THE POWER OF(COLD) WATER5 SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS OFCOLD WATER IMMERSIONEvery morning, Tony Robbins starts his day off by plunging into a 57-degree Fahrenheit pool of water. Its not e!a"tly a gentle way to wa#e up, but thats besides the point. $old water immersion a"tivates the bodys natural healing powers that "an relieve the symptoms of many medi"al "onditions and promote a sense of health and well-being. %nd when pra"ti"ed on a regular basis, "old water immersion "an even provide long-lasting "hanges to your bodys immune, lymphati", "ir"ulatory and digestive systems that enhan"e the overall &uality of your life.'ets ta#e a "loser loo# five important benefits of "old water immersion(IMPROVES LYMPHATIC CIRCULATIONThe lymphati" system is a networ# of vessels that run throughout the body, helping ta#e away waste, ba"teria and mi"robes from your "ells, essentially "leansing your body. )nli#e your blood, whi"h is "onstantly moved through your body by the heart, your lymph fluid doesnt have a "entral pump. Instead, your lymphati" system relies on mus"le "ontra"tion to pump the lymph fluid through the vessels. *o if you dont e!er"ise or your lymphati" system itself be"omes slow or ineffi"ient, the fluid stagnates and to!ins to!ins build up, manifesting in "olds, +oint pain, infe"tion and even disease. $old water immersion "auses your lymph vessels to "ontra"t, for"ing your lymphati" system to pump lymph fluids throughout your body, flushing the waste out of the area.This then triggers the immune systems white blood "ells to atta"# and destroy any unwanted substan"e in the fluid. In a way, its sort of a domino effe"t , the "old water effe"ts the lymphati" system, whi"h in turn effe"ts the immune system, whi"h ultimately #eeps you feeling happy and healthy.IMPROVES CARDIOVASULAR CIRCULATION$ardiovas"ular "ir"ulation is rarely something that "rosses our minds, but it happens to be one of the most "riti"al "omponents of our overall health and well-being. -ith poor "ardiovas"ular "ir"ulation, not only is the blood flow "ompromised, the heart be"omes stressed. %nd this "an ultimately lead to fatigue, heada"hes, high blood pressure, mus"le "ramping, or even heart atta"# and stro#e. -ith improved "ir"ulation, on the other hand, we "an improve heart health, enhan"e mental performan"e, boost the immune system and the metabolism, and simply give ourselves more strength and energy to live our lives the way you want. *o how do we get better "ardiovas"ular "ir"ulation. E!er"ise and diet are two well-#now fa"tors. /ut "old water immersion "an also stimulate blood flow. -hen you immerse your body in "old water, the blood rushes to surround your vital organs. 0ourheart then is for"ed to pump more effi"iently, pushing blood through all your vessels and supplying every part of your body with the o!ygen and nutrients it needs. 1o this on a routine basis and you "an help promote healthy blood "ir"ulation, and, ultimately,a healthy body. REDUCES MUSCLE INFLAMMATION2ave you ever parti"ipated in a high intensity wor#out and wo#en up sore the ne!t morning. 2ow about trying a new type of physi"al a"tivity only to find your mus"les throbbing. 3r even found that those strenuous household "hores left you feeling un"omfortable for days afterwards. This physi"al dis"omfort is #nown as delayed onset mus"le soreness 4135*6, and, for many, it "an be so painful that they instantly rea"h for the anti-inflammatory meds to soothe their pain.%ny a"tivity that pushes your mus"les beyond the limits they are a""ustomed to "an lead to mi"ros"opi" tears in the fibers and inflammation in the tissue. /ut "old water immersion has been s"ientifi"ally proven to help "ountera"t these side effe"ts.$old water lowers the damaged tissues temperature and "onstri"ts the blood vessels. This helps redu"e the swelling and inflammation, and even numbs the nerve endings to bring immediate relief to any pain. This is why you so often see an athlete soa#ing in an i"e bath following a strenuous wor#out. /ut you dont have to be a serious athlete to reap the benefits of "old water immersion. /y simply ta#ing a &ui"# "old post-wor#out shower post-wor#out you "an help redu"e soreness and inflammation from whatever physi"al a"tivity you "ompleted. %nd by in"orporating "old water immersion into your daily routine, you may find that you dont need to rea"h for the pills, be"ause youve found an easy, natural way of e!pediting re"overy and "omfort.BOOSTS HAPPINESS LEVELSFeeling down. Try ta#ing a "old shower. It may seem li#e a superfi"ial fi!, but the benefits of "old water immersion a"tually run deeper than you thin# when it "omes to boosting your mood. % 7887 resear"h study found that "old showers "an help treat depression symptoms, and if used on a routine basis, may be more benefi"ial than pres"ription medi"ations. The reason for this, in s"ientifi" terms, is due to the stimulation of the dopaminergi" transmission in the meso"orti"olimbi" and nigrostriatal pathway. 3r, in laymans spea#, "old water triggers a flood of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, whi"h ma#e you feel happy. % separate study that analy9ed the effe"ts of regular winter swimming on the mood of swimmers showed that after four months of routine "old water swimming, the sub+e"ts felt more energeti", a"tive and spritely than the "ontrol group. *o the ne!t time you find yourself in a slump, "onsider the benefits of water, be it an o"ean, a la#e, or a simple shower. 0ou may +ust find that water "an play a vital role in #eeping your body and yourself happy. INCREASES WEIGHT LOSS-hen pra"ti"ed routinely, "old water immersion has been shown to boost the metabolism. :ot only does "old water for"e our bodies to wor# harder to #eep us warm, burning "alories in the pro"ess and in the long run, boosting our metabolisms, it also has an une!pe"ted impa"t on the type of fat we produ"e. %""ording to a 788; study, resear"hers found that "old water "an promote healthy brown fat, whi"h is the good fat our bodies generate to #eep us warm and is a"tivated when e!posed to e!treme fat, and help eliminate white fat, whi"h is the body fat that piles up around our waistlines and thighs when we "onsume too many "alories.-hile "old water immersion should not be "onsidered a substitute for diet and e!er"ise, it does ma#e an e!"ellent supplement. $onditioning your brain and your body to a""ept, endure and embra"e "old water immersion may be "hallenging, but the health benefits in both the short- and long-run are well worth it. 0ou will be able to a"tivate your bodys natural healing powers to properly support your physiologi"al and mental state of being, and perhaps begin to simply feel healthier and happier. Even if you begin with a &ui"#, "old shower, lowering your s#in temperature only briefly, the results "an be dramati". *o "onsider the benefits of "old water immersion, whether its for an e!tra dose of energy during the day, or long-lasting "hange for the future.