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Today’s post is a pretty simple, cost effective (and even money saving!) lifestyle hack that just about anyone can implement. 

Today’s post will explore just why the introduction of regular cold showers into your weekly routines is worth consideration and how to go about doing it.

As the weather drops and evenings pull in, it might seem a funny time to suggest the inclusion of a cold shower. However, as the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche so eloquently stated; “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

So I get that anyone’s resilience, let alone desire, to hop into a cold shower first thing in the morning is going to be pretty low. With this in mind I will lay out an actionable shower challenge to build up to full cold showers at the end of this post. Firstly however, I think it’s important I sell the ‘why’.. 

Weight loss 

Possibly the most commonly known benefit of cold exposure, and therefore a cold shower, is that they may, theoretically, help you lose weight. 

It’s true; your body burns more calories when it’s cold in an attempt to generate body heat and maintain a healthy core temperature. As your body temperature dips slightly, you enter a phase called ‘nonshivering thermogenesis,’ during which you increase your calorie burn. As your temperature lowers even more, you’ll start shivering to generate heat, which also burns calories.

In addition to upping your calorie burn, a study published in Cellular Metabolism in 2014 reported shivering from exposure to cold causes hormonal changes that trigger the production of brown fat. The study authors found that shivering increased the level of a hormone called ‘irisin’, which triggers brown fat production in a way that’s similar to exercise.

The idea is that you take a cold shower for at least 30 seconds and let it run over your shoulders, neck and back. Research shows that this is the area where a lot of brown fat is found.

Brown fat, differing from white fat which is built up from excess of calories, is also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT for short). BAT is abundant in babies. The reason it’s brown is because it’s so tightly packed with mitochondria, which is where fat gets burned off.

The primary function of BAT is to generate heat. In fact, BAT is so metabolically active (ie burning calories to generate heat) that just two ounces of the stuff can burn around 500 calories per day. 

BAT is normally inactive, just as long as you’re in your thermal comfort zone, which is part of the reason that it’s rarely detected and why BAT was traditionally thought to be irrelevant in adults. Making yourself cold is supposed to “activate” BAT, which in turn generates heat, raises your metabolism and burns off regular fat.

Some of the fat loss benefits are somewhat disputed however due to the nature of the research studies backing the evidence. This is particularly in relation to length of time of exposure to the cold for the brown fat activation. 
Another point noted in relation to full body emersion in swimming for instance could cause the body to crave a higher percentage of calories post exercise due to changes leptin and ghrelin, hormones responsible for controlling appetite. 

Athletic Recovery

Cold water has long been used as treatment for sore muscles by sports therapists and athletes. Favourites such as ice baths have been implemented by athletes from various disciples to reduce soreness, stiffness and to promote recovery. 

 A quick cold shower after breaking a sweat at the gym can be just as effective, especially in relieving delayed-onset muscle soreness. 

A 2009 study analysing 17 trials involved over 360 people who either rested or immersed themselves in cold water after resistance training, cycling, or running. It found that 24-minute cold water baths were effective in relieving sore muscles one to four days after exercises with a water temperature of 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit, or 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. However, some studies involved colder temperatures. 

I would however remain cautious of the cold water following weight training sessions. The great Dr Rhonda Patrick speaks in detail about this in Tim Ferris’s podcast whilst highlighting the benefits of sauna use. In summary, cold exposure acts to stem inflammation and aid recovery. However, when wanting to build muscle through weight training, for instance, the inflammation is a necessary step to muscle growth. Therefore the blunting of this through cold exposure could prove to defy the objective. 

Wake up call

Taking a cold shower in the morning and feeling freezing cold water hit your face and body like a cannon ball may not feel too motivating. However, the deep breathing in response to our body’s shock helps us keep warm, as it increases our overall oxygen intake. This results in our heart rate increasing, releasing a rush of blood through our entire body. This gives us a natural dose of energy for the day.

Cold morning showers also are said to help with productivity, with the idea being that tackling a challenge first thing sets you up for success all day long. 

Hair & skin care

When it comes to hair and skin, one of the most natural ways to maintain your appearance is with cold showers (!). Hot water has the tendency to dry out our skin, so it’s best to use cold water to tighten your cuticles and pores, which will prevent them from getting clogged. Cold water can act to close or “seal” the pores in the skin and scalp too, preventing dirt from getting in.

Ice-cold or lukewarm water can help our skin and prevent it from being stripped of its healthy natural oils too quickly. 
Remember, cold water only temporarily tightens skin as it constricts blood flow, but it does not shrink pores. When it comes to haircare, cold showers can make hair appear shinier, stronger, and healthier by flattening hair follicles, and increasing their ability to grip the scalp.

Immunity and Circulation

Cold water can improve circulation by encouraging blood to surround our organs, which can then help combat some problems of the skin and heart. 

As cold water hits the body, it’s ability to get blood circulating leads the arteries to more efficiently pump blood, therefore boosting our overall heart health. It can also lower blood pressure, clear blocked arteries, and improve our immune system.

Eases Stress

Jumping into the shower without letting it heat up, or going into the ocean without slowly acclimating to it, can help promote hardening, increasing tolerance to stress, and even disease. A 1994 study found a drastic decrease in uric acid levels during and following exposure to a cold stimulus. There was also an increase in gluthathione, an antioxidant that keeps all other antioxidants performing at their optimal levels. The participants, who were 10 healthy people who swam regularly in ice-cold water during the winter, adapted to repeated oxidative stress. 

Fighting depression 

Cold showers have been shown to relieve depression symptoms due to the intense impact of cold receptors in the skin, which send an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from the peripheral nerve endings to the brain. Thus, it produces an antidepressive effect, and boosts moods, making it a pick-me-up. 

A 2008 study found that cold hydrotherapy has an analgesic effect, and does not appear to have noticeable side effects or cause dependence. This treatment included one to two cold showers of 38 degrees Fahrenheit / 3.3 degrees Celsius , two to three minutes long, followed by a five-minute gradual adaptation to make the procedure less shocking.

Action Plan

Ok, so we’ve discussed the why, so now it’s time for the how. Now with colder, darker and miserable mornings being just round the corner, (regardless of time of year if you are UK based), I would like to introduce a plan to build your cold shower resistance slowly but effectively. 

This is 5 week plan:

– Aim to complete 5 out of 7 days minimum

– If you’re struggling, continue the week you are on for an additional week before moving on

Week 1
 – At the end of your shower turn the shower to cold for 30 seconds

Week 2
– Extend to 1 minute cold exposure at end of usual shower

Week 3
– 30 seconds cold exposure at start of shower

Week 4
– 1 minute cold exposure at start of the shower. Then as hot for as long as you like, followed by 1 minute cold exposure at end of shower

Week 5 
– Repeat week 4 protocol but include on one day of the week, 1 of the showers to be cold from start to finish.

Progression
– It’s up to you! Continue adding 2,3 or more full cold showers or even just restart the programs but play with the length of time you are exposed to the cold

Alrighty, I hope you have taken something from this piece! As ever, any thoughts and opinions would be welcomed in the comments section. Please share the post to show the love! 

Welcome back to another cheap eat nutrition recipe, your first stop for quick, easy and affordable nutritious meal and snack options! For plenty more recipes and ideas, please be sure to check out the cheap eat nutrition Instagram page; @cheap.eat.nutrition .

Ok, so today’s recipe is a particularly good breakfast option but wouldn’t go a miss for pretty much any meal of the day! I call it the baked peppered egg.

Although the baked peppered egg is not exactly a ‘peppered egg’, the addition of a just a few ingredients make it far more appealing than just that! This is a great option for a low carb breakfast whilst similarly getting a good few nutrients on board. 

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

– 2 eggs

– 1 large bell pepper 

– Handful of spinach 

– 4 medium sized mushrooms 

– Parmesan cheese  

– Salt & pepper 

Method:

– Thoroughly wash all vegetables 

– Preheat oven to 180c 

– Cut pepper evenly down the middle, removing the stalk, core and seeds

– Crack eggs individually and pour one into each half of the pepper

– Slice mushrooms and spread out evenly with spinach over the eggs

– Grate the Parmesan over the top

– Season with salt & pepper

– Place peppers in oven for around 15-20 minutes. Check egg whites are white prior to removing.

– Remove from oven and serve! 

Welcome back to cheap eat nutrition recipes, tasty, nutritious and affordable food choices for everyone.

So we’re breaking away from the usual low carb theme today by adding chickpeas into the mix as today’s recipe is Humous. 

Chickpeas are known as slow carbohydrates, or ‘carbs’. Foods with a low glycemic index are considered slow carbs, which include most vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, beans, peas and legumes. Slow carbs also tend to be higher in fiber, an important but often lacking nutrient. Chickpeas are also a good source of protein, vitamin B – 6, Iron and Magnesium. 

Chickpeas are quite high in carbohydrates and calories but also full of dietary fibre. They are a quite easy to pig out on a tad but are a really good option if your planning a heavy workout or sporting activity the following day. Saying that, it’s also just a pretty damn tasty a compliment to just about any meal!

Ingredients:

– 1 tin of chickpeas (drained)

– Half a lemon 

– 2 tble spoons of White tahini

– 3 tble spoons of extra virgin olive oil

– 1/3 a cup of water 

– Salt & pepper for flavour

Method:

– Drain chickpeas, place in blender with water and blend until smooth

– Add tahini, extra virgin oil and squeeze in lemon juice

– Add salt & pepper to personal taste

– Blend all ingredients, scoop out and serve

Welcome back to the What Supp Blog’s snack hack series. These are a simple collection of actionable tips, tricks and hacks to get the most out of your biological make up.

Today’s subject matter is a tasty one, Kefir. Kefir is one of those products that’s slowly making its way into the mainstream. This is for good reason as it holds some real health benefits and can be made simply at home as well as purchased from your local health food provider.

Kefir is a fermented milk product that comes from the Caucasus Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is popular Eastern Europe, Russia and Southwest Asia. The drink itself is the result of the milk being cultured from kefir “grains.” These are not grains in the conventional sense, (fear not paleo and gluten free enthusiasts), but gelatinous white or yellow particles that are actually living cultures, formed from yeast and lactic acid bacteria. They look like pieces of coral or small clumps of cauliflower and range from the size of a grain of wheat to that of a hazelnut.

The fact kefir colonizes as it does is unique, as no other milk culture forms grains. These grains contain the bacteria/yeast mixture clumped together with casein (milk proteins) and complex sugars. The grains metabolize the nutrients in the milk – the lactose and some fatty acids – and in-turn produce carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and small amounts of a host of other compounds, including ethanol. These benign microorganisms out-compete and actually fend-off pathogenic bacteria, thus preserving the milk without refrigeration.  

The kefir grains ferment the milk, incorporating their friendly organisms to create the cultured product. The grains are then removed with a strainer before consumption of the kefir and added to a new batch of milk. Kefir can be made from any type of milk, cow, goat or sheep, coconut, rice or soy. Although it is slightly mucous forming, the mucous has a “clean” quality to it that creates ideal conditions in the digestive tract for the colonization of friendly bacteria.

For the lactose intolerant, kefir’s abundance of beneficial yeast and bacteria provide lactase, an enzyme that consumes most of the lactose left after the culturing process. Some lactose may remain in trace form however so do proceed with some caution.

Health

Ok, so we’ve looked at what Kefir is and how it is formed. This still however begs the question, why supplement Kefir into your diet? Kefir is unique due to it containing both bacteria and yeast, and because the grains are re-used again and again with each new batch. This process only adds to the health improving potency of it. This is unlike similar dairy products such as yogurt, which only contains bacteria.  

Similar to other fermented foods, kefir is considered to be both a probiotic and prebiotic. Probiotics are microorganisms that can help with digestion and may offer protection from harmful bacteria. Prebiotics are carbohydrates that probiotics use as fuel. Kefir has both of these in abundance as well as containing calcium, protein and B-vitamins. Kefir also contains about 30 different microorganisms, making it a much more potent source of probiotics than other fermented dairy products.

I wont go on and on to much about probiotics and prebiotics in this post but will highlight that they are essential to gut health. Gut health in turn as been evidenced to have a direct link with everything from energy levels and immune system to hormone functioning and mental health. You can read more about them and where to get them in this post;  http://whatsuppblogblog.com/2017/04/27/snack-hacks-5-prebiotics-vs-probiotics/)

As previously mentioned, the grains for kefir can be purchased and it can be cultured at home. Should you choose to do so, here’s a quick how too;

(Note; if grains are new and not activated, either follow instructions with grains or see instructions here; https://www.culturesforhealth.com/media/docs/Milk_Kefir_Instructions.pdf)

Method

1. Transfer the active kefir grains into up to 4 cups of fresh milk.

2. Cover with a coffee filter or butter muslin secured by a rubber band or jar ring.

3. Place in a warm spot, 68°-85°F, to culture.

4. Culture until milk is slightly thickened and aroma is pleasant. This generally takes 24 hours, but can take less time in warmer temperatures, so keep an eye on your grains.

5. After the milk changes texture and culturing is complete, separate the kefir grains from the finished kefir.

6. Place the kefir grains in a new batch of milk. Store the finished kefir in the refrigerator.

Be aware that double fermentation, the sieving of the kefir drink produced from the grains and then left to ferment alone again for 24 hours, can further reduce lactose and increase both b vitamins and probiotics further. 

Thank you for joining me once again. I hope this post has been informative and as ever, if you’ve enjoyed, please leave a comment and share. Till next time.