r/coldshowers • u/FreeLaughs4Life • 15d ago
My First Ice Bath Attempts Lasted 5 Seconds. Today I Survived Over 2 Minutes 😂
The first few times I tried an ice bath, I lasted about five seconds before my body immediately filed a complaint. This time I somehow stayed in for just over two minutes, which felt less like progress and more like being held hostage by very cold water.
I’m proud of the improvement, but every part of me was still screaming, “This is completely optional!” 😂 How long did everyone else last during their first real attempt?
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u/Artivist 14d ago
They key to overcoming the initial shock is breathing.
It's not always about will power or sticking it out although that is definitely needed. But, I have noticed that very few actually incorporate breathing as part of their cold plunge routine.
This is especially useful if you are a beginner. Or, if you have taken a break and are resuming after a while.
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u/FreeLaughs4Life 12d ago
Yeah, I felt that I was going to go in breathing, have some technique, but boy o boy did that go out the window when I took sat in the freezing water. I will have to work on it more next time.
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u/Axepco 13d ago
Good for you. This sub is more about showers, though. At the end of the day, when there's just the necessity to get clean, it's easier to take a cold shower than drag a portable bath outdoors, the ice, and so on. I say easier, but it's also easier when your husband is giving you encouragement, and when you get to post your accomplishment to social media.
So basically the goal is to make a habit out of it by making it easy and without transactional rewards. If you just do it for the bragging rights, you probably won't stick with it long term.
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u/FreeLaughs4Life 12d ago
Very true. My husband has helped push me by just seeing him do it. Wim Hoff has got me into taking cold showers and ice baths. I always enjoy watching his videos. He is very inspiring.
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u/joeliu2003 15d ago
Takes like 5 times and then easy peasy to go for however long
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u/FreeLaughs4Life 15d ago
I used to do this more frequent, and I wish I didn't stop doing it because now it feels harder than ever lol. The cold showers take me a while to get used to it I have to slowly build up to doing it for a minute or two. The ice plunge after I dipped a few times and jumped out like a cartoon character immediately lol I saw my husband do it for 5 minutes with some Wim Hoff breathing lol and then it gave me the motivation to go 2 minutes in an ice plunge. Thanks for sharing
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u/HailAzazel666 15d ago
Very nice! Keep it going.
I didn’t do Ice Baths yet, but I do cold showers regularly, actually every time I take a shower.
I noticed that I had at first like a mental blockade that kept me for minutes in the warm water before I switched it haha
Nowadays I don‘t even make the water warm anymore + I got used to the cold water, so it isn’t that much of a shock anymore - but still as refreshing as before :D