Let’s play a game: Would you rather bungee jump off a bridge or take a 10-minute cold shower every day? Unless you’re afraid of heights, bungee jumping probably sounds more pleasant. But it turns out the shower is the smart choice! Standing under a stream of cold water has surprising health benefits, according to experts who spoke with Real Simple.
3. Helps Keep You in Shape:
water! It turns out chilly showers increase endorphins and decrease the hormone cortisol, which is linked with stress.
Believe it or not, cold showers can do some amazing things. Here are five:
Speaking of health, cold showers are also supposed to ramp up your metabolism, which helps keep you slim. 4. Gives You Beautiful, Shiny Hair : If you’d love to have lovely, silky hair, cold showers could be better than conditioner. Dr. Debra Jaliman, a dermatologist, told Real Simple the low-temperature water seals your hair cuticles, boosting the shine of your strands.
1. Boosts Your Energy: The cold water “wakes up” your body, shocking you into taking deep breaths, which saturates your blood with oxygen. This helps you reach a focused, energized, almost- meditative state. 2. Strengthens Your Immune System : As crazy as it sounds, standing in icy water can actually increase your white blood cell count. Since these cells fight disease, this is a huge win for your health.
That said, as good as they are for you, cold showers aren’t exactly fun.
If you want to try cold showers yourself, Healthline recommends easing into the habit by “slowly lowering the temperature at the end of a usual shower” and then standing in the chilly water for 2–3 minutes. Take deep breaths and gradually push yourself to turn the temperature down earlier and stay in the cold longer.
5. Freezes Away Your Stress: Anxiety and depression run away from cold
at the daily activities of the fish and plants that lived in Gosse’s tank.
Jeanne frequently wrote about animals and plants on the island where she lived with her husband, but she was particularly interested in the paper nautilus, a form of octopus. To better study these creatures, Jeanne created a glass aquarium, which allowed her to learn that the paper nautilus actually grew their shells instead of stealing them from other creatures as
Owning a fish is a rite of passage into responsibility for many children, though it’s an older practice than many people realize.
After Gosse’s display, public aquariums were founded in countries across Europe and the U.S., and today, the U.S. is home to more than 400 zoos and aquariums (plus countless other at- home tanks). The concept of aquariums also spread among the rich of that era, making the fish a pet of those who were the most elite in society. Similarly, owning exotic fish became quite popular among the socialites of this era before more members of the masses began taking part, too. Thankfully, over the years, society has learned how to create healthy, lively environments for domesticated fish. Before purchasing your own, consult with a specialist at your local pet or aquarium store.
Keeping fish in captivity dates all the way back to the ancient civilizations in China, Babylonia, and Egypt, but today’s at-home fish habitats are credited to a French dressmaker who later
hermit crabs do. This debunked a popular theory about the paper nautilus and is a concept still understood today.
became one of the world’s pioneers in marine biology.
Jeanne Villepreux-Power rose to fame after designing and sewing Princess Caroline’s wedding gown in 1816. Her talent caught the eye of James Power, whom Jeanne married and stayed with in Sicily after their union.
Jeanne’s aquarium would become the inspiration for Philip Gosse, an English scientist who studied nature. Gosse is credited with implementing the first public aquarium — Public Aquaria opened in 1853, which fascinated crowds. While standing on dry land at the Public Aquaria, people would gawk
This is where Jeanne’s observations would change the world.
2 • THE SWISS CRAFTSMAN
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