Cold shower treatment: how not to get a cold

I have a cold. Boo! I feel like my head is stuffed with cotton wool, and all of a sudden simple tasks like hanging out a load of washing feels as difficult as scaling a mountain on my hands. OK, maybe a slight exaggeration, as am clearly well enough to blog. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say due to feeling ill I am currently ignoring my wet washing in favour of sitting at the computer trying to think of difficult physical feats I also don't want to do. Either way, being sick is lame. Especially when your toddler asks why you're not at hospital if you're sick, and you have to instantly downgrade your pity-party by explaining that you're not actually that sick, just sick enough.

Out of curiosity I turned to Mothercraft to see what they have to say about preventing and treating colds. Most of the advice is fairly sensible, especially regarding personal hygiene and fresh air. There was one recommendation that jumped out at me: "A cool shower in the morning followed by vigorous exercise, will render a child more resistive to colds."

My first thought was how tricky it would be to add a cold shower into my toddler's morning routine. Some days I consider that I deserve a medal just for getting the peanut butter wiped off his face. He does have a shower followed by "vigorous exercise" on a fairly regular basis (if you count running away from me while yelling "nudey run"), but that's in the evening, and the shower is warm. 

My second thought was how could that possibly work? James Bond has cold showers, but he's not exactly the exemplar of how to stay safe and well. I've had a number of cold showers myself, most notably during a week in Nepal where we didn't have hot water once. And, it wasn't very nice. In fact, it was freezing and uncomfortable, and I stayed cold for hours afterward. There is a lot online about the benefits of cold showers, but the first two I read didn't convince me. The first was on a website called "The Art of Manliness" that talked about cold showers as a way to enhance your inner 007.  The second promoted cold showers as they are uncomfortable, and being uncomfortable helps you lead a more meaningful life. So, neither left me convinced. 

So, like many other recommendations in Mothercraft, I think I'll pass on the cool shower idea, both for me and the kids. I'm just not convinced of its merits, and wanting to be like James Bond isn't enough of a draw card for me. If I wanted to copy him, I'd much rather have a Martini. When I get better, that is.