Cold Plunge for optimal health

My partner(non-permie) and I spent the last 9 months building an ice bath out of a stock tank.

We could have just filled it with water and ice but we decided to make it way more complicated adding a filter, insulated frame and painting it.

I want to share because the benefits of the cold plunge are numerous. Physically, it can help reduce inflammation, boost metabolism, and improve circulation. Mentally, it can help relieve stress and anxiety and improve mood. There are also studies that suggest the practice can help alleviate depression and improve sleep. Additionally, regular cold plunges can help increase endurance and improve overall fitness.

I'm curious if any other permies practice regular cold exposure for personal health?

How do you do it?

Nice.. I need one of those. I have hot springs, and soak twice a day, but alternating hot to cold is the best! My two favorite hot springs (beside the ones here) both had freezing cold rivers flowing right next to them.  There are a few cold springs on this property, but undeveloped as of yet.. thank you for sharing.

The past week I've been alternating 20min sauna, 45-60sec cold plunge, then sauna again for another 20. it is sooo hard because I hate the cold, and i hate it when i'm in there but WOW it feels so amazing afterward and I sleep like a baby on the days I do it.

I have been cold water swimming here for years into the month of November in the Ottawa river.   I love long distance swimming in the summer, but in the fall I will not swim too far, just along the shore line.  Sometimes if I stay in too long, I get real dizzy. Fun getting out.
Now with the price of fuel here I haven’t been going as often.  Now it’s frozen. I have to wait for spring. We are having a thaw right now so I could go in my pond, but there is too much ice, dangerous to get out. So harder to immerse in cold water in the winter here. With last week’s storms 4 days of snow and -30C with the wicked winds, eyelashes freeze together real quick.  I could roll around in the snow, but I’m too chicken for that. When I do the cold water swimming in the fall I feel great and warm all the time.

I'll pass on the Polar plunge thank you. I fell through the ice on our creek when I was a kid so to me, any water less than 70 degrees is off limits for my skinny carcass...I'll admit, I'm a weener when it comes to cold water but, don't let me hinder your fun...Where's my sweatshirt?

Christine, I think you and I chatted about this briefly this past summer, and it never really left my mind.

I started ending showers with cold water this past Autumn, and even now in the Winter I still do it a few times a week. On days I feel congested or my sinuses bother me, I find a minute or two under cold water feels fantastic and clears me up almost immediately.

But to summarize my "journey," first: I saw a YouTube video about it.



- I was pretty much flying blind in this venture, but the video inspired me and I definitely wanted to give it a try. So one day in September I just decided to do it.
- I started with standing under mildly-colder water in the shower for my last 10 to 15 seconds, then turned it off immediately. I would simply stand still, letting the water fall on the back of my neck.
- Maybe after a week, I upped it to 30 seconds. After a week of that, I did 30 seconds under completely cold water, cranked all the way to 100% cold water, 0% hot water.
- Later that week, I upped it again to 45 seconds, then a full minute, eventually scrubbing myself down as if I was simply taking a typical shower under cold water.
- Nowadays, I've been able to last over 2 minutes under a cold shower blast.  I typically shower six days a week, and between September-ish and the end of November, I did this every day.

Personally speaking, I'm pleased I now can "handle" this, and will definitely keep up the practice for a long while. I think when the summer comes along I'll be doing entirely-cold showers.

My Grandpa did it, my father did it, I don't remember a day without it. And summer kinda suxx since water is lukewarm.

No everyone can afford the space or cost of buying 50 lb of ice bags everyday. However, you can make up for the lack of cold water by simply walking bare-skin for a bit before you take a 5-11 min cold shower [after you drink your electrolytes and before you have your coffee].

For mechanics and physiology of why it works refer to the dude's who do the research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq6WHJzOkno

P.S. Cold adaptation is the second best medicine to fasting®

Ted Abbey wrote:Nice.. I need one of those. I have hot springs, and soak twice a day, but alternating hot to cold is the best! My two favorite hot springs (beside the ones here) both had freezing cold rivers flowing right next to them.  There are a few cold springs on this property, but undeveloped as of yet.. thank you for sharing.

Ted you are so fortunate to have hot springs on your property!  Good for them bones!  Also that you’re able to alternate with the cold springs!! I’m jealous.  

I have varying experiences with the cold plunge.  I first really got into it when I lived in my tiny cabin on the North End of Haida Gwaii (Northern British Columbian coastal island chain).  I would plunge into the ocean in the morning to start my day, sometimes before lighting the wood heater stove.  The coldest I hit the ocean was minus 12 celcius.  The waves would come onto the sand and the retreating water would leave the sand crackling with frost.  That was cold!  Even in the summer on that beach the ocean there rarely warmed up unless the tide was rising on warm sand flats, but that was never in the morning with the cold plunge.    

Just yesterday was my birthday.  After a day of snowshoeing I went to a friend's place and we had a sauna with his dad. It was only about minus 10 C, so it was pretty good for sauna time, and a roll in the snow.  Three rounds of that, with 25 to 30 minutes in the sauna and a couple minutes of rolling in the snow with sitting on a dry bench outside as a transition was pretty fantastic.  

As far as I'm concerned, so long as I'm warm enough to begin with, I will do cold exposure.  When I'm already cold... not so much.  

I regularly shower cold in the morning.  I just got a new stand up freezer for my parents as the chest freezer died at the house in town.  I am planning to take the mid sized chest freezer to my property for the same use as demonstrated by Christine C.  

There as some great youtube videos talking about many of the benefits.  

Roberto pokachinni wrote:I have varying experiences with the cold plunge.  

As far as I'm concerned, so long as I'm warm enough to begin with, I will do cold exposure.  When I'm already cold... not so much.  

.  

I have the same problem. If I’m already cold which seems like all the time in the winter, as I get older it just seems harder to get warm. I work outside doing the chores with the animals and walking or snowshoeing in the woods. Last year no problem. This year I’m having to look for lined pants to wear because I’m just constantly cold!

I agree on the health benefits, but the idea alone almost gave me a heart attack, being in Minnesota with minus 20 (outside), my brain cannot wrap around this image my body in an ice bath, I just had goose-bumps (and the near heart attack).
… and I am not Wim Hof

I've been doing the cold showers for a few years now. I bought a horse trough to do plunging, but still haven't set it up. Generally I'll do the Wim Hof breathing first thing when I get up in the morning, and then step into the shower and blast myself with cold well water. I live just outside Fairbanks, Alaska, where the groundwater is 38 degrees, so it's pretty bracing. When I first started, I was dancing and hooting, but after a couple weeks it became tolerable, and I even started craving it. I'll let the water run over all parts of my body, and stay in it until I'm acclimated, which usually takes a couple minutes or so. Then I'll blast it on full hot and luxuriate in that for awhile, before another dose of the cold (which is fully cold by then, since all the water in the pipes and tank has been exhausted). I used to start with hot first, but reasoned that the shock of cold on my unprepared flesh would provide a more vigorous vascular contraction and enhance the positive effects. The second cold interval is definitely not as much of a challenge after the hot shower, even though the water is colder, so maybe that's valid. Getting out, I feel super warm no matter how cold the house is.

I first read about this in connection with some old Russian guru. One theory is that blood being forced into the core from the extremities invigorates and rejuvenates the internal organs, and helps dislodge any debris or deposits that may be forming in the vessels. It's supposed to juice the metabolism too. One thing's for sure--I'm wide awake and very alert afterward! It's a great way to start the day. Highly recommended, and guaranteed to increase one's will to power.

Joe Rogan had an episode where he discussed it. He said a friend of his was diagnosed with a high PSA, and thought maybe cold plunging would help. His numbers went from the triple digits down to 1, and in addition, his testosterone skyrocketed. But those effects are apparently dependent on not warming up first. Joe gets in a tub of ice water for three minutes when he gets up, before he works out instead of after. So it appears there are many benefits to this practice.

Wim Hof has released a cellphone app to help with the breathing part; I just downloaded that and it's been helpful. The basic breathing stuff is free, and more advanced stuff is available for a price.

Wow, so many bravehearted people out there!

Germans love their traditional cold-water treatments (established by Sebastian Kneipp in the 1880s), then we participated in the Sauna craze starting in the 1970s. I remember going to the sauna with my parents as a kid and feared the cold plunge.
I have dropped the sauna but stuck with cold-water showers: Only half a minute max after a nice hot shower. Here all showerheads can be taken off to be handheld and I always start at full cold with my legs, then my arms, then the body.
Then rub vigourously with a nice stiff towel (due to the hard water here all towels end up as massage towels in the end, lol).
And then I am good for the day!

Roberto pokachinni wrote:I am planning to take the mid sized chest freezer to my property for the same use as demonstrated by Christine C.  

I was told the other day that someone is selling plunging tanks made from working chest freezers. There are thermostats sold by brewing suppliers that turn them into refrigerators by cycling the power as required, so you can set the temps above freezing. Seems like a genius idea.

Vaios Eleftheriou wrote:I agree on the health benefits, but the idea alone almost gave me a heart attack, being in Minnesota with minus 20 (outside), my brain cannot wrap around this image my body in an ice bath, I just had goose-bumps (and the near heart attack).
… and I am not Wim Hof

That ice bath would be a lot warmer than the -20 degree air!

Victor Johanson wrote:

Roberto pokachinni wrote:I am planning to take the mid sized chest freezer to my property for the same use as demonstrated by Christine C.  

I was told the other day that someone is selling plunging tanks made from working chest freezers. There are thermostats sold by brewing suppliers that turn them into refrigerators by cycling the power as required, so you can set the temps above freezing. Seems like a genius idea.

This could be a great idea! I was thinking how to make an ice bath that would be useful year round in our climate, without needing to heat it in winter or cool it in summer. Not many good ideas come to mind.

But a chest freezer is big enough for a body, insulated, has a cover and can be adjusted to different temperatures. Seems like a great possibility!

Weve got a big chest freezer in our basement that we will probably never use but maybe whenever we get around to building a sauna we can convert the freezer to an ice bath since the two would go hand in hand.

Mary-Ellen Zands wrote:

Ted Abbey wrote:Nice.. I need one of those. I have hot springs, and soak twice a day, but alternating hot to cold is the best! My two favorite hot springs (beside the ones here) both had freezing cold rivers flowing right next to them.  There are a few cold springs on this property, but undeveloped as of yet.. thank you for sharing.

Ted you are so fortunate to have hot springs on your property!  Good for them bones!  Also that you’re able to alternate with the cold springs!! I’m jealous.  

Mary, it is amazing to have daily access to natural hot water. I do soaking meditation twice a day, and it makes what I do possible. I haven’t had a “day off” from work in over four years, and the physical demands would be unpleasant without the healing and relief that the hot water and minerals provide.. but even more important is the mental and spiritual benefit of the meditation. When my body complains to my mind, this endeavor seems like a never ending uphill battle, and impossible folly. The soaking, breathing, and clearing of the mind provides the reset that I need to go another day.. every day!

I usually try to use mostly cold water for the last minute or so of my showers as this is the closest thing I can reasonably do to an ice bath right now. Could roll in a snowbank but I dont want to get scraped up or find a frozen dog turd stuck to me.

I do really think it helps physically and mentally though. Just the process of knowing its going to be shockingly cold, subjecting yourself to it anyway, intentionally calming down the breath and mind while doing it and then experiencing the body warm itself so quickly afterwards is super rewarding. And you feel refreshed and invigorated afterwards.

I once had the opportunity to take a sauna and then jump into a hole in a frozen lake right nearby. It was fantastic even though it was like 7 degrees outside at the time. Lots of details make for a good experience though:

1. Hot sauna very close to a lake
2. Big hole in the lake
3. Short ladder in the lake so you can climb out without help and without clawing at the ice

Cold water is great! But I didn't always feel this way. Cold hands and feet became my bane in my 50's. Then I tried Wim Hof, that was 3 years ago. I did breathing 2x a day, cold shower in the mornings. I was already meditating, so I didn't use Wim's meditations, but I had the 3 pillars of the Wim Hof Method. He says the minimum to get a full body effect is 2 minute breathe hold and 3 minutes in 60F or less cold water.
This time of year in Connecticut my water is probably in the 40F range, cold enough to have a numbing effect. I always splash cold water on my face, as the triggers the "Divers Response" slowing your breathing rate automatically. This requires a mindset. It helps to remember that pound for pound your mitochondria are more powerful than the sun, they generate more heat.
 Being a minimalist, I strive to do just what needs to be done to achieve the desired effect. This why I like the Zach Bush MD 4 minute workout, which triggers spike in nitric oxide, equivalent to a 30 minute routine.
Now a days I'm doing the breathing once a day, AM cold shower, intermittent fasting ( 14 hour daily fast, no breakfast ), 4 minute workout 2x and multiple meditations.
Bravo to you on your cold water journey, cheers to great success!

Personally, I can't stand the cold. I heard that it is good to alternate, but plunging this 74 year old body in a vat of ice cold water will take an Act of God. For those like me, I'd suggest a shower, starting nice and hot, then go to cold until it takes your breath away, then go to nice and warm for the finish.
I'd like to know more about the benefits and will look that up...
Until then, I make it a point of going out for a couple of hours or so, no matter how cold it gets, but that's my limit for now.

I used to go over to my friends and Sauna quite a bit.  His sauna was adjacent to a river, where we would plunge after the heat treatments.  So invigorating!

Later, my interest in natural healing led me to experiment on myself with Hot/Cold Hydrotherapy: wherein one alternates hot hot shower with cold cold shower repeatedly -ending on cold.  I personally find it helps speed recovery from Colds and such.  It feels as though my lymph system is being stretched and squeezed.

When I'm not acutely sick, I still finish my showers with cold water.  Definitely warms me up inside, and invigorates.

Also, when it is very hot weather in the summer- and I want to be resting in the shade, but there is work to do- I will work at something in the sun until I'm sweaty then jump in the river and cool off,  readying me for another round of hot work.

The ice-bath thing seems to have a lot of benefit, but I have not tried it much at all.
Being a Vata (Ayurvedically-speaking) I have plenty of Cold, and don't need to seek it out that much.  I expect it would be especially beneficial for Pitta types.

BTW: love that human-cooler you made!  Nice work.

For those who want to know all about how to manage cold, take a look at this web site, the Ice Man:  https://www.wimhofmethod.com/

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:Personally, I can't stand the cold. I heard that it is good to alternate, but plunging this 74 year old body in a vat of ice cold water will take an Act of God. For those like me, I'd suggest a shower, starting nice and hot, then go to cold until it takes your breath away, then go to nice and warm for the finish.
I'd like to know more about the benefits and will look that up...
Until then, I make it a point of going out for a couple of hours or so, no matter how cold it gets, but that's my limit for now.

This has been my approach, too. But, my outside in the cold limit has decreased to 'just as long as it takes to do my chores, and check all the livestock', after the temps get below freezing. The multiple problems with my joints - particularly my left knee and my hands - just take too much out of me to stay out, longer. If I had a sauna or a hot tub to retreat to, that would make a world of difference - but, that hasn't happened. Yet.

George Tyler wrote: I expect it would be especially beneficial for Pitta types.

👆As a pitta-kapha, I can attest to this!

I recently did my first 3-minute cold plunge (after a 30 minute warmup in a 175°F/80°C infrared sauna). It was somewhat excrutiating (I was heavily breathing the first 2 minutes) but felt great afterwards.

My buddy created this one out of a chest freezer, saving thousands of $$!

YES, Christine!!!  I have a lamentable reason for my Alternative Healing Learning Curve: 40 years ago I has a new job as Sous Chef; the place had a microwave.  It was 1980; all I knew was, they were supposed to be way cool and totally safe.  But someone warned me this one was giving a little trouble.  Never entered my wind to demand they remove it immediately.  And one day soon after, it zapped me: I put in a plate of rice and it went ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZZZZZAPPP, and each time I felt lovely deep-massage tingles in scattered areas all over my upper body (lymphatics...)

This is backstory since a massive radaition exposure like that destroys mitochondrial health.  You get fewer, they get lazier or even become turned off.  The health consequences are enormous.  A recent online Mitochondrial Health Summit by several experts taught me a lot, and one surprising thing that has been under our noses for hundreds of years is one of them: that cold plunges (and also saunas and super-hot soaking baths) do the same thing for your mitochondrial health that running 5 miles will, for an athlete.  You get more robust, waked-up, and more numerous mitochondria; even though as we age we get fewer of them.  So this is an anti-aging thing, and a vigor-producing one.  

Anybody remember the Sitz Bath?  !880's...people had a small, short washtub thingy that they could sit their butt end into, deep enough to cover the kidneys, and soak in very hot water.  There were also kidney wraps, made of wool fleece and worn around the lower body to keep the kidneys warm. (a cold plunge is of short duration; folks living in harsh winter environments needed this protection as indoor heating and outdoor clothing could both be inadequate to protect from kidney disorders brought on by cold).  

Nowadays there is "news" that a really long hot bath is good for your kidneys...we have forgotten a lot of knowledge; but the exciting thing is that we have one another and the internet and can now take advantage of both new science, and rediscover reasons for some of the older stuff.

One last point I'd like to make is that, along with worse and more toxic foods/air/water, and a more sedentary lifestyle - we have become generally "spoiled" by having the means to make our environment temperate, 365 days a year.  Life used to include natural freezing and roasting, and one had one's hoeing to do even if the weather was over 100F, and special stock care when below freezing.  Who knew this was good for us?!?  Glad you brought this up, Christine!!  

Brody Ekberg wrote:That ice bath would be a lot warmer than the -20 degree air!

No, it wouldn't. Water is far denser than air, and thus a better conductor of heat. It's why you can stick your hand in a 450 degree oven for a good while without getting burned, but immersing it in a pot of boiling water even for a few seconds will result in serious injury, despite being less than half that temperature. I've walked around naked in -20 degree air before. I've also jumped into a swimming pool in the fall down in Texas, after some nights in the 20s, and there was no comparison--water instantaneously sucks the heat right out, way more than the 38 degree showers I take, even though the pool water may have been warmer than that (I doubt it was colder). Cryotherapy chambers  are set at -230 degrees for a reason.

No, but I like the idea, it could also serve as a beverage cooler.  

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:Personally, I can't stand the cold. I heard that it is good to alternate, but plunging this 74 year old body in a vat of ice cold water will take an Act of God. For those like me, I'd suggest a shower, starting nice and hot, then go to cold until it takes your breath away, then go to nice and warm for the finish.
I'd like to know more about the benefits and will look that up...
Until then, I make it a point of going out for a couple of hours or so, no matter how cold it gets, but that's my limit for now.

Im no expert but my understanding of this is the goal is to get the body to warm itself back up which increases circulation and changes mindsets. So theoretically, doing something like a sauna or hot shower first, then an ice bath/cold plunge after would be the ultimate shock and require the body to do all the warm up. If you reverse the order or say, just do a cold plunge and then take a sauna after or warm shower after, I’m not sure if there’s going to be many benefits since the body doesn’t have to do any work.

Victor Johanson wrote:

Brody Ekberg wrote:That ice bath would be a lot warmer than the -20 degree air!

No, it wouldn't. Water is far denser than air, and thus a better conductor of heat. It's why you can stick your hand in a 450 degree oven for a good while without getting burned, but immersing it in a pot of boiling water even for a few seconds will result in serious injury, despite being less than half that temperature. I've walked around naked in -20 degree air before. I've also jumped into a swimming pool in the fall down in Texas, after some nights in the 20s, and there was no comparison--water instantaneously sucks the heat right out, way more than the 38 degree showers I take, even though the pool water may have been warmer than that (I doubt it was colder). Cryotherapy chambers  are set at -230 degrees for a reason.

Interesting…

Obviously, 60 degree air is relatively comfortable for a lot of people. But swimming in 60 degree water for any length of time is definitely chilly, even to people like me who grew up in Lake Superior.

But with that in mind, I find it interesting that on days where the air is 60 degrees and the water is 60 degrees, the water is way more comfortable than the air. You can hang out in the water for a while comfortably but as soon as you get out you’re cold. But on days where the air is 80 degrees and the water is 60 degrees that same lake feels like ice and its hard to even get in.

And when I jumped into the frozen lake… it was about 7 degrees outside and obviously the water was warmer than that considering it was only frozen on the surface. The air felt cold, that water felt like it peeled my skin off even though it was way warmer according to a thermometer.

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Christine, I think you and I chatted about this briefly this past summer, and it never really left my mind.

I started ending showers with cold water this past Autumn, and even now in the Winter I still do it a few times a week. On days I feel congested or my sinuses bother me, I find a minute or two under cold water feels fantastic and clears me up almost immediately.

Yes we did!!! I applaud you for ending showers with cold in the winter. I cannot manage to get to that point, I'm sure it's a psychological thing. I can force myself to  jump in the cold plunge but I don't have the sort of self discipline to turn the water cold from hot in my daily shower...that's superhuman

Paul Appicelli wrote:No, but I like the idea, it could also serve as a beverage cooler.  

hahaha I will consider this function for my next summer party

Victor Johanson wrote:

Wim Hof has released a cellphone app to help with the breathing part; I just downloaded that and it's been helpful. The basic breathing stuff is free, and more advanced stuff is available for a price.

I have the Wim Hof book but I have not yet read it, didn't know there was an app!

I do intentional breathing while in the sauna, I find it helps me stay in the cold plunge longer and helps my body prepare for the shock of the cold

Betsy Carraway wrote:

One last point I'd like to make is that, along with worse and more toxic foods/air/water, and a more sedentary lifestyle - we have become generally "spoiled" by having the means to make our environment temperate, 365 days a year.  Life used to include natural freezing and roasting, and one had one's hoeing to do even if the weather was over 100F, and special stock care when below freezing.  Who knew this was good for us?!?  Glad you brought this up, Christine!!  

Sorry you had that happen to you Betsy!

Yes, I agree that our bodies have adapted over time to really thrive in adverse environments and that it's a good idea to consider this when we are wanting to improve our health!

George Tyler wrote:

The ice-bath thing seems to have a lot of benefit, but I have not tried it much at all.
Being a Vata (Ayurvedically-speaking) I have plenty of Cold, and don't need to seek it out that much.  I expect it would be especially beneficial for Pitta types.

BTW: love that human-cooler you made!  Nice work.

haha! Thanks George!  I know very little of Ayurveda but I am curious about learning more, especially when it comes to diet and food prep...I think that'll be my next project.

Roberto pokachinni wrote:

I regularly shower cold in the morning.  I just got a new stand up freezer for my parents as the chest freezer died at the house in town.  I am planning to take the mid sized chest freezer to my property for the same use as demonstrated by Christine C.  

There as some great youtube videos talking about many of the benefits.  

When you do, share the progress here!

I'd love to see the ice chest conversion, we had that idea too but we would have needed to buy a chest freezer. Most of our materials were what we had already, or free or really cheap so we just went with the stock tank.

I did my first cold shower this morning.  We have a well, and our water is frigid.  I took my regular shower and then turned the water to full cold.  It immediately took my breath away.  Immediately, as in, I was taking giant sucking breaths and it felt like the air was gone from the world.  I was hyperventilating to the point it made me dizzy.  I think I lasted about 30 seconds.  I found it to be very unpleasant.  I'll be trying it again tomorrow.

Trace Oswald wrote:I did my first cold shower this morning.  We have a well, and our water is frigid.  I took my regular shower and then turned the water to full cold.  It immediately took my breath away.  Immediately, as in, I was taking giant sucking breaths and it felt like the air was gone from the world.  I was hyperventilating to the point it made me dizzy.  I think I lasted about 30 seconds.  I found it to be very unpleasant.  I'll be trying it again tomorrow.

Nice!!! 30 sec is impressive. I bet you'll probably sleep well tonight

Christine Circe wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:I did my first cold shower this morning.  We have a well, and our water is frigid.  I took my regular shower and then turned the water to full cold.  It immediately took my breath away.  Immediately, as in, I was taking giant sucking breaths and it felt like the air was gone from the world.  I was hyperventilating to the point it made me dizzy.  I think I lasted about 30 seconds.  I found it to be very unpleasant.  I'll be trying it again tomorrow.

Nice!!! 30 sec is impressive. I bet you'll probably sleep well tonight

If that's true, that alone would be worth it.  The older I get, the harder a good night's sleep is to come by.

Trace Oswald wrote:I did my first cold shower this morning.  We have a well, and our water is frigid.  I took my regular shower and then turned the water to full cold.  It immediately took my breath away.  Immediately, as in, I was taking giant sucking breaths and it felt like the air was gone from the world.  I was hyperventilating to the point it made me dizzy.  I think I lasted about 30 seconds.  I found it to be very unpleasant.  I'll be trying it again tomorrow.

I think 30 seconds is fine (Sebastian Kneipp advised 30 to 60 seconds). As far as I remember and what I do as well is to start with the extremities farthest from the heart, i.e. right leg, and then move closer. Only then will I accept cold water all over my body.
It will take willpower and weeks of adaptation but you will get there. I am quite cold-intolerant (and have a weight-surface relation that goes better with warm temperatures) but I never skip this cold shower at the end of my regular shower. On some days I linger a bit longer till I move the switch but will do it in the end :-)

I did my 4th cold shower today.  Well, 3rd really, because one of the days I filled my bathtub with cold water and sat in that.  I'm not counting that day.  It didn't have nearly the same effect as the freezing cold shower.  I'm sure if I had an actual ice bath that I could submerge in, it would be even more effective than the shower, but I don't.

I find that I really do sleep better after doing this.  It seems to be helping with the minor aches and pains I have.  Beyond that it is too soon to tell.  The longest I have done it yet is about 3 minutes.  I'm trying to get to 5 minutes.  If I can do that and stick to it for 6 months, I'm going to build an ice bath for my basement.  I have a thermostat already for converting a chest freezer to a refrigerator, so I just need a chest freezer I can fill with water and set at 34 degrees.

For me, doing this is pretty much 100% a mental game.  I'm treating it the way I did with going to the gym to train for many, many years.  I don't let myself play that game of "I don't really have time today, I need to do this and this and this..."  I look at it this way.  Every morning, I get up and brush my teeth.  I don't ask myself if I want to brush my teeth.  It's just what I do every morning.  I treat anything I want to do that way.  Every day at 6 I brush my teeth, then I take a shower, then I turn the water all the way to cold, then I get dressed...  I don't let my mind play silly games about whether I want to do something, I just do it.  If there is no other benefit at all to cold showers, it helps build mental toughness.  That is just as worthwhile for me.