Got the tub filled today and set up/tested the aquarium heater. Appears to be working well, but we're having a bit of a warm spell at the moment (it's 60°F today! It's the middle of December, ffs!), so the water wasn't terribly cold. By the time I got in this afternoon, the water temp was up to about 55°F but still, that's plenty cold for a 1st time dip!
I spent some time beforehand getting my hands & feet ready for the cold by holding them in cold water for a minute, then out for 30 sec, then repeated it two more times, but stayed in for 2 minutes on the last. Both hands & feet were painful/ached at first, but by the 3rd round, I was getting used to it. That was enough to convince me that I was ready to try the tub out (because hands/feet are usually the worst), so I went upstairs & did 3 rounds of W1m H0f breathing, then waited a few minutes & got ready. I found an old swimsuit that hasn't fit me in years but does now (well, mostly!) and earlier this afternoon I bought some flip-flops (I think Big Loz (strongman) called them sliders? for UK readers!), so I wouldn't track a lot of dirt/etc into the tub. Had a kitchen timer beside me and started it once I was submerged up to my neck in the water. After a couple minutes, it got easier to handle, so the last 3 minutes weren't that big a deal.
I did notice two issues I need to remedy though... 1) even with a small towel to stand on, there was water all over when I got out. Not a problem now, but once it's below freezing, it'll end up as ice, so I need to find a big, absorbent bath mat that I can take out/bring in each time. 2) I'm just noticing, about an hour afterwards, that I'm staying a bit colder than usual. I think I'll need to go for a walk or do some exercise afterwards from now on. Although, I didn't do any exercise today beforehand, so maybe trying it after a run/workout might improve how well I warm up afterwards? Regardless, I think I'm going to get my things on & go for a little walk, maybe just 1.5 miles or so, see if that'll get me warmed up again.
Anyway, it felt good having my 1st dip in the cold tub! I've dropped the set temp to 50°F so hopefully it'll maintain that once it gets colder this winter. Once I can handle that, I'll work on dropping the temp a bit at a time until I get to 45°, or maybe even sub-40°, depending on how it feels.
4:39 p.m. - 2021-12-15
Recent entries:
Out of character, and thanks. - 2021-12-20
Urges. - 2021-12-19
Cold tub supplies, and 3rd dip. - 2021-12-18
Whatever. - 2021-12-17
Day two in the cold. - 2021-12-16
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