The Art of Navy Showers
Navy Shower anyone? I just found this post in TreeHugger, where the writer advocates that we all take abbreviated showers, just like those guys in the Navy. There is even a method to it. And since we are in America, even the simplest things come with an instruction manual . . . You may go to Wikipedia and find complete instructions for how to take a Navy Shower. In short, you just turn the shower on, just enough to get yourself wet, turn it off, soap yourself, and then turn it back on to quickly rinse.
The Farm Showers of my grandfather
This reminds me of my days back in my grandparents’ farm, when we did not have a shower. My grandfather was the only one to take a full ‘shower’ once a week. I still remember him stripping down to his underwear, and getting into the ‘abreuvoir’, what looked like a big cement bath tub, and was really meant as a drinking station for the cattle. The sight of him almost naked in the cold morning air used to make me shiver. The ‘Farm Shower’ – I just made up that word – consisted of one bucket of cold water poured over his head, quick soaping, and rinsing with a few more buckets of cold water. The women, my grandmother, my mother, and I, were content enough with occasional hand baths, using our ‘gant de toilette’, the French version of washcloth, which literally means toilet mitten. According to American standards of hygiene, we may have been dirty, but our lives did not suffer, and the clean country air did its share to minimize our natural body odors.
I love American Showers
Fast forward fourty years. While I look back on these years on the farm with great nostalgia, I certainly do not miss those hand baths. And I regard the long, hot American showers as a hard won indulgence that I am not willing to give up. I love the gushing of water, the washing away of the impurities of the day, the warm cocoon of the shower, where for a few minutes I can let my body relax. It is my daily version of a cheap massage. A luxury I am taking for granted. Of course, I am well aware it may not last. Water is going to become the new oil, a resource so precious that people may wage wars because of it. For now, I am not hearing, or seeing anywhere in my radar screen, that I am to stop taking long, hot showers.
Start ending your ot shower with a cold one – and improve your immune system. The Navy shower seems like a good idea. We might be able to find a middle way – say the Admiral Shower: Extend a bit on the warm – but not long, and then end with a cold shower. It’s helps heart and lungs along, makes you less prone to colds and flu – and is the best mood booster you can imagine.
Contraindications: uncontrolled high blood pressure (if you are on a pill and reasonably controlled, it’s fine), and narrowing/smasms of arteries. Start slowly at feet, hands, face. Work up to the real thing within a month – the whole body cold shower – but not more than a few seconds.
See my new book about health and water: Health20 (like H2 – water).
Alexa Fleckenstein, MD (please correct her name) is a U.S. board-certified internist who is also trained in European Natural Medicine in her native Germany. She is my friend and co-author of the book Health 2 0, which contains fascinating information about the health benefits of water applications you can do easily at home, such as cold sitzbaths and a few-second cold shower after your hot one. I have been taking cold showers for years now, thanks to Alexa, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a cold.
Alexa and I have also co-authored a book called Healthy to 100: Aging With Vigor and Grace, for those who don’t want to go quietly into the dark night of getting older!
[...] manteau-rao presents 3 Ways to Shower posted at La [...]
I remember when my big brother attended the Air Force Academy and told us that they were only allowed 30 seconds in the shower! There was actually a guy standing there with a stopwatch, too. Really made me appreciate the fact that I could shower for as long as I wanted to!
Nice story, Mentalmosaic!
Just googled the subject of taking cold showers and came across this site. Just to tell you of my experience. Ive been having a 10-15 second all body cold shower after my regular hot shower every morning since about 2003 and no lie I have not been sick since. I’m pretty fit and exercise regularly but other than that I’m not health obsessed. I tend to drink regularly (being from Ireland) and smoke when I’m drunk occasionally which is a definate promoter of respiratory problems. I used to get at least one cold every year!
It is clear that the cold showers are preventing illness. I’ve been singing its praises for years but everyone thinks I’m mad. I actually look forward to the revitalising effect especially after a night out. Its like being born again. I think this information should be publisicised better, like all those con remedies that have people spending millions on. Anyway enough of that…
Although the original intent of this article was not to promote cold showers as a health regimen, I am finding out from you and other readers that there are indeed such benefits! Another example of green being good for the health AND the planet.
C’est amusant, je viens de me rendre compte que je prends des Navy showers depuis des années, et cela sans le savoir.
Très bon blog Marguerite, je l’ai découvert il y a quelques temps déjà, mais je commence juste à butiner parmi les articles.
Félicitations pour le travail fait ici. Ce site est une vraie mine d’or.
Bonne continuation et à bientot qui sait ?
Edouard
(si vous préférez que je vous écrive à l’avenir en Anglais, pas de soucis, je peux )
For me, it seems to be Navy shower plus ending à l’écossaise. Longer hot shower, soaping, cold water rinsing for some seconds… Voilà! The big plus: you’re really awaken after this… and I’ve heard of the other benefits (immune system, not catching cold) and now! wow! They seem, by the says above, true.
[...] to him to care so much for nature, and what’s happening currently. Times on the farm with my him are some of the most precious items in my green memory bank. Like my French blogging sister, [...]
Powerful post.