I wish I’d had more consistency in my workout routine (last minute schedule changes, illness, and some foot pain hurt my plan), but I’m getting back on track this weekend. Whether I worked out or not, I still kept to the cold showers I proposed trying out a month ago.

Again, they weren’t cold from start to finish, but definitely the last bit of my shower. I went from 30 seconds of cold (not freezing, but definitely colder than usual) to about 2 minutes. I didn’t time it exact, but would count to 30 seconds and then just let it go after that.

So, how did it feel? I think it felt great, and was a worthwhile change in a lot of ways.

First of all, I’ll explain that I was one of those folks who LOVED hot showers. I mean turn-your-skin-lobster-red hot if the days were bad enough, or it was crazy cold outside. When I was sick, that was the only way I felt better. I had to break the shivers when bad sick with the hottest water I could possibly put in the tub from the tap.

But all that hot water can really mess with your skin, stripping it of the oils it needs and drying out your hair. I noticed my complexion had some basic improvement. It feels weird being my age and still getting pimples like a teenager, but they’re a lot fewer and far between. Not saying my skin belongs in an Oil of Olay commercial or anything, but I can feel the difference.

Hair takes longer to figure out, but the switch to colder water has definitely NOT hurt it at all. It’s easier to rinse the suds out, so less water used, and then the conditioner comes out a bit easier once I’m done with it.

The biggest changes so far, though, will impact my wallet. Over the course of the month, my showers have been on average at a lower temperature. I felt before that I had to have very hot showers to get clean and enjoy them, but now I’m fine with warm showers before I turn the handle down to cold. Also, because I’m not just standing under the stream absorbing the heat, my shower is shorter, so less water usage.

As someone who uses well water, that’s a great thing. Less water used means less well usage. And less hot water means less use of the water heater. Two of the biggest energy draining appliances in my house have just had their usage cut big time, and that makes my choking and gasping bank account very happy.

And though I love my “sanity sauce” in the morning, I have to admit, I feel the desire/need to have one less cup of coffee when I started drinking it after my workout and cold shower. And considering how pricey my vice can get at times, it means a big savings to my wallet because that bag of roasted superbeans lasts longer.

Physically, I do think there’s quite a bit to the cold water helping muscle soreness, and when my feet are tired from the run, the cold water (and my acupressure mat) feels really nice. Not saying it’s an end-all-be-all, but it did help me out, especially if you’re talking about “alertness”

I am convinced with all I’ve felt and found so far that I’ll continue with the cold showers post-workout. I’m just amazed I didn’t try to do this before, because it is definitely something that has a lot of benefits. The cold water is also a good wake-up for the system (at least for me) so I don’t get too drained before my main day has started. It’ll be vital when I start getting more physically worn out as my training regimen increases.

In the meantime, for some more tested and researched reasons to do the cold showers, this vid from Jeremy Ethier got me considering it in the first place and answered a lot of questions I had.