Unpopular opinion: cold showers rock!

I’ve been taking cold showers for a little over two years now. It’s something I try not to bring up too frequently, as I fear it makes me seem a little too much like one of those inspirational TikTok influencers who insist everyone should wake up at 4 am and get half a day’s work done before the sun rises.

The truth is, though, I find cold showers to be an amazing way to start the day. The very first time I had one was during Easter in 2023. I was away with my family, and my brother (always one to try a new fitness trend) had recently become obsessed with cold showers. He described the “afterglow” of a cold shower as a deeply warm feeling that was both relaxing and invigorating. He said the first time he took one, he was literally laughing from how great it felt.

As someone who’s always curious about new experiences, this sounded rather incredible, so I decided to give it a try the next morning. I was absolutely unprepared for how cold it was, and instantly turned the tap off. I stood there shivering in shock, but after taking a second to steel myself, I tried again. I’m pretty sure I literally screamed out loud, and I was straight-up hyperventilating for the whole 3 minutes I spent under the cold water. It was kind of horrible, but also a bit of a rush.

I had to hand it to my brother because the way I felt afterwards was spiritual! As I sat out on the deck eating my breakfast on this warm autumn day, I felt calm, content, excited, and optimistic. All of this was coupled with a warmth that seemed to originate deep within my bones.

I was hooked straight away. What I noticed though, is that despite how cold it felt the first time, after a while it just doesn’t feel that cold anymore, and those benefits are not as pronounced.

This has led me to seek out other cold-water experiences. I took a shower in Switzerland that was so cold it literally gave me a brain freeze. I’ve also gone for a couple of early morning ocean swims, most recently at a beautiful bay on Tasmania’s east coast. There is something pretty special about going for a cold dip at a deserted early morning beach, before rugging up and reheating with a cup of coffee.

So, yeah, to some extent, I am pretty comfortable with the cold. That being said, there is one cold water experience that I have yet to conquer, and until I do, I can’t claim to be an expert on the cold. That, of course, is the ice bath. As comfortable as I have become with cold showers, this one still kind of scares the shit out of me.

This blog is all about getting uncomfortable, and an ice bath has got to be just about the definition of uncomfortable. That’s why this week I: Took an Ice Bath.

Now, I’m okay with discomfort and with pushing myself, but considering the freezing cold temperature I was about to encounter, I figured I’d better do some research first. So, I spent about an hour watching Eastern European bodybuilders and Californian tech bros teach me about the benefits and risks of ice baths, and how to get started.

Feeling better prepared, it was time to set up the bath. I whizzed up to my local service station and picked up a bag of ice. As I added it to the cold water in my bath, however, it became evident very quickly that I needed way more, as the water was still about 10 degrees too warm. Fortunately, my mum was kind enough to grab a few more bags on her way home from work.

With the bath finally at temperature, there was nothing left to do but hop in!

I stepped into the bath, and it was instantly apparent that this was a new level of cold. Part of me wanted to procrastinate getting fully in, but my feet were already so cold that procrastinating just meant more pain for longer.

I’m sure if I tried, I could write some really eloquent description of how it felt when I first submerged myself, but honestly, the expressions on my face in the GIF below tell the whole story.

Yep, it was bloody cold.

The first 30 seconds were pretty much the shock I expected. Hyperventilation, inability to focus, the whole nine yards.

However, after I submerged myself fully, and used some of the breathing exercises my tech bros and bodybuilders taught me, it became very bearable. When my 2-minute timer sounded, I was chilling and decided to push on. I ultimately stayed in for 4 minutes, but I think I easily could have gone for much longer.

As I got out and dried out, I felt A-MAZING! It was all the same sensations as my first cold shower, but times ten.

It was a beautiful day, and I went outside and just stared at the sky for three minutes, feeling completely satisfied and content. It was a serious natural high.

This ice bath experience perfectly encapsulates the spirit of this blog. Yes, it was uncomfortable (extremely so at certain points), but by pushing myself to do it, I got to experience something truly amazing.

Did I enjoy it and would I do it again? I loved it! I’m already asking myself how much it would cost to upgrade my bath to a cold plunge. Unfortunately, it is not financially feasible for me to buy three bags of ice every time I want to do this, but if the opportunity to take an ice bath arises again in the future, you’d best believe I’m going to take it.

What did I learn? I’m starting to learn that there are many more ways to live your life beyond the norm and that it’s completely okay to do so. I’ve joked about people who take ice baths all being bodybuilders, tech bros, and influencers, but if something makes you feel this good then who am I to tell you it’s stupid? Maybe the influencers are actually onto something.