I was really surprised by all the cold exposure benefits.
I started by own regular cold exposure practice to help me with my energy. However these days I’m really pleased I’m in the swing of it because it’s also fantastic for the immune system.
Cold Exposure Benefits – Immune System
Conditioning yourself to the cold increases your vagal tone.
Vagal tone is how strong the activity in your parasympathetic nervous system is. When you have good vagal tone you’re able to come down quickly from stress, and not get so stressed in the first place.
Ongoing stress is really bad for your immune system, so everything you do to bring yourself back down will not only keep you more resilient against infection, but help you fight it off too.
Regular cold exposure is great for your mitochondrial health too. Mitochondria are the power source of your immune system, so when you increase their numbers and function you’re givin your immune system a great boost.
Other Benefits
Regular cold exposure activates brown fat. Brown fat actually burns off a lot of energy from your storage fat.
Cold exposure is a valuable addition to any weight loss strategy. Learn more here.
Cold water on your face stimulates collagen production. This helps to keep your skin looking young and vibrant.
It’s free!
How To Do It
I finish off my morning shower with about 1 minute of cold.
When I first tired this I screamed blue murder and was thankful my house was detached! It didn’t take long for that reaction to subside though.
With practice you’re aiming to achieve normal breathing as the cold water hits you. When you can do this you’ve improved your vagal tone. This will help your general health so much.
A hardcore friend lays in a cold bath. Another way of doing it is having a dip into some outside water, I have a friend who has a daily swim in Kent sea – she’s hardcore too.
While it’s cold outside you can do a quick walk without getting bundled up with warm clothes.
Even having your house on the chilly side for a small part of the day can help too.
Is a short amount of discomfort each day worth it for you? It definitely is for me.
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Stay well
Dr Julie