After the gym or sports practice, it is always good to take a shower to maximize the benefits. The temperature of the water can vary, and with it the well-being that comes from it. There are those who prefer to take a cold shower and those who instead indulge in a hot and prolonged shower right after finishing sports . Whether it is better to take a hot or cold shower, and what the beneficial consequences are for the body, depends on various factors and the type of goal pursued by the training. What is certain is that the shower facilitates the transition phase between physical activity and rest.
Benefits of a Cold Shower After Workout
Cold showers after training at the gym have significant benefits, just think of how popular cryotherapy is now practiced . Among the benefits of cold showers, we recall:
- Faster recoveryafter prolonged effort: anti-fatigue
- Reduction of inflammationresulting from training
- Promotes the elimination of toxins
- Firms and tones the skinalmost like a lifting effect
- Stimulates circulation:When cold water reaches the body, especially when wetting the legs and arms, it restricts circulation on the surface of the body.
- Promotes the immune responseto
- It closes poresand strengthens skin and hair .
- It causes the release of endorphins, which generate a feeling of imminent well-being and good mood.
- Energizingfunction : strength and mental clarity are recovered.
- Reduces the itchingsensation caused by sweat and soothes reddened skin
- Slimmingeffect because it stimulates the metabolism in burning lipids
Those who do not have a shower, but a bathtub, can even simulate a cryotherapy chamber effect by adding ice cubes to the cold water. Obviously, in this case, the immersion should not last more than a few minutes.
Does cold showers make you lose weight?
Cold showers help you lose weight . A process explained by science: the body, subjected to a jet of cold water , must internally search for the resources needed to maintain a balanced temperature and, to do so, will be forced to burn part of its fat reserves . Cold water, in this case, and not only after sports training, helps you lose weight , as some fat cells , such as brown fat , can generate heat by burning fat.
Benefits of a hot shower after training
Even a hot shower after training has important benefits . Among these:
- Sanitizing function: better removes dirt and impurities from the skin
- Relax your muscles
- Reduces tension
- Decongestanteffect on the nasal and respiratory tracts. Thanks to the Turkish bath effect of the steam that forms in the shower.
- Recovering from the cold of an outdoorworkout in winter .
- Promotes sleepand post-workout rest by regulating circadian cycles
- Makes the skin more receptive to absorbing creams or cosmetic products
- It is more suitable in summer thanks to its thermo-regulatingfunction : it quickly lowers the temperature , even if it seems the opposite.
Contraindications . Hot water brings the blood closer to the skin, which is why the skin quickly becomes red and itchy. An excessively hot shower can also alter the skin’s pH and damage a natural film that acts as a barrier on the epidermis from external attacks.
Another important aspect concerns the duration of the hot shower: it should last no more than 10 or 15 minutes at most and, possibly, the water should be warm tending to lukewarm. The water should never be boiling to avoid the risk of skin damage.
Cold-hot alternation
The solution, as often happens, is the middle way, or rather, the hot-cold alternation. The health benefits that come from cold water are linked to the constriction of blood vessels , while hot water will open the blood vessels. This can pump blood completely through the muscles and organs and is excellent for helping with regeneration and detoxification. All this is the basis of the ancient Kneipp method , that is, the contrast shower. An ideal shower, in fact, should include alternating hot and cold water. Water as cold as possible for a minute, and then very hot for another minute, alternating cold and hot for three to five cycles .
Shower at home or at the gym?
Another doubt may arise not only in relation to the temperature of the water, but also on the ideal time to shower after training: immediately, in the gym or after a few dozen minutes, at home? Generally speaking, staying in sweaty clothes for too long after training can lead to irritation, redness and dermatitis . By showering in the gym, the problem disappears because you immediately take off your dirty clothes; those who decide to shower at home, however, will not have to wait too long, and start the shower with a jet of hot water to eliminate any bacteria remaining on the skin.
