The Brilliant Benefits of Cold Showers

Cold Water Therapy. Something I’ve been wanting to write about for some time, but been waiting for an opportunity where the outside temperatures might make it slightly more appealing!

In recent years, and possibly due to the pandemic giving us more time to explore the great outdoors, there’s been a big rise in the popularity of wild swimming. And more and more people are turning to ice-baths and cold showers for health benefits, thanks in part to Wim Hof (well worth a Google search if you don’t know of him already!)

I started making cold showers a part of my morning routine about 18 months ago, when I began my Holistic Health Therapist training and it was recommended by my tutor.

Before I go on, let me say to anybody who is absolutely horrified at the idea of cold showers, it really is an exhilarating experience and something you quickly adapt to and actually look forward to. And whilst the idea of wild swimming is hugely appealing from the nature connection point of view, the more regular your exposure to cold water the better. So unless you’re blessed with a lake or a beach on your doorstep, the shower method is something that is very accessible and can be easily adapted into your morning routine.

Cold water therapy has been used as a tool for promoting good health and wellness for centuries. Hippocrates documented his positive experiences of cold water therapy in 370 BC, it’s benefits continue to be recognised far and wide and are vast.

* Improves circulation

* Promotes muscular healing

* Boosts immune system

* Reduces inflammation

* Improves mood

* Builds resilience to stress

* Improves focus and concentration

* Improves sleep quality

* Increases metabolism

I could go on! In essence, exposing your body to cold water stimulates your nervous system and responses in so many positive ways.

Mentally it’s so rewarding to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. To learn to keep calm and focused in a stressful situation. I’ve found it the most fantastic and energising way to start the day. It makes you feel like you’re ready to take on anything and really does set you off on a positive path. Yes, even in winter!

So here are a few tips to get you started.

I would stress that if you have medical conditions or issues relating to your heart or blood pressure, or are pregnant, you need to consult with your GP before giving this a go.

1. Take it slowly! You don’t want to completely shock your system by diving straight in! Start by showering as normal and then just at the end of your shower time gradually reduce the temperature.

2. As you start to drop the temperature, start to focus on your breathing with slow, deep breaths, inhale and exhale through the nose if you can.

3. The temperature your aiming for is 15 degrees C or lower, but get it as low as you can manage to start with and then stay with it for 30 seconds. Keep going with the breathing. Controlling your breath is the key to controlling your nervous system.

4. If it’s too much to put your whole body under just begin with your feet, legs and arms and gradually over time build up to your torso and head.

5. Once you’ve mastered 30 seconds for a few days, gradually build up to 2-3 minutes (recommended no more than 5).

If you’re a fan of using mantras or positive affirmations this is a great time to call one in! (My personal favourite ‘I can do hard things’ came in really handy with this!)

I promise you you’ll feel the benefits and feel like an absolute superhero in no time at all!

The positive power of nature during Covid-19

As human beings we’re very much a part of nature. But modern living, with its bright lights, fast pace and ever expanding technology, can distract and disconnect us from the natural world.

During this pandemic, in such a challenging time of fear and despair, one truly positive factor has emerged.

Our reconnection with nature.

For many of us ‘lockdown’ has meant an opportunity to spend more time than we normally would outdoors. With our ‘daily walks’ now becoming such a cherished part of our lives, we’ve rediscovered the living, breathing world around us and begun to remember (because deep down we’ve always known!) it’s innate healing power.

There’s much scientific evidence that highlights the positive impact ‘the great outdoors’ has on our physical and mental health. Getting outside, even for just a short amount of time each day, has proven and significant benefits.

From lowering heart rate and blood pressure, to boosting immune system and aiding sleep, connection between nature and wellbeing has long been recognised.

But over the course of this past year more and more of us have turned to nature for solace and sanctuary.

Recent research commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation found that over half of UK adults surveyed, said spending time in nature helped them cope with Covid related stress.

Tuning into the sights and sounds of the landscape and wildlife around us engages our senses and connects us to the present moment. It allows us to ‘switch off’ from the stresses of our daily lives, offering respite and retreat from our worries and woes. The feelings of awe and wonder that we experience upon witnessing events such as sunsets and sunrises can have a truly profound and long lasting effect on our psyche.

Even though, at the moment, we aren’t able to travel far, spending time each day in the same, familiar green spaces can bring such a deep sense of connection, as we grow to know and understand the flora and fauna that surrounds us.

For me personally, there’s something so reassuring and dependable to be found within the cycles of nature, which act as an invaluable anchor and support in uncertain times.

Learning to lean into the rhythms of the seasons, and just observing the small changes that occur daily in my garden and local woodland, gives me that much needed sense of ‘knowing’.

Whatever chaos and confusion reigns elsewhere, the sun always rises and sets, winter always leads to spring, and the ebbs and flows of life exist in a perfect, harmonious balance in the spaces in between.

As I write this now, fresh new shoots are beginning to push through the earth in the green spaces around me. Buds are starting to appear on the branches of the trees and the birds become a little more vocal, as each day grows longer and lighter.

We are edging slowly, but oh so surely, towards the brighter days of spring.

Pandemic or not, none of us can ever be certain of what the future has in store. But, just as sure as day follows night, we can always trust in the positive power of nature.

My Wellbeing Journey - The Story So Far....

Some of my earliest memories centre around my grandparents and the daily rituals and practices that they undertook. Their use of food, herbs and spices as medicine (honey or garlic, the cure all for everything!) their approach to movement and mobility and their connection to nature and it’s rhythms and flows.

Originating from the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific, their way of life was so deeply rooted in the wisdom of the natural world, and although they seemed so out of synch with life in the west at the time (rising with the dawn, heading off to bed at 5pm in winter!) I now recognise a lot of those rituals and practices as being not a million miles away from the teachings of Ayurveda. Ancient teachings and practices that we’re now really beginning to recognise the value of in our ‘modern’ world.

My interest in practising as a Holistic Therapist didn’t really surface until I was in my early twenties, when I discovered the benefits of Aromatherapy. This led me to study for a diploma in Therapeutic Massage, Anatomy & Physiology in 2000.

As someone who’s always been aware not only of the physical, but the mental benefits of movement and exercise, once I had that anatomy and physiology knowledge under my belt, my desire to learn more and share those benefits grew, as did my CV!

I qualified to teach as a Studio Instructor - Body Combat, Body Pump, Zumba to name a few, and I qualified in Pre and Post-Natal exercise as well as Advanced Nutrition.

Yoga, of course, has played a huge part in my life, personally and professionally. My passion originally sparked by Geri Halliwell’s ‘Geri Body Yoga’ in 2001 (thanks Geri!). I practised and participated regularly in Yoga until I trained to teach in 2011. My love affair with Yoga is a deep one - I don’t foresee it will ever end!

Most recently my interest in Ayurveda, the ‘sister science’ of Yoga, has led me to further study and accreditation in this field.

Teaching and sharing has been such an absolute pleasure for me all of these years. I do still sometimes have to pinch myself that this is my ‘job’!

The world of wellness is vast and ever changing. And although I’ve acquired a huge amount of knowledge over my time in the industry, I don’t think I will ever reach a point of not wanting to learn more.

Personally, my own health and fitness practices have changed so much since I first started out. Those high impact, results driven ways that once energised me, have been replaced with a need for a deeper kind of ‘nourishment’. What ‘wellbeing’ means to me now that I’m in my mid forties and actually, since the birth of my daughter in 2014, is completely different to what it once was.

That’s not to say that someone of my age and circumstance shouldn’t enjoy high impact exercise, just to highlight that fact that as we evolve and change what ‘wellbeing’ means to us does too.

With this in mind, I always take a very fluid approach when dealing with my clients, my participants and myself! What works for and feels right for someone won’t necessarily be the same for someone else. And what works for and feels right for someone one day, may not the next.

Our health and wellbeing needs are ever changing and evolving, as are we.

Coming back to the start of this story, and what feels like coming back to the start of a circle for me. My grandparents and their wonderful, nature-led health systems, and my shift into more holistic practices such as Ayurveda. It’s been a bit like a home-coming for me, but by no means the end of the journey I’m sure.