How do you shower when you’re exhausted after exercise or partied through the night? And what is the best way to rinse off after a sauna? Showering is not just a case of cranking up the water. You can do so much to boost your health and well-being by making small changes to your showering routine. The following tips are designed to help you recover faster.
The healthier way to shower - recovery tips from the shower experts at Hansgrohe
How do you shower when you’re exhausted after exercise or partied through the night? And what is the best way to rinse off after a sauna? Showering is not just a case of cranking up the water. You can do so much to boost your health and well-being by making small changes to your showering routine. The following tips are designed to help you recover faster.
The healthier way to shower - after exercise
Been jogging, cycling or to a Pilates class? Time for a shower! But don’t do it right away. If you’re used to jumping in the shower straight after exercise, our advice is: Give your exhausted body a break for a moment. The human body needs about five minutes to stop producing sweat. If you stand under the shower during this time, it would be best to turn on the cold water for a while because your pores and veins open up during exercise. This cool-down makes them close again.
Sore muscles? Spider veins? Varicose veins? No thanks
If you like a hot shower, we recommend running cold water over your legs briefly, to begin with, to strengthen the vascular muscles. It also helps counteract inflammation and muscle aches and protects your skin against spider veins and varicose veins. You can then start to run hotter water and enjoy your indulgent shower just the way you like it. A lovely and warm shower stimulates the blood flow, regenerates cells and helps you relax after intensive exercise.
Warm showers welcome: Stimulating blood flow and promoting recovery
Even if your mantra is “the hotter, the better”, cold bursts are cool. Using shower cycles that switch between hot and cold water to cleanse your body promotes health and firms up connective tissue. If you want to take this to the next level, use shower cycles with different jet types: sometimes gentle, sometimes powerful. Hansgrohe recommends a hand shower with a massage spray to alleviate slight tensions in the shoulder and neck. Important: Long, hot showers consume valuable resources and leave your skin feeling dry. As it washes epidermal lipids out of the skin and destroys the skin’s natural acid mantle. Rule of thumb: The drier your skin, the cooler the shower water and the shorter the shower time. It is best to use mild shower gels that contain oil and rich body lotions if you suffer from dry, irritable skin.
Ice water challenge: Shower like the pros
Pro athletes like to jump in an ice bath after exercise occasionally. Do you accept the challenge? Experts also recommend ice water baths to amateur athletes as it has many positive effects: It refreshes you, wakes you up an alleviates pain. Background: Intense physical exercise causes fine tears in the cell membrane, leading to painful local inflammation. An extreme cool-down after exercise prevents this risk of inflammation. The hydrostatic water pressure generated in a slightly deeper ice bath also creates the same effect as a compression sock and can reduce swelling. If you don’t have ice on hand, you can run a bath with cold water. The temperature should be between 10 and 15 °C.
The healthier way to shower - after a night out
You had a great time partying and dancing? Amazing! If only hangovers didn’t exist... Tired, unmotivated, with a banging headache, you wonder: What’s the fastest way to get out of this depressing mood and stamina slump? The friendly Hansgrohe guide recommends plenty of water, healthy meals and a walk in the fresh air.
The morning after, Plenty of water, inside and out.
A shower can work wonders after a night out. The brave among us will step under the ice-cold shower the day after the night before to clear their heads. There is nothing better to kick-start circulation. But this isn’t for everybody, especially not in winter. Even with an alcohol-induced illness, the perfect compromise between showering with cold and hot water is hot and cold shower cycles. This stimulates circulation and gives you a quick jump-start. The best way to end your shower cycle is with a cold phase: move the showerhead slowly from the feet up towards the heart.
Hot and cold shower cycles and then: Feeding the hangover
Even though it’s tempting because it’s so blissful: Don’t rely on hot showers the day after drinking. Not even if you’re cold. As your circulation will dive. A hot bath is a hangover taboo. Even if you think a hot bubble bath is really relaxing, it causes enormous strain on your weakened body. Drinking hot tea is so much better for you. It warms you up, rinses out the stressed, detoxifying organs and helps your headache. It would be best to eat healthy, salty meals and lots of vegetables to neutralise the acids in your body.
For extra grip in the shower: Load-bearing shower rails
Hansgrohe recommends (and not just on days when you’re not feeling fit on your feet): Getting yourself load-bearing grab bars to mitigate the risk of slipping. The Unica Comfort shower rail and Comfort foot support and grab bar ensure extra safety and stability. You can operate the shower system with your eyes closed with Hansgrohe Select technology, which can be used to control hand and overhead showers and all their jet types intuitively at the touch of a button. Afterwards, dry yourself off and go for a long walk in the woods. And take deep breaths!
The healthier way to shower - after a sauna
Had a stressful day? Frozen to the core? Many swear by saunas and see the deliberate act of sweating and cooling off as a cure-all. You can also boost your physical and mental health in your favourite sauna by showering correctly. How? It goes without saying that you must shower before entering the sauna for hygiene reasons. Important: Make sure you dry off thoroughly because entering the sauna wet delays the desired sweating process.
Relax, recover, refresh
Cooling off after the sauna is important because you can catch a cold if you sweat too much. Sauna-goers should leave enough time to cool down before warming up again. If you can, don’t have a shower straight after the sauna. It’s better for the body if you cool off in the fresh air first. Take slow deep breaths once outside to fill up on oxygen. Then go and wash the sweat off your body in the shower. The water doesn’t have to be ice cold. But it is useful to have a quick cold shower afterwards or take a dip in the ice-cold plunge pool. Coldwater cools and soothes the skin and the airways, regulates your body temperature and stimulates your muscles.
A heavenly spa for your home
Do you like the shower systems in your favourite spa and want a large overhead shower of your own? Transform your bathroom into a private spa with Hansgrohe Raindance overhead showers and Select technology. You can use the Select function to change the water jet type easily at the touch of a button. Whether you want a massaging jet, luxurious gush spray or soft beads of water: Hansgrohe showers are indulgent and extremely relaxing. Just like being in a sauna.
Big thank you to www.hansgrohe.com for sharing this article.
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