Benefits of cold exposure

Discover the health benefits of being cold

Benefits of being cold

Cold exposure is good for your health. It challenges the body to adapt and become stronger - much like exercise. A process that challenges the body and makes it stronger in the long run is called hormesis.

Examples of hormesis

There are many types of hormesis. Here are a few of them:

1. Exercise
2. Heat exposure
3. Cold exposure
4. Fasting
5. Mental challenges
6. Sun exposure

Adversity creates strength.

1. Cold exposure reduces muscle pain and speeds up recovery from exercise

Cold water immersion reduces muscle soreness when done within 24 hours after exercise. The cold acts as an anti-inflammatory agent within muscle tissue. This reduces swelling and speeds up the healing process.

Cold showers reduce muscle pain

I use cold exposure to speed up the healing of a certain muscle group if it takes too long to heal on its own. Cold exposure prevents blood from pooling in muscle tissue.

Blood pooling stops new blood with fresh nutrients from reaching the muscle and stops old blood with by-products of the healing process from circulating away to be cleansed.

Inflammation isn't always a bad thing. It is the signal that tells our muscles to grow and get better. Exercise produces the inflammation that eventually leads to an increase in muscle size and strength.

Cold therapy to speed up muscle recovery

If you need to recover as soon as possible (like from a strenuous sports event and there's another one coming up shortly), I'd recommend using cold therapy as soon as you can.

If you want to increase your fitness level, I'd recommend using cold therapy a few hours after exercise so that your body can learn to deal with inflammation on its own.

Cold therapy is also good to speed up muscle or joint recovery because of its anti-inflammatory effects.

Use cold for exercise performance.

2. Cold showers reduce depression and increase energy levels

This study investigated whether cold showers could be used as an effective treatment for depression. The results were astonishing. Depressive symptoms were reduced almost instantly and the cold showers showed no indication of dependence or addiction.

The study proposes that one of the major causes of depression is a lack of hormesis that challenges our brain and body (just like how exercise reduces depression). Cold showers challenge the brain to switch on certain areas that aren't stimulated enough with our current, comfortable lifestyles.

A 2-3 minute cold shower of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) was done once to twice a day. This was enough to elicit the mood-enhancing effects of cold exposure.

The same study showed that cold reduced pain in the same way as pain medication (via an analgesic effect).

A short, cold shower has lasting benefits.

Cold exposure activates the sympathetic nervous system

The study showed that cold exposure (in the form of cold showers) activated the mechanisms in our bodies that cope with physical stress. These are the same mechanisms that are activated during exercise. Increased energy production throughout your body creates an energizing effect.

Hormones released through cold exposure

Cold exposure increase blood levels of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline. This leads to a mood-enhancing, euphoric and energized feeling. These hormones explain why some people claim that cold showers wake them up better than coffee.

Cold showers are better than coffee.

3. Cold therapy increases metabolism

Cold exposure can increase your metabolism by 16%. It costs energy to warm the body up or cool it down. Your body will take this energy from fat stores. The increased energy levels and activation of the sympathetic nervous system, as we have discussed in the previous point, will also increase your body's energetic burn rate.

How much weight can you lose in one cold shower?

Not much. The amount of fat that you burn in a single cold shower is minuscule. You can't sit in a cold shower until you've lost a certain amount of body fat. You will enter into hypothermia before you lose any noticeable amount of fat.

The weight loss effects of cold training are adaptive. This means that your body will burn more fat mass per cold session over time as it adapts by learning to burn more fat to create heat. The more often you take a cold shower, the more fat storage you can burn per cold shower.

The metabolism-boosting effects of cold exposure persist afterwards because of sympathetic nervous system activation and the release of endorphins and noradrenaline.

Do it regularly (like exercise).

Benefits of cold exposure

The above findings tell us that cold exposure has the following benefits:

1. Better ability to respond to stress
2. Decreased recovery time for muscles and joints
3. Prevents blood pooling from strenuous exercise
4. Better elimination of the by-products of muscle recovery
5. Anti-inflammatory: Reduce pain and swelling
6. Increased ability to turn fat into energy
7. Increased energy production
8. Better mood and a sense of euphoria
9. Protection against depression

Cold is good for you.

It seems like we have been too successful at making ourselves comfortable. Doing things that make you uncomfortable from time to time will help your body to stay strong and fit. It is okay to feel cold from time to time.

Remember to never push your body further than it can handle. You can want to strengthen your body - not break it down.

I stop my cold therapy as soon as I start to shiver. Your body will get stronger and be able to endure more cold before it shivers as you go on. Stay Strong!

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What are the 7 healthy habits?

There are only 7 healthy habits that you need to be healthy.

The 7 seven healthy habits

1. Nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Hydration
4. Gut health
5. Sleep
6. Mental health
7. Hygiene

These are the top healthy habits that you need to form a complete, healthy lifestyle. Make sure that you look after yourself in regard to these 7 health habits to ensure longevity, freedom from disease, happiness and productivity.

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1. Nutrition

Your body needs a variety of nutrients. Nutrients are divided into macro nutrients and micro nutrients.

Macro nutrients

Macro nutrients provide energy in the form of calories.

1. Protein (turns into amino acids)
2. Fat (turns into fatty acids)
3. Carbohydrates (turn into sugars)

Macro nutrients

Caloric density of macro nutrients

• Protein has 4 calories per gram
• Fat has 9 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram
• Alcohol, although not a macro nutrient, has 7 calories per gram

Micro Nutrients

Micro nutrients might not offer energy in the form of calories, but they are just as important to your health. Antioxidants, for example, prevent cell decay. Minerals, on the other hand, support cell signaling, hydration and nerve function.

1. Vitamins
2. Minerals
3. Trace elements
4. Phyto nutrients, polyphenols and plant compounds
5. Antioxidants

Your body needs these micro nutrients to function properly.

Follow a balanced, varied diet to get all of the nutrients that you need

It might be hard to focus on getting all of the nutrients that you need. There are over 20 different amino acids, found in proteins that your body needs. Your body needs over 15 different types of minerals and trace elements.

Fortunately our bodies do a good job of storing these nutrients and using them when they need it - IF we get enough of them. To make sure that you get enough of these nutrients regularly, follow these tips:

How to follow a healthy diet

1. Eat a variety of foods to increase the types you nutrients that your body gets
2. Choose natural over processed foods
3. Balance out your protein, carbohydrate and fat food sources
4. Cut out foods that are high in added sugar
5. Avoid fast food and fried foods
6. Stay away from alcohol as much as you can
7. Keep processed meat to a minimum

You can make healthy meals that offer a variety of nutrients without much effort. This healthy chicken avocado salad, for example, has the beneficial nutrients of chicken, spinach, lettuce, lemon juice, black pepper and apple cider vinegar.

2. Exercise 

Would the 7 healthy habits be complete without exercise? Exercise is extremely beneficial to every part of your body. Use this link to see most of the benefits of exercise (there are over 100 benefits).

The top benefits of exercise

1. Boosts your immune system
2. Increases energy levels
3. Counteracts mental stress
4. Lowers feelings of depression
5. Decreases fat storage
6. Improves rest and recovery
7. Boosts confidence
8. Increases confidence
9. Sharpens the mind
10. Maximizes oxygen and nutrient delivery
11. Slows age-related decline

Exercise does more than improve how good you look.

How to make exercise a regular part of your life:

1. Find a form of exercise that you enjoy
2. Keep exercising until you don't need to think about it anymore
3. Exercise with friends and family to increase your level of commitment
4. Balance strength straining with cardiovascular exercise for well-rounded benefits

Here are the amounts of calories that you burn per form of exercise.

3. Hydration

More than half of your entire body is made up of water.

Why is water so important?

1. Every cell in your body needs water. Cells die if they get too dehydrated.
2. Your body uses water to get rid of toxic chemicals and metabolic by-products.
3. Water forms saliva, which is an important element of digestion.
4. Your body also uses water to make stomach acid, bile and form proper bowel movements (dehydration can lead to constipation).
5. Blood needs water to transport nutrients.
6. Water moistens mucous membranes (dehydration limits the body's ability to eliminate excess sinus).
7. Your brain can't make important hormones and chemicals without water.
8. It regulates body temperature.
9. Water lubricates joints.
10. It also helps with oxygen delivery.

How much water is in your body?

• Up to 60% of your entire body is made up of water.
• The brain is 73% water.
• Lungs are 83% water.
• Skin contains 64% water.
• Muscles are 79% water.
• Kidneys are also 79% water.
• Bones contain 31% water.

Water supports cellular health.

Additional notes on hydration

It is possible to drink too much water. I like to use the color of my pee to tell me whether I need more or less water. Urine coloration is a good indicator of whether you need more or less water. Darker urine colors point to dehydration and an increased water need.

Urine frequency is another good indication of whether you should be drinking more or less water. The average amount of times that a healthy individual person urinates is 6-7 times a day.

Not all beverages are hydrating. Drinks that are high in sugar, caffeine, artificial flavors and colors may increase your body's need for water. Exercise also increases your body's need for water.

4. Gut Health

Your gut is the fourth component of the 7 healthy habits.

Why is gut health so important?

1. 70% of your immune system is in your gut.
2. Most of your serotonin (happy hormone) is made in your gut.
3. Good bacteria are supposed to keep bad bacteria at bay.
4. Gut bacteria determines how much of our food is turned into fat or energy.
5. Many important nutrients can only be made by gut bacteria.
6. Good gut bacteria build and protect the lining on the gut.
7. Gut bacteria determines insulin sensitivity.
8. Your gut bacteria determine which foods you can digest.
9. Good bacteria eat the parts of food that we can't digest. Bad gut bacteria eat the nutrients that we need. Bad bacteria also eat our healthy cells.

Why do most people have too much bad gut bacteria?

1. Preservatives in processed food kill good gut bacteria.
2. Exercise is needed to keep good gut bacteria alive.
3. Good gut bacteria depend on natural, unprocessed food.
4. Stress has a negative effect on good gut bacteria.
5. Our guts need enough plain water to work properly.
6. Artificial flavors and colors harm our beneficial gut bacteria.
7. Sugar feeds bad gut bacteria that cause weight gain and disease.
8. Alcohol kills off good bacteria.
9. Antibiotics wipe out our gut bacteria.

How do you improve gut health?

1. Drink more plain water
2. Have herbal teas without sugar - good bacteria thrive on plant compounds.
3. Avoid excess sugar, alcohol, preservatives and artificial ingredients
4. Eat 5 fresh fruit and vegetables every day
5. Exercise has been shown to encourage good gut bacteria growth (due to an increase in fatty acids in the gut as fitness increases)
6. Reduce stress and get enough sleep.

Everything you need to know about gut health in an easy-to-save image

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Have a healthy gut

5. Sleep

Sleep is the most crucial part of your body's rest and recovery from everything that it goes through during the day. You cannot have a complete health strategy without this crucial component of the 7 healthy habits. Hormones like testosterone are regulated during sleep. Too little sleep can destroy your hormone balances. Sleep deprivation is associated with depression, obesity, diabetes, cancer and premature death.

One of the fastest ways to speed up recovery from exercise and illness is through sleep. People who don't get enough sleep are more prone to illnesses like colds and flu and are more likely to become over strained from exercise.

Sleeping patterns are genetic. Certain genes dictate how much sleep you need and what times you want to sleep or wake up (more information is in the link). You can use exercise to help correct your sleeping patterns like I did.

Additionally, sleeping too much is just as bad for you as not getting enough sleep.

How to get better sleep

This is how you can improve you sleeping quality:

1. Keep the same bed time routine every day.
2. Reduce lighting as much as you can before going to sleep.
3. An effective method to induce sleep is to try to stay awake.
4. Use breathing techniques that slow down your heart rate (exhale slowly to relax).
5. Take a hot bath or hot shower before you want to sleep. This relaxes your entire body.
6. Eat a nutritious meal before you sleep so that you won't be hungry through the night. Midnight snacking is unhealthy. Most experts recommend eating at least 2 hours before sleep.
7. Write down any stressful thoughts to stop them from keeping you awake.
8. Avoid screens that are designed to keep you awake - like computers, phones and television sets.
9. Take part in a relaxing activity like reading a book to calm your mind.

Easy sleep reminders

6. Mental Health

Mental health is one of the 7 healthy habits that you need to look after for better health. Learn why:

How mental health affects physical health

1. Stress lowers immunity, disrupts sleep and hampers muscle function.
2. Stress lowers the amount of good gut bacteria.
3. Dopamine (a feel good hormone) increases an individual's likelihood to make healthy decisions.
4. Low natural dopamine levels increase the likelihood of engaging in negative choices like eating unhealthy foods, drinking alcohol and partaking in addictive behaviors.
5. Serotonin (another feel-good hormone) directly affects your body's ability to recover from stress and physical damage.
6. Positivity increases your likelihood of doing activities that require motivation (like exercise and eating healthy).
7. Depression decreases energy levels, lowers sleep turnover (the rate of recovery that you get per hour of sleep) and makes you more prone to illnesses and disease.

How to improve mental health

The two most effective ways to deal with depression is to exercise and to care for an animal.

1. Exercise regularly
2. Eat healthy food - a healthy body makes you feel good
3. Drink enough water - dehydration increases fatigue and feelings of anxiety
4. Look after a pet or an animal
5. Nurture a friendship circle where you can be yourself - and where you can be there for others. (Loneliness is as dangerous to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day).
6. Spend time on a hobby that you enjoy - and that relaxes you.
7. Find a purpose - do something that benefits your community or find a cause to fight for.
8. Help other people that have the same problems as you.
9. Learn to be vulnerable and talk to others. The emotionally healthiest people are open about how they feel.

Mental Health reminders

7. Hygiene

The last, but equally important, of the 7 healthy habits is hygiene. The single most important invention that is responsible for increased life expectancy worldwide is modern plumbing and hygiene. Hygiene can be divided into two parts: preventative hygiene and beneficial hygiene.

Preventative hygiene

- Brush your teeth and floss every day to keep your mouth clean of germs (The human mouth contains more germs than most animals).

- Flush the toilet regularly to dispose of germs that inhabit human waste.

- Regular baths keep the skin, our largest organ, clean. It will also keep our hair free from harmful germs.

Beneficial hygiene

- Hot baths or hot showers help to calm us down, relax our muscles and prepare us for good sleep.
- Cold showers are great at boosting metabolism and increasing energy levels.
- Both of these methods are effective at decreasing feelings of depression and improving markers of overall positivity.
- When you put effort into the way that you look, you feel better about yourself.
- Steam rooms and saunas can improve muscle recovery and reduce stress.

Hot and cold showers are good for you.

Follow these 7 healthy habits to turn your life around completely. Focus on all 7 of them to build a life that is complete when it comes to your health. I hope that you learnt a few interesting things while reading through this post. If you did, let me know in the comments below. Stay Strong!

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