"If you have a very hot experience then shock yourself with cold water, it's very very good for the nervous system.”
The new year comes and goes, and oftentimes, with it go our resolutions and our willpower to change our lives. NOT THIS YEAR, baby! I’m going to tell you how to energize and heat up your life … with Cold Water Plunges!
There’s loads of research on the benefits of cold water plunges. I could sit here and spout the scientific benefits (which I will at the end for all you research geeks like me!) but the truth is that the best way to find out how something as simple as cold water can change your life is to TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. C’mon! Don’t be a chicken!
Cold water plunges are EXPERIENTIAL! Once YOU experience the power of cold water to change your life, you’ll keep coming back for more.
Moving up to Seattle and the shores of the Puget Sound was a dream come true. I had been dreaming of living on the water my entire life. When I was 13, my father bought a condo in Key Largo. It was right on the water. Our evenings were spent oohing and ahhing over magical sunsets that felt like they took place right in our living room. That little condo overlooking the bay would live on in my heart long after my parents divorce and their decision to let go of this little gem in the islands.
When I found the teeny tiny home I live in today, I knew it was magical. Rainbows and double rainbows flood my living room with color, beckoning me to run outdoors jumping for joy as the little girl in me would spark to life.
My pup and I would spend endless hours walking the Sound at low tide, when the waters would recede and the Sound would give way to long walks and pockets full of seashells.
One thing that would both puzzle and entice me on a daily basis were the cold water swimmers. You couldn’t miss them as each one would wear a giant orange buoy tied around their waists as they plunged into the icy cold water (a chilly 47 degrees year round) swimming til their heart’s content. I would stare in awe and bewilderment as they left the water with only an itsy bitsy swimsuit, rarely reaching for a towel or a coat for warmth, simply standing on the banks of the Sound looking happy and peaceful. I was puzzled by the lack of shivers or any sign of discomfort. Their demeanor was just the opposite. It was pure bliss. And, I wanted some of that!
Fast forward over two years and I finally took the plunge! It would take a new year and a 30 Day Challenge to inspire me to experience those chilly waters for 30 days straight and, most importantly, to understand the magic of a cold water plunge.
One of my favorite books of all times is by Dr. Joe Dispenza, “Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself.” This book is centered around the idea of pattern interrupting. When we interrupt lifelong patterns and habits – all those things we do on a regular basis that ultimately become who we are – WE CHANGE THE HABIT OF BEING OURSELF! That, Beauties, is cold water plunges in a nutshell!
If you want to break the pattern of being yourself, try a cold water plunge! I don’t think I’ve ever experienced something as simple as cold water that was also so massively life changing.
Cold Water is LIFE!
Or, cold water gives you life – and energy – and health – and wellness, and happiness, and … you get the picture.
Sure, you can look up the science as to how cold water improves your immune system or how it oxygenates your lungs forcing you to breathe more deeply. You can read the research and learn of the endless health benefits of cold water plunges. OR … you can experience it for yourself!
Today, I’m addicted. I’ve become a cold water plunge groupie who’s hooked on the feeling! The irony is how cold water FIRES ME UP. It helps me tap into my fierce side. It supercharges my willpower. It shows me every single day that when I tell myself I can’t do something, that it’s only my mind doing the talking and not the true me. Cold water shows me that I can do anything. And, most importantly, that I CAN BE ANYTHING.
After all, it’s the culmination of our habits – our doing – that has the power to change our BEING!
Don’t believe me. That’s okay. How about trying it for yourself? Give cold water plunges (or showers or ice baths) a try for 30 days straight and, then, come on back and tell me how you feel. I bet you’ll become a believer!
Here are some fabulous resources to learn more about the science, research and benefits of cold water plunges:
The Huberman Podcast – Using Deliberate Cold Exposure For Health
So, are you ready to take the plunge?
2 comments
jodie
Rob’s naturopath suggested it too. Have we done it yet? Not so much.
I’m sure we will because you sound so convincing,
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Catherine Grace O'Connell
I’m shocked!!! NOT!