Stronger immunity during a pandemic is a pot of Gold.
A Simple Health Hack To Boost Your Immunity — That Anyone Can Do.
I struggled with sick days every month. I no longer do!
A few years back, around 2013, I was beginning to worry for my health. Why? Because I was getting sick consistently every month.
In particular, I used to get throat infections very frequently. This usually led to chest congestion and heavy infection in the lungs. It reached a stage that a single dose of antibiotics also stopped making a difference. My doctor had to prescribe two doses to get it in control. This got me worried.
All these struggles while I was physically very fit and athletic.
I used to do consistent physical exercises with a good diet, and I was at my best state of fitness in recent times.
No smoking or alcohol consumption. Theoretically, I should have had a strong immunity. But that was not the case. As a younger person, I seldom used to get sick and now this is my situation! Can you imagine my dilemma?
My health tests came out clean with no serious underlying issues. I tried several immunity-boosting remedies. That is also when I tried Intermittent Fasting / One Meal A Day, hoping it would benefit my immunity. While intermittent fasting benefitted me greatly in other areas, it did not seem to make a significant impact on this infection cycle.
You can read more about the benefits I saw with Intermittent Fasting and OMAD here:
So how did I salvage my health from this situation? Two words…
Cold Showers!
Yes, you read that right!
That is the ONE change in my lifestyle that put me back in control of my health and well-being.
Over time, I had gotten accustomed to taking shower in hot water. While it felt great for 5–10 minutes, it did not do any good to my health.
I came across the benefits of cold showers by change and decided to try it out. I reminisced, only old or the sick used to opt for a hot bath back in the childhood days. Now it made sense. This was why I barely got sick once a year or two as a younger person.
I started by gradually reducing the water temperature. This is what suits most people, as it is not easy to jump into cold water one fine day.
It takes a few days for the body to adjust. Once accustomed, I could directly start with a blast of chilly water. With practice, I was easily able to continue this even in winter (it may depend on which part of the world you are in).
Many research proves the benefits of cold showers, some excerpts are below.
The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled Trial (plos.org)
“Routinely showering (hot-to-) cold resulted in a 29% reduction of self-reported sick leave”
“The combination of routine (hot-to-) cold shower and regular physical activity resulted in an expected 54% reduction of sickness absence compared to people who don’t do either.”
Other forms of cold shower therapy are ice bath and cryotherapy.
If you needed more to act, beyond immunity, cold showers are also found to have other benefits.
- Increased will power
- Increase in energy levels
- Weight Loss
- Better circulation
- Improved emotional state
- Positive impact on skin conditions
- Reduced swelling (used by athletes for faster recovery in another form — cryotherapy)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Cold showers increase blood pressure, heart rate, rate of breathing, and shock the body. People with any underlying medical conditions like heart ailments, blood pressure, or other issues should consult their medical practitioner before attempting cold showers or ice baths.
I hope you evaluate if any of these benefits appeal to you.
Stay healthy.
Health and more…
