Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! - Page 2

Steve_A · 11-13-2008, 08:24 PM

Hi Antaletriangle,

You're in the wrong place in the UK for canals, although I heard that the Caldon Canal had a re-vamp some time back, so I suppose the recycling companies did a rip roaring trade back then.

I used to live on the Grand Union Canal in Rickmansworth near to Watford on a cruiser (didn't have the money for a narrow boat). It was nice, although I remember being woken by the quack, quack, friggin' quack of the ducks at five in the morning. But these things were sent to test us!

I left the boat with the authorities when I decided to go a roaming in Europe.

(bitter sweet)

Best regards,

Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antaletriangle

I've got a canal half a mile dine the road-i just jump in there with the old rusty prams and bikes-no harm done-the fish jump out though when i jump in!!lol.
Nice post-there are a few posts in the canal also!!lol.

Reunite · 11-13-2008, 09:13 PM

ok Anchor you convinced me I'm trying it this weekend..hopefully it will get rid of my sinus

pineal-pilot-in merkabah · 11-13-2008, 10:53 PM

ive been living in a converted garden shed since june 2007 and have mostly been washing under an outside tap!!!!! it was -9 this past winter and so im getting more and more used to the cold...

ive been washing from an outside tap all summer and up to now.. i get a hot shower about once a month.!!

im half way there lol.. things seemed to have moved me to this point in my life to get me used to being totally in natural enviroments and such..

im in the north of england to brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

i also started using this product as i noticed i can no longer use typical anti persp/deoderant.. it gives me lumps under my arms.. i think the aluminium blocks my pours?

http://www.pitrok.co.uk/

Connecting with Sauce · 11-14-2008, 12:50 PM

two days on the trot now!!! Brrrr

Antaletriangle · 11-14-2008, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_A

Hi Antaletriangle,

You're in the wrong place in the UK for canals, although I heard that the Caldon Canal had a re-vamp some time back, so I suppose the recycling companies did a rip roaring trade back then.

I used to live on the Grand Union Canal in Rickmansworth near to Watford on a cruiser (didn't have the money for a narrow boat). It was nice, although I remember being woken by the quack, quack, friggin' quack of the ducks at five in the morning. But these things were sent to test us!

I left the boat with the authorities when I decided to go a roaming in Europe.

(bitter sweet)

Best regards,

Steve

What dya mean Steve stoke on trent is littered with canals the now redundant pottery industry is all but dead but the cauldon canal is about half a mile from my house!!I know i jumped in it this morning with a loin cloth on!!lol.

sunshineseastar · 11-15-2008, 11:51 PM

one question.....half the time i live in the forest and take a shower in the mountian stream.......but when the weather starts getting colder so does the water especialy in the winter..... i watched the videos you sugested but they did not answer my question......now for the body it´s okay but when i stick my head under after a few secounds i get a head ache.....also sometimes it gives me a cramp in my feet.....so usually i will (heat) doesn´t get warm.....but baerable the water in the sun.....do you know why this may happen ?? or how i can over come this ???
thanks.....

Anchor · 11-16-2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshineseastar

one question.....half the time i live in the forest and take a shower in the mountian stream.......but when the weather starts getting colder so does the water especialy in the winter..... i watched the videos you sugested but they did not answer my question......now for the body it´s okay but when i stick my head under after a few secounds i get a head ache.....also sometimes it gives me a cramp in my feet.....so usually i will (heat) doesn´t get warm.....but baerable the water in the sun.....do you know why this may happen ?? or how i can over come this ???
thanks.....

That symptom you get is that like the "brain freeze" you get when eating cold ice-cream to fast

I have heard that prolonged exposure of the head to really cold water is not a good idea. (Lots of heat loss through the head, so maybe thats why?)

When the water gets colder (in the Winter) I do it just enough to wash and rinse my hair - no more.

A..

3rdEye · 11-18-2008, 10:23 AM

I had my first cold shower today! Couldn't stop sneezing afterward! But I will do my best to stick with it... does it matter if you have really luke warm shower and then gradually turn the hot water off?

Anchor · 11-18-2008, 11:33 AM

Its best to go straight to cold and get it over and done with. Its hard the first few times, but it gets easier.

Cool avatar

A..

Sol Invictus · 11-19-2008, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshineseastar

one question.....half the time i live in the forest and take a shower in the mountian stream.......but when the weather starts getting colder so does the water especialy in the winter..... i watched the videos you sugested but they did not answer my question......now for the body it´s okay but when i stick my head under after a few secounds i get a head ache.....also sometimes it gives me a cramp in my feet.....so usually i will (heat) doesn´t get warm.....but baerable the water in the sun.....do you know why this may happen ?? or how i can over come this ???
thanks.....

Medical explanation.

Cold water acts as a vasoconstrictor - in short, your peripherals such as your arms and legs get alot less blood because the core suddenly thinks it needs to survive and reduces the blood flow rapidly. This rapid vasoconstriction also forces up blood pressure, up goes the heart rate and so up goes the resperation rate to get enough oxygen for that faster beating heart, and then up goes the blood pressure... so on and so on. The body is just trying to preserve the core organs, and yes it will allow the brain to die first before the heart and liver... The cramps in your feet are also signs that your bodies not getting its required fuel and blood to remain 'alive', and the pain is just a way of your body telling you this.

(You will get a head ache as the brain is suddenly assaulted by freezing temperatures, the body reacts by shutting down as many and as much blood vessels and capillaries as it can to preserve heat, and in short, your starving your brain of the required nutrients for its survival. Hence you get a head ache.)

I lived in the cold for a long time, and I can tell you now for free that if your in any temperature below or approaching freezing and you start showering under cold water, you are not going to remain healthy for long. Heat your water and use a flannel or sponge. A cold shower on top of an already cold body? meh.... thats not a route I will be going down any time soon.

Anchor · 11-19-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sol Invictus

A cold shower on top of an already cold body? meh.... thats not a route I will be going down any time soon.

That is such a good point, and I should have mentioned that when I was showering it is just after I get up, thus I am warm from getting out of bed.

If was already cold I would not cold shower.

Will edit OP.

A..

freekatz · 11-19-2008, 09:39 PM

I'm investing in a solar panel for my hot water heater so hopefully I can avoid any discomfort

Sol Invictus · 11-20-2008, 12:55 AM

Boil the water and sponge off.

problem solved, water conserved, and whats left in the pot (don't dip your sponge in the pot!) can be used for a brew, washing up and general use.

I can see alot of folks here have never lived 'really wild' for any time at all, because if they had, they would be telliing people how hard they strove to stay warm at all costs - its all gucci having a cold shower after a nice warm bed and then a warm breakfast sat in your central heated room, but when its frosted up windows time, your breath is visible in your 'room' and snow is on the ground, you will not I promise 100% want or be thankful for a cold shower.

Anchor · 11-20-2008, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sol Invictus

I can see alot of folks here have never lived 'really wild' for any time at all, because if they had, they would be telliing people how hard they strove to stay warm at all costs - its all gucci having a cold shower after a nice warm bed and then a warm breakfast sat in your central heated room, but when its frosted up windows time, your breath is visible in your 'room' and snow is on the ground, you will not I promise 100% want or be thankful for a cold shower.

I so get that image. You even made me feel cold reading that. I agree, its the last thing I would want.

Luckily I live in Australia, so its Gucci warm all the way here

(But no real need for central heating).

A..

Sol Invictus · 11-20-2008, 03:30 PM

Lucky ####.

I live in very unsunny and very wintery Inverness and believe me, from June to August I MIGHT take a cooler than usual shower.

I appreciate though that you who live in hot climates will get great benefits from cooling off every now and again.

3rdEye · 11-22-2008, 07:36 AM

Ive been taking cold showers now for 5 days.... and i do get the numb fingers and toes also, I have been getting very irritated skin so I am starting to think it might not be so good for me? Maybe I should have the water slightly warmer? In saying all that, my skin does look a bit more even in tone, I have noticed a slight difference...

I'm not sure if I should continue with this or not!

Connecting with Sauce · 11-22-2008, 09:49 AM

I've been doing it too

for ~7-8 days. No shower this morning as it is saturday and I will have one later

It certainly wakes you up. My skin is fine.

raulduke · 11-22-2008, 12:19 PM

O.k. A.,

That's it for me.

I'm a wuss.

It's 20*F here and I just had another cold shower after juming out of a warm bed. Yikes!

My teeth are still chattering.

Fortunately though while scrubbing up in a hurry I remembered something I should have put in my first post here.

I've only used these things on summer campouts, but they'll heat the water just the same in winter as long as you've got a couple hours of sunlight. In the summer at least the water got almost unbearably hot.

With the compact, easy-to-stow Sun Shower, you can use the power of the sun to enjoy a hot shower at even the most remote, out-of-the-way locations. Simply fill the puncture- and tear-resistant four-ply bag with water and set it in the sun. An innovative TempTracker indicator tells you the internal water temperature.

So for all the other wusses out there, as long as we've got the sun, we've got a warm shower!

Connecting with Sauce · 11-22-2008, 12:46 PM

I'm doing it for the health benefits and immune boosting benefits. I have cheated with the odd blast of hot then cold to hydro shock my body...

With my C1 bone aligned, my 9 amalgam fillings removed, distilled water, this and my virtually veggie diet I'm feeling good

All I need now is for my water energier vortex jug to arrive and I'll be cooking on environmentally friendly gas....

Kimmie · 11-22-2008, 01:35 PM

RAULDUKE,
I've spent many a day traveling by sailboat and the "sunshower bags" we used were the pleasure of everyone onboard. The ones we had were the same concept ad the one you showed, yet more crued ..they could have easily been punctured, the one you show is a vast improvement.

Yesterday I jumped in the shower, knowing I was in a rush, and hadn't waited for the water to get warm.

"AHHH, yeah..get used to cold showers"...I said to myself. The I remembered another post from someone else who said,.."I'll get used to cold showers when I have to, for now I'll enjoy the warn"....I enjoyed the warm shower yet was thankful that for today I have a choice. I take NOTHING in my life for granted...I've learned to be thankful for so many things.

And when our only choice is to have cold showers...then i will be thankful that i have a shower at all..as there will be others who don't even have water..Isn't life good.

Just a slow stream of water rolling across my fingers from a kitchen faucet or garden hose calms me and make me feel at ease!

WATER.. WHAT a GIFT

Kimmie

Sol Invictus · 11-22-2008, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3rdEye

Ive been taking cold showers now for 5 days.... and i do get the numb fingers and toes also, I have been getting very irritated skin so I am starting to think it might not be so good for me? Maybe I should have the water slightly warmer? In saying all that, my skin does look a bit more even in tone, I have noticed a slight difference...

I'm not sure if I should continue with this or not!

Advice - Do not, I repeat DO NOT continue with the showers if your having circulation problems as you are. The numbness in the fingers and toes is a sign that your body is shutting down the blood supply to them and cannot cope with the cold.

Not only is this bad for your fingers and toes (no blood, no life energy) but its bad for you on a morale point of view too. You'll think 'but in a situation where there is no hot water...'

Just let me tell you this. When there is no plumbing, no luxuries, you'll heat water in a pot, pour some into a bowl, add a bit of cold water and sponge clean yourself. With WARM water.

Sol Invictus · 11-22-2008, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raulduke

O.k. A.,

So for all the other wusses out there, as long as we've got the sun, we've got a warm shower!

Great for summer and spring, and here is a tip - in winter time, scavenge some plexi glass or glass, and make a hanging green house and throw this up underneath it.

Works wonders as you create a micro climate for it.

Anchor · 02-15-2009, 05:29 AM

Well I have kept up my cold showers.

Its raining today, and I can't do anything I wanted to right now.

I have just analysed my electricty bills. I can proudly state that over the year, our cold showers have resulted in a saving of 615 kWh of electrical power over the year!

A..

Connecting with Sauce · 02-20-2009, 12:45 AM

I gave up after ~2 weeks

not a wuss but just decided I'd paid for a boiler which is pretty good at heating the water and it has been cold here in the UK...

11-13-2008, 09:13 PM	#27
Reunite Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 279	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! ok Anchor you convinced me I'm trying it this weekend..hopefully it will get rid of my sinus

11-13-2008, 10:53 PM	#28
pineal-pilot-in merkabah Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: england Posts: 1,153	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! ive been living in a converted garden shed since june 2007 and have mostly been washing under an outside tap!!!!! it was -9 this past winter and so im getting more and more used to the cold... ive been washing from an outside tap all summer and up to now.. i get a hot shower about once a month.!! im half way there lol.. things seemed to have moved me to this point in my life to get me used to being totally in natural enviroments and such.. im in the north of england to brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr i also started using this product as i noticed i can no longer use typical anti persp/deoderant.. it gives me lumps under my arms.. i think the aluminium blocks my pours? http://www.pitrok.co.uk/ Last edited by pineal-pilot-in merkabah; 11-13-2008 at 11:03 PM.

11-14-2008, 12:50 PM	#29
Connecting with Sauce Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chelmsford, Essex Posts: 650	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! two days on the trot now!!! Brrrr

11-15-2008, 11:51 PM	#31
sunshineseastar Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 45	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! one question.....half the time i live in the forest and take a shower in the mountian stream.......but when the weather starts getting colder so does the water especialy in the winter..... i watched the videos you sugested but they did not answer my question......now for the body it´s okay but when i stick my head under after a few secounds i get a head ache.....also sometimes it gives me a cramp in my feet.....so usually i will (heat) doesn´t get warm.....but baerable the water in the sun.....do you know why this may happen ?? or how i can over come this ??? thanks.....

11-18-2008, 10:23 AM	#33
3rdEye Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 3	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! I had my first cold shower today! Couldn't stop sneezing afterward! But I will do my best to stick with it... does it matter if you have really luke warm shower and then gradually turn the hot water off?

11-18-2008, 11:33 AM	#34
Anchor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 2,280	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! Its best to go straight to cold and get it over and done with. Its hard the first few times, but it gets easier. Cool avatar A..

11-19-2008, 09:39 PM	#37
freekatz Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 155	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! I'm investing in a solar panel for my hot water heater so hopefully I can avoid any discomfort

11-20-2008, 12:55 AM	#38
Sol Invictus Banned Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 599	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! Boil the water and sponge off. problem solved, water conserved, and whats left in the pot (don't dip your sponge in the pot!) can be used for a brew, washing up and general use. I can see alot of folks here have never lived 'really wild' for any time at all, because if they had, they would be telliing people how hard they strove to stay warm at all costs - its all gucci having a cold shower after a nice warm bed and then a warm breakfast sat in your central heated room, but when its frosted up windows time, your breath is visible in your 'room' and snow is on the ground, you will not I promise 100% want or be thankful for a cold shower.

11-20-2008, 03:30 PM	#40
Sol Invictus Banned Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 599	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! Lucky ####. I live in very unsunny and very wintery Inverness and believe me, from June to August I MIGHT take a cooler than usual shower. I appreciate though that you who live in hot climates will get great benefits from cooling off every now and again.

11-22-2008, 07:36 AM	#41
3rdEye Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 3	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! Ive been taking cold showers now for 5 days.... and i do get the numb fingers and toes also, I have been getting very irritated skin so I am starting to think it might not be so good for me? Maybe I should have the water slightly warmer? In saying all that, my skin does look a bit more even in tone, I have noticed a slight difference... I'm not sure if I should continue with this or not!

11-22-2008, 09:49 AM	#42
Connecting with Sauce Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chelmsford, Essex Posts: 650	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! I've been doing it too for ~7-8 days. No shower this morning as it is saturday and I will have one later It certainly wakes you up. My skin is fine.

11-22-2008, 12:19 PM	#43
raulduke Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: USA Posts: 454	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! O.k. A., That's it for me. I'm a wuss. It's 20*F here and I just had another cold shower after juming out of a warm bed. Yikes! My teeth are still chattering. Fortunately though while scrubbing up in a hurry I remembered something I should have put in my first post here. I've only used these things on summer campouts, but they'll heat the water just the same in winter as long as you've got a couple hours of sunlight. In the summer at least the water got almost unbearably hot. With the compact, easy-to-stow Sun Shower, you can use the power of the sun to enjoy a hot shower at even the most remote, out-of-the-way locations. Simply fill the puncture- and tear-resistant four-ply bag with water and set it in the sun. An innovative TempTracker indicator tells you the internal water temperature. So for all the other wusses out there, as long as we've got the sun, we've got a warm shower!

11-22-2008, 12:46 PM	#44
Connecting with Sauce Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chelmsford, Essex Posts: 650	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! I'm doing it for the health benefits and immune boosting benefits. I have cheated with the odd blast of hot then cold to hydro shock my body... With my C1 bone aligned, my 9 amalgam fillings removed, distilled water, this and my virtually veggie diet I'm feeling good All I need now is for my water energier vortex jug to arrive and I'll be cooking on environmentally friendly gas....

11-22-2008, 01:35 PM	#45
Kimmie Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SOUTH WEST FLORIDA Posts: 69	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! RAULDUKE, I've spent many a day traveling by sailboat and the "sunshower bags" we used were the pleasure of everyone onboard. The ones we had were the same concept ad the one you showed, yet more crued ..they could have easily been punctured, the one you show is a vast improvement. Yesterday I jumped in the shower, knowing I was in a rush, and hadn't waited for the water to get warm. "AHHH, yeah..get used to cold showers"...I said to myself. The I remembered another post from someone else who said,.."I'll get used to cold showers when I have to, for now I'll enjoy the warn"....I enjoyed the warm shower yet was thankful that for today I have a choice. I take NOTHING in my life for granted...I've learned to be thankful for so many things. And when our only choice is to have cold showers...then i will be thankful that i have a shower at all..as there will be others who don't even have water..Isn't life good. Just a slow stream of water rolling across my fingers from a kitchen faucet or garden hose calms me and make me feel at ease! WATER.. WHAT a GIFT Kimmie

02-15-2009, 05:29 AM	#48
Anchor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 2,280	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! Well I have kept up my cold showers. Its raining today, and I can't do anything I wanted to right now. I have just analysed my electricty bills. I can proudly state that over the year, our cold showers have resulted in a saving of 615 kWh of electrical power over the year! A..

02-20-2009, 12:45 AM	#49
Connecting with Sauce Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chelmsford, Essex Posts: 650	Re: Cold showers - learn to cope without hot water before you need to! I gave up after ~2 weeks not a wuss but just decided I'd paid for a boiler which is pretty good at heating the water and it has been cold here in the UK...