Contributors to this thread:
Okay not exactly bow hunting but more of a "life hack". In the past I have taken some BRUTAL showesr or Baths in cold water in streams or a alpine mountain side. When done I feel like I just got electrified and wide awake.
I have been doing it in my regular life when I wake up and couldn't imagine starting the day without it. I'm slow at waking up but 30 seconds or so of a cold shower is incredibly invigorating and like a mega shot of adrenaline. Lots of well documented health benefits and I'm sure a few are doing it already.
Give it a try,,,you will scream like a madman at first and curse my name for this horrible suggestion but you will not be able to help noticing how invigorated you feel afterwards, and it gets a bit easier after a month.
Give it a try!!!
If takin' a cold shower is what floats yer boat, then have at it.
In my world, waking up is a process best done slowly and carefully. First coffee, then more coffee...and maybe a nice hot shower after a while.
No! I don't think so TIM ! ! !
A handful of cold to the face is all that's needed to shock the soul....
Sounds like a good way to bring on a heart attack.
I like waking up; it's easy and fun and I don't need a cold shower to do so. With that said, I'm curious as to what the health benefits of a cold shower are vs a hot shower?
They claim Tofu is good for you too......................NO THANKS! : (
Hey, our bean farmers are hurting, take one for the team! :)
(some sarcasm there, but bean farmers are hurting)
i would rather use hot coffee to help me wake up.
I've done two lake baths, fed by cold water springs, in the wild and have no plans to make it a third. So, I'm not going to subject myself to it at home either. To each his own
I do in the summertime after a vigorous jog/walk, it feels great afterward.
I've taken them in snowy conditions. Not much water and immediately after hitting camp with a lot of body heat. Quick rub dry and run for the sleeping bag.
Back in the day, I'd take cold showers to get rid of the "morning wood". Now, I try to make those moments last as long as possible. ;-)
Matt
Many moons ago, I was up in Idaho, deep in the wilderness fighting a fire. Pretty remote as they had to fly us in with a helicopter from base camp to the fire. We were on that fire for about 2 weeks. Things were different back then, with long shifts and not much incident support, ie, large command post, food, shelter, showers.....etc. It was truly roughing it! Anyways, after our crew got released we ended up in some small town at a school that had showers. Problem was there was no hot water. After 2 weeks in the bush, any shower was welcomed. I gotta say, that cold shower was NOT for me. Haha. I think I made it about 20 seconds! Just enough to get the grime off. Showers are intended to be used with hot water. :)
Lots of ways to wake yourself up by torturing yourself. None sound appealing.
I’ve taken a few mountain stream showers in July where about the fourth cup of water on my head gives me brain freeze. I’ll take a cool shower but cold is not happening. In jr high and high school after cross country practice we’d sit in a stock tank full of ice water for 15 minutes ranging from 45-34 degrees depending on the day. I tried putting my foot in ice water for a minute that was 50 degrees the other day and can’t hack it, lol. Man those jr high days of high school girls in that tank in sports bras was a good recruiting tool for jr high boys. ;)
Having endured a 1 minute timed cold shower I know the feeling you speak of but I have not done since which was 12 years ago
while not a cold slap in the face, a couple to Wet Wipers will do the job. I wait until the sun is up and warm and then hit the creek and do a "bucket" shower every few days.
May not do it in the morning but I do after a workout or physical work. Cold showers or ice baths are beneficial after strenuous activity....it certainly will wake you up in the morning if need be.
Those cold mountain stream baths were actually quite refreshing. Makes you feel like a new man afterwards.
I just open a bag of Dot’s Pretzels and dip them in Tator Topping. There is some addictive substance coating those pretzels that act like caffeine.
For you naysayers...starting the day 10 times more invigorated for a 30 second investment.....its great!!!
....what????? drive to a place and move heavy things around and act like yer walking....running and hiking on machines....what's the point ???? yeah its a gym and it will make you feel better and well documented to be great for you........ahhhh that's crazy talk....sounds like pointless work to me!!!!
A cup of coffee will do the same thing and it is enjoyable. Show us where it is well documented a cold shower has benefits any where near the gym. I think you are just looking for a excuse for the shrinkage! :)
I could see the benefit of a cold shower for easier manscaping around some areas. Wow! Bowsite covers it all or uncovers it all.
Back in 1974 the fall after I graduated from college I worked as a hunting guide in Idaho. The first couple of hunts of the season had me in the mountain for 25 days. In order to keep the crust off of me I would go the creek and strip down and get one lower leg and foot numb from standing in the cold water, keeping the other foot on a rock dry and just a little bit more comfortable. I would soap up and take one dip in the mountain stream to rinse off. In that cold mountain water you got clean quick. I did this for two years and hated it both times.
Gottoohunt
I love coffee and drink it by the pots....I found that the first hour I so I was sluggish and wanting to go back to bed...badda bang 30 seconds and ready to rock seems like a small investment for the great start of a day...
Did that up in 39 one year while scouting. Had an overhang in the creek that created a small waterfall.......stripped down to skivvies and stood there as long as I could take it. Man I was hot....then I was not. Hikers thought it was humorous. Same area in the creek during our hunt later that fall my buddy took a quick rinse....when the water reached a certain height he got rather animated. LOL
Seals the Navy type believe cold showers are beneficial. Not sure if link goes through or not.
Best remote shower is a 2-3 quart laundry detergent bottle. Cut the pour spout out. Drill seven or eight 1/8" holes in half the lid. If you scatter them the water comes out too quickly. Even with limited fuel you can heat enough water to make it bearable.
Start at the head with just enough to make suds and slowly work down. With a 3 quart bottle I will have some left.
It's light enough to pack in and easy to tie on the outside of any pack.
I have taken cold showers and baths in mountain stream and beaver ponds. Always felt good getting clean but, a warm shower sure is good. I do take cool showers in the summer just to cool down after a hot days work. The cold is only when there is no other way.
I think sticking your sack in a mousetrap will wake you up pretty quickly also...but I'm not doing it. Haha
I have done when the hot water heater on the camper breaks, but only long enough to get wet, and rinse.
For teenage boys, there is benefits.
Google wim hof method.
I’ve been doing cold showers for some time, 5 minutes twice a day.
Can’t get my shower cold enough so i am going to build an ice bath out of a chest freezer...
I can't speak to any "scientific" documented proofs or effectiveness. I started taking cold showers after my workouts about a month ago. I have been doing the mtn tough workout program and one of the videos talked about taking cold showers after your workout. Not so much for physical gains, but mental toughness.
I bought in......I actually enjoy it now. I like the challenge. One thing it will do is help you control your breathing. When I first get in, I'm gasping for air and everything in me is telling my self to get out! You gotta overcome that, it's all mental, slow down, take deep breaths and talk yourself into staying. Your not going to die or freeze to death, but you mind is telling you you will. Kind of like when things get tough in the mountains. Your mind will tell you you can't do this, but its a lie. You can. I think it helps you learn how to get past the "quit moment". Its not that big of a deal but leaves me with a small feeling of accomplishment to start the day and end my workout. Have only been doing this in the summer so far....winter may be a bit harder. I know it sounds kinda crazy but I have been called worse.
Been there done that. Gives me a brain freeze. Baby wipes/whores bath is my backcountry go to.
Many benefits to cold thermogenesis. If anyone follows some of Ben Greenfields writings and podcasts...
Lowering body fat
Increasing hormone levels
Improving sexual performance and fertility
Lowering blood sugar
Cutting food cravings
Improving adrenal function
Fixing thyroid issues
Enhancing immune function
Improving deep sleep quality
Increasing pain tolerance
Reducing inflammation
Well good gol almighty a few open minds....many top athletes know the benefits of certain cold therapies.... Hunting in the west I think the number one thing is health and fitness and it helps both... the well documented is all over the internet in study after study...SBH it took me about a month not to hate ever second and then I look forward to it mostly to springboard into the day and never really thought about the mental toughness aspect I need to go longer!!!!
Ohio....just google "ben greenfield cold thermogenesis". Tons of links.
Bruce Lee took a cold shower every morning.....he said it made his day start like a rocket.....
Where I worked years ago there was a supervisor that said he took cold showers every morning. I said no wonder you’re such a grouch.
After mixing Bear Bait all day.... I looked forward to a cold shower while mixing in the heat. I start off with warm and then turn it all the way to cold. For about 3 minutes. I was ready to go for another couple of hours. So I agree, cold showers are the best!!! Except in Winter, when I'm already cold... then I want a hot shower!!!
My wife has methods to get me out of bed that both get me excited to start the day and also make me feel like a man of champ all morning, and I can assure you that telling me she has a cold shower ready for me doesn’t even crack the top ten.
FWIW she is a PhD in biomedical sciences and when she tells me her methods have health benefits I just believe her ;)
Ted - you know why well-executed torture is in invigorating... I could slam my pecker in the truck door and get the same result quicker. But I subscribe to APaul's method instead...
Scoot read some of the thread.... what is the old saying you can lead a horse to a cold shower but you can't make him turn on the faucet...something like that
Lou I have better uses for my pecker and protect that bad boy like the crown jewels...if that soldier is so expendable slam away I'm jumping in the cold shower!!!
I'm of the ilk that is somebody take the time to write this ...several posts in with similar results and would think I might just say what the heck I will give it a try.....first beer I ever had tasted like hyena piss and after a bit I started to love it....
Compare that to the world's largest hot spring in Glenwood Springs, CO. or the mountain variety in Green River.. no Thanks I'll take the hot bat or shower, wipes when not available.
I had a bad experience with falling in the river as a kid during fall fishing on top of a culvert, plus recovering a canoe a beaver pushed out into the lake.
I'm part Scandinavian too, so no ice or snow baths after the sauna or a polar plunge.
This thread is a hoot! It's still the middle of summer and season is a ways away so thanks for the relief. The responses have been great.
I'm one of the open minded guys you mentioned earlier and went to the trouble to track down some peer reviewed studies for health benefits as I was interested. Not dispelling at all the invigoration of a cold shower (in fact I think I'll give it a go for at least a couple of weeks), but the 120 minutes of shivering per session to actually effect a physiological change is not really for me. With that said I'll gladly go for a 2hr run once a week (not for health benefits, but because I like to be competitive when I race). I bet more on here would call me the crazy one out of the two of us, I guess we all choose our "thing".
I start with a normal shower and when Im done washing I gradually start turning the hot water off. I like it better that way and its not such a shock. Those cold water mountain stream baths suck though.
A good nights sleep is all I need to wake up invigorated. Cool shower after a hard day of labor in the hot sun is the only time I'll consider a cold shower. Ive taken enough freezing dips in the drink involuntarily, I don't need to do it on purpose.
Closest I've come to it is a daily dip in the Boiling River at Mammoth, hot mixes with the cold Gardner river and I'd visit both with the same frequency. The cold feels good after being in hot so long. Several years worth of this makes for a great life in the west.
How's about I just pretend I'm 'invigorated' instead?
Scoot its not like I am suggesting cut off you pinkie toes for a better boot fit...do what you will just suggesting something I like and works for me. If I was a cold shower virgin and read all this the way my mind works is I would think hmmm no foul no error I'll give it a try...why not might hate might like it might love it....
In a Joe Rogan podcast he had Laird Hamilton world class big surf guy and fitness guru he has two restaurant sized ice makers to keep up with his cold therapies...the info is out there...
The great thing about modern showers is you don't have to jump into a cold shower right away. You can start with a normal temp and slowly inch your way down...I don't know if there's any health benefits to cold shocking your body but once you get the shower cold you certainly feel it and once you get out if feels great.
This has nothing to do with being close-minded. Hell, anymore I don’t like going out hunting on cold mornings!
I figure my camper has a hot water heater for a reason. I won’t get in the shower till the hot water hits the shower head. Yep, I readily admit I’ve turned into a whimp!
If a cold shower make you feel better, I don’t begrudge you one little bit...but I ain’t joining ya! ;-)
I do have to 2nd what TrapperKayak said though. After sitting in the Hobo pool in Saratoga for awhile, it does feel refreshing to run out and lay in the North Platte for a bit!
Sound like water boarding.
Come on Sean D....nothing better than dunking your head in a ice cold stream when you have one of those pounding high altitude headaches....it`s like sex!
It's hard enough not to piss on my boots in the morning without bringing shrinkage into the picture.
ohio, it was only a manner of speech. Damn sure wasn’t meant to be taken literally! Ha!
I guess a positive on this thread the next time I decided to pour a ice cold glass of water on my wife or daughter in the shower, I can reference this thread as I was trying to help them have a more invigorated day!
Lol, I thought I was the only one to dump ice water on the kids while they were in the shower.
Dang, gotta be karma. Make a sarcastic post on this thread and then the showers had no heat after hockey today. So it was an icy one. I think my muscles grew already!
I just poured a glass of ice water down inside the front of my pants. It invigorated the heck out of me! Think I might start doing that instead of taking an afternoon power nap!
Lou your getting senile...afraid those wet pants were an accident....but I admire the quick excuse " ahhh....honey this ain't what it looks like....done heard on the internet it supposed to invigorate it""' ahahahah
Truck
Truck
I don't know, fellas. If I found myself needing a cold shower to wake up, I might think about consulting a doctor. A cup of stout coffee after the "APauls alarm" does a remarkable job in the world I live in, without any unpleasant side effects.. ;-)
..,Jaq’s truck
..,Jaq’s truck
If it weren’t for hot showers and my daughters, no one would ever hear from me again. I’d be like that guy from “Alone in the Wilderness.”
That said, I do enjoy a cold shower after an intense workout or a run. But at that point, I’m hotter than Hell!
cold is very relative. I know people who are obsessed with cold water swims and sit in bathtubs full of ice.....and regularly swim in 50 degree water for hours at a time wearing only a speedo. I hit a 78 degree pool most mornings at around 5 am. Most people who don't swim competitively think that's on the cold side......I don't even notice it.
