Can You Pass the Cold Bath Test?

Three years ago, I revisited an old health practice: cold baths. When we lived in Switzerland in the mid-1970s, young men like me treated icy baths as a badge of honour. And in the mountainside hotels we lived in, cold meant glacial: could freeze a polar bear.

We'd shuffle down the drafty hallways of those old hotels to the one communal tub per floor, and if one of our peers emerged from the tub room with steam billowing out? Ha. Instant roasting with an avalanche of playful scorn.

Cold baths are an old tradition for monks, surfers, and others who want to make their bodies strong. They claim (check the internet—it’s popular these days): supercharged circulation, strengthened immune system, decreased depression (feels so good to get out), self-discipline--and bragging rights at the dinner table.

 It does take character to jump into cold water. Burrr…. Pro-trick: don't sit over the edge of the tub and ponder life’s choices for three minutes. Splash cold water on your head to alert your body and jump in. Other pro-trick: don’t go tough-guy. This is important--do not shock the body. A little chilly is all that’s needed. 

 My recent motivation: I felt cold at temperatures when friends were still comfortable. After six months of daily cold baths, I was comfortable when friends felt cold. Very cool (pun intended) to feel a real change like that. Apparently, the cold develops a magic insulating fat on the skin called brown fat, particularly around the upper back and neck. 

 Try it! Done in moderation, it's invigorating. And I like that I don't feel cold when it's just a bit chilly outside and that now I can go swimming in the cool water off Salt Spring Island where I live. 
~ John