel like a million bucks. Ahem, the last time we (son and I) went in, weather was sleeting and water temp was 49*. Could only last 5 min and it was absolutely brutal. Walking back to car on wet sand and sleet pellets tried to freeze my hooves. Didn't really feel good after. Now the water temp is 42 and I haven't been able to muster the balls or spirit to go back in.
 
@cory, you're a lean guy, no?
Do you shiver easily?

I shiver like a MF, I'd be shaking like crazy after LI Sound. I'd be shaking like crazy before getting in, dry without clothes.

Wonder if a shiver response can be dampened.
 
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Yes it can be dampened. There are people who have trained themselves to swim a mile in Antarctic water without a wetsuit. Water that would kill you or me
 
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I am a believer of the ice baths for muscle recovery. Especially legs. Go for a run, a long run, and then ice batch directly afterward. Hands down a much faster recovery as in no problem running the next day. My guess is it helps with the inflammation, repetitive stress on joints when running, etc. If I had more money and more time, I would have an ice machine at my house big enough to make the icing happen.

I tried it because I have a mommy neighbor who runs a lot and swears by it. She was right, but I just don't have the time. For me a jog is what I do right from my door step. She drives 30 min each way to jog at the nicest place to jog and then buys bags of ice on the way home. If you are a stay at home mom with no job and no kids at home, I guess that works. Me, I have to grind to make money so in the words of Sweet Georgia Brown, "Ain't nobody got time fer dat!"

Joe Rogan, Gabby Reesce, and Laird Hamilton are among those I've heard advocate for ice baths.
 
Ice packs are used to prevent swelling which can last a couple of days, that delays the healing process.

Its not a miracle, just speeds up the natural process.
 
vharrison said:
Has anyone tried the actual ice bath? I mean like laying in a tub with ice cubes and water?
Click to expand...
I've done the true sweat lodge super overheated body, straight to a plunge into a hole cut through 10 inches of ice, on a frozen-over lake in the Oregon Cascades high country, deep winter...a 12 mile XC ski in to spend several days in a simple woodstove heated cabin. That was mind altering...but you had to be super overheated in the sauna to survive it, imo.
 
We're in a cold snap with -40c wind chill values so I've been having near scalding showers after work. It's the perfect combo for dry skin.

For me to have a cold shower would require an ambient room temp. of at least +30c. The only one I've had in recent memory was when the hot water tank calved. Hats off to you guys who enjoy the benefits of such self torture.
 
KB, any idea how cold the water is during your winter showers? I presume it's a lot colder than summer time tap water temps.
 
Its numbing. Recently torqued my knee again being a dumbass on the basketball court and the water on the tap is more effective than an ice pack. I do add enough heat during some of the shower so my brain doesn't freeze but not enough to feel "warm". The icy cold is not very effective at cleaning my asshole or getting any sort of grease off. I get it to Maybe 75 And play back and forth with the icy cold. I start at my feet and work up. My back I always the hardest. I have a whole little ritual I do. Crank the forced air... get the bathroom toasty. After the shower I hang out getting warm and clip my toenails and clip my whiskers... I don't feel like its torture, I feel very much like I'm spoiling myself. I'll spend 45 minutes on the operation when I have the time and am feeling it.
 
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Cool perspective, thanks.

Yeh fo sho, cold water doesn't cut grease well.
 
@kevin bingham do you have fairly hard water? Adding a water softener will make soap work better and it will be dramatically easier on your skin as well. I'm on a well here, with naturally hard water, and it destroys my wife's skin, but soft water does the opposite.
 
That's adding salt to the water right? I don't do that. The water quality is pretty good. Straight from huron. I feel like soap works pretty well.
 
@kevin bingham

No it doesn't actually add salt, it removes magnesium and calcium, then later uses salt to flush itself. I think you would be in for a very nice surprise if you installed one, your water appliances will last significantly longer and your skin and hair will likely greatly benefit as well. Your municipal water is actually designed to be hard water, because it coats the inside of the old pipes that are used through the distribution system, preventing lead contamination and protecting the pipes. That was actually the problem in flint, they changed the water supply without thinking about that. However unless you have ancient lead plumbing in your house, it is detrimental to everything from toilets to faucets to dishwashers, hot water heaters, icemakers, washing machines, and you. If you have antiquated plumbing, maybe it's time for an upgrade, i would suggest either copper or pex.

www.freshwatersystems.com

What Is a Water Softener and How Does It Work?

A water softener removes minerals that create water hardness, one of the most common water quality problems in US homes. Hard water destroys appliances, leaves filmy soap scum across bathrooms and kitchens, and dries out hair and skin. With over 85% of the United States relying on hard water for...
www.freshwatersystems.com www.freshwatersystems.com
 
Interesting. I had heard that about flint. Inland rivers are very salty from all the salt and fertilizer in the system. They used to be on huron water which they bought from detroit and like you said, it coated the pipes. They switched to the river and it stripped all that. I have copper in my house but its lead to the street.
 
We have a hardness average of 106 going between 91 and 115 which appears to be the hard side of soft.
 
You will be fine with soft water inside then. Do you have a meter, or is that just what you found?
 
Detroit water department websight. Laid out all the chlorine, fluoride etc. Detroit has some of the best water that I've had to drink. I it's used by several bottled water cos. Aquafina, dasani, la croix, Faygo. At least regionally.
 
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Drinking is different than showering. If you have sensitive skin, i would look into it, it really helps my wife.
 
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