Lessons I Learned While Crying in a Cold Plunge
I honestly didn’t think I could do it.
I was shaking and trying not to cry, standing there in my bathing suit, staring at the cold tub. But…I did it. And after it was over, I felt amazing.
Last week, I had the opportunity to try cold plunging for the first time while co-leading the Mastering Menopause Retreat at Cedarvale Wellness in Port Elgin. It was a really great day with a wonderful group of women, and the cold plunge was definitely a highlight—but not for the reasons I expected.
Tommi, the owner of Cedarvale who co-hosted the retreat with me, led us through a breathwork session beforehand (so helpful for the cold plunge!). Then we got our bathing suits on and headed outside to the cold tubs. The water was about 9°C—roughly the same as the air. I have ended my shower with a cold water spray for years, and I always use the cold pools whenever I’ve visited a spa that has them, so I wasn’t too concerned beforehand about the cold plunge. When I stepped outside, felt the cold air and thought about sitting in that tub for two full minutes though? I really questioned if I could do it.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. This was a first time experience for all of the women at the retreat (except Tommi obviously), and the power of community made all the difference.
Tommy coached us to take a deep breath in, hold it, then step into the tub and exhale slowly. I did want she said, sat down, closed my eyes and continued to focus on my breathing. To my surprise, I started to cry. It felt—in the strangest way—like a version of labour. Hard, intense, but also powerful and deeply emotional.
The two minutes went by faster than I expected. We warmed up in the sauna, then we all surprised ourselves and… went back in for round two! And you know what? The second time was SO different. I wasn’t scared. I kept my eyes open. I laughed. I talked with the other women. Same water, same time, same temperature—but my mindset had changed.
When I thought about it afterwards, two lessons came to mind:
1.There’s power in community.
Doing something hard feels a lot more possible when you’re surrounded by people who are doing it with you and encouraging you.
2. And there’s power in mindset.
When you believe something is possible, it is so much easier to actually do it. We CAN do hard things. That’s one of the things I love about strength training - it reminds me of that on the regular.
That’s what I see time and time again in the women I coach in my FASTer Way groups. Having support and structure can make all the difference between knowing we “should” do something and actually doing it.
If you’re ready to:
• Feel more energized
• Sleep better
• Reduce inflammation and bloating
• Get stronger
• And most of all—feel proud of what your body can do…
Then my Faster Way group starting Monday (the only one for May) is perfect for you! As a little encouragement to take the step (I promise this one isn’t into cold water!), I’m offering a rare $50 off as a special gift!
You’ll get coaching, community, personalized support from me, and powerful tools that you’ll carry with you far beyond the six weeks.
Here’s to continuing to work towards the healthier version of ourselves.