Jennifer Blacklock

One winter on a family road trip as a teenager, we were relaxing in the hotel hot tub when our dad dared my siblings and I to jump into the unheated outdoor pool. $20 for anyone who was brave enough. I was young, a little reckless, and broke, so obviously I did it. I didn’t even need my dad’s motivating statement that switching between hot and cold water was good for the heart. My sister and I plunged in and quickly thawed out back in the hot tub, $20 richer. Totally worth it.

In the last few years I’ve been learning about metabolism health and how important it is (so much more than being thin or not, which is what I was always led to believe). 

Your metabolism is basically the engine of your body– it’s responsible for producing and/or maintaining energy, growth, reproduction, temperature, immune function, repair, hormone levels, and more! 

It was in researching metabolism health that I came across “cold therapy”.

Cold therapy is immersing your body, usually from the neck down, in super cold water. Surprisingly, doing so has a number of wonderful benefits! You’ve probably heard of ice plunging for recovery for hardcore athletes, but I’m going to tell you why you should add this seemingly crazy practice (a slightly milder version) into your regular routine!

I don’t fill a pool or chest freezer with ice water as people usually do for this (not enough time or motivation or ice), but I do a less extreme version that I’ve found to be easy enough to incorporate into my weekly routine- a cold shower.

Before you shiver and say you could never do it, let me assure you that if I can, you can! The way I manage is to first take my nice hot shower until I’m fully warmed up (the milder equivalent of sitting in a sauna or doing a workout before a real ice plunge) then quickly, before I have time to change my mind, turn the faucet ALL the way to cold. Then (fighting the impulse to jump out), immerse every inch in the icy water. Turn around. Lift those arms. I stay in the cold until I get a little numb to it and no longer feel desperate to get out (this usually only takes a minute or two). Then I turn it back to hot water and thaw out for a minute before I get out.

Benefits of cold-water immersion:

Physical:

Improved circulation

Increased metabolism

Strengthened immune system

Pain relief

Decreased inflammation

Increased lymphatic drainage

Mental:

Improved mood

Decreased anxiety

Increased resiliency to stress

Better sleep

Spiritual:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies”

In the cold shower, while every urge of my own body wants to rebel, it’s an exercise in discipline, a reminder of truth. “This body is not my own”, I repeat until it reaches a deep place in my soul where I give myself over more fully to do God’s will above my own.

“If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Romans 8:13

This simple practice, for many people, including me, causes an immediate sense of elation and calm! Kind of like endorphins after a run. I hope you’ll add this easier version of cold therapy into your regular routine to experience all the physical, mental and even spiritual benefits!

Have you ever tried cold therapy? Let me know in the comments!