THE POWER OF ... SERIES
The power of a cold shower by Lorna Gordon
Ice baths , wild swimming and taking cold showers are no longer the practises of extreme athletes or those who follow a back to nature lifestyle , many people are trying these activities to see if they will be of benefit to them .
Cold water is seen as a threat to our bodies , it causes our heart rates to go up and our breathing to increase in response to it . Over a long period of time this would be bad for us , but in a short burst scientists now think it can be of benefit to us .
You don ’ t need to go the full Wim Hof and do regular ice baths to feel the benefits , begin your shower with it warm and once you are ready turn the setting colder until you feel the chill on your skin . And then leave it there . It will take a bit of will power not to turn the tap back but bear with it for 30 seconds to a minute and you will get the benefits .
So , what are these benefits you can look forward to ? If you try a cold shower you are likely to feel a pricking sensation on your scalp and skin as your blood vessels contract and expand , don ’ t panic , this calms down quickly . This short sharp shock has been shown to have some effectiveness against depression by increasing electrical impulses to your brain causing it to increase endorphins ( happy hormones )
A cold shower has been shown to have many health benefits . ( Chandler Cruttenden – Unsplash ).
in our bodies and become more alert .
It has also been found that cold showers can boost your immune system and it is thought to help with inflammation , with a study in the Netherlands showing workers took 30 per cent less sick days when taking cold showers .
It is thought that a cold shower can also boost your metabolism by evening out certain hormones in our bodies and working with our digestive organs . Scientists are still looking into why this works , so you can expect to see more information on this in the coming years as more research is done .
I ’ ve been giving cold showers a go for a while now , mostly because it ’ s damn hot in summer and being in those perimenopause years , I prefer to be cold than sweaty after a wash , but I have strangely enjoyed them and will be continuing to give them a go .
Have you tried cold showers ? We would love to hear your take on them !
DISCLAIMER
I ’ m not a doctor or health practitioner so this article is not given as health advice . Not everyone will benefit from taking cold showers , people with heart conditions should not have cold showers . If you are concerned about existing health conditions you should speak to your GP before starting a new exercise or health regime or trying cold showers .
Siena ’ s NOTEBOOK
Binge Worthy TV • Movies • Books • Reviews & News
I have just graduated high school and am passionate about all things movies , TV shows and the occasional book . I am excited to review these for you in a fresh and informal way . Siena Piggott
Dungeons & dragons Honor among thieves
I ’ m not gonna lie , I had low expectations going into this movie . However , I was absolutely shocked when I left the theatre smiling and amazed at how hard they went with this . Based on the boardgame of the same name , Dungeons and Dragons : Honor Among Thieves follows a charming , rag-tag band of thieves on a heist to find a lost relic to defeat the unforeseen antagonists , typical fantasy stuff .
Starring the third best Hollywood Chris ( Pine ), Hugh Grant , and Rene- Jean Page just to name a few , the cast has amazing chemistry and absolutely understood the assignment . The comedic timing of each line delivery was executed rather well and wasn ’ t as cringe as I expected .
The storyline was a little cliche , but I didn ’ t expect anything less . Although , it was very heart warming and focused on familial love and is a perfect example of the found-family trope , which I am obsessed with .
It successfully balanced the humour of the weird and wacky world they live in with some emotional scenes , which I was not expecting to work as well as they did . Needless to say , this was a genuine surprise of the month when I saw it . Generic ? Maybe . But who cares ! It ’ s fun .
My favourite characters had to be either Holga or Xenk because they were so engaging and fun to watch . But all
Credit : COURTESY OF NETFLIX
8 / 10 the characters had their own unique skill set and personality that worked well with each other . Even the villains were exciting to watch .
Now I can ’ t speak for the Dungeons and Dragons fanbase as the only knowledge of D & D I have is from Stranger Things , but I think Will Byers would go crazy for this . I really hope they make a hundred sequels because you best believe I will watch all of them the second they come out .
Dungeons and Dragons : Honor Among Thieves is available to watch in theatres .
HAPPY MOTHER ’ S DAY
PODCASTS
Realm
by Lorna Gordon
This month we aren ’ t looking at a specific podcast , but rather a podcast studio which produces a large number of shows which tell stories in the supernatural , thriller , horror and fantasy genres .
Apple Podcasts named them ‘ Best of the Year ’ so you know there is some serious work being put in to make these immersive shows the best they can be .
I ’ ve listened to several shows , but I ’ ve only scratched the surface of what ’ s on offer .
‘ Bookburners ’ is about a team of people employed by the Vatican to stop magical books and artifacts from being used to wreak havoc on the world , or unsuspecting people who might open them .
‘ If I go Missing the witches did it ’ is about a black writer who goes missing while looking into a group , or coven of influencers when she disappeared .
Fans of ‘ Orphan Black ’ will be happy to know that the TV show has been picked up and carried on as a podcast .
For horror lovers there are a number of poddy ’ s available , Roanoke Falls being one of them . It follows the inhabitants of Roanoke Falls as one by one they are stalked and killed by something in the woods …
You can find these shows and more on the Realm website www . realm . fm or on Apple , Spotify or the other streaming services you might use . They also have an unlimited option on the website , so that if you can ’ t wait to get your next instalment , you can subscribe and get early access to all the shows .
14 ISSUE 95 // MAY 2023 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT