The 30 Day Cold Exposure Challenge
Wim Hof is an amazing individual. After the death of his beloved wife he found cold water therapy rid him of his anxiety, depression, and trauma. He has developed a tolerance to ice baths and can withstand over an hour and a half immersed in ice to his neck. He has demonstrated that his immune system is amazing and able to resist getting sick with e coli after being injected with it. Remarkably, he also trains others Mr. Hof asserts he has developed the ability to control his body’s release of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Further, he holds a number of world records for doing things such as climbing the highest mountains in the world while wearing only shorts, running a full marathon in the Namib Desert without drinking any water, and hanging on one finger at an altitude of 2,000 meters. These amazing feats of endurance have earned him the name, “The Iceman.”
Wim Hof has become an enterprise having trained multitudes of people to use his breathing technique, cold exposure, and commitment to mind over body mindset. Followers can find events near them locally from trainers who have worked with him, or worldwide with the “Iceman” himself. People who put Hof’s ideas into practice report increased energy, better sleep, reduced stress levels, heightened focus and determination, increased willpower, and a stronger immune system. Wim has been studied scientifically by multiple universities showing that the autonomous nervous system related to the innate immune response, can be willfully influenced, something that was previously unknown to science.
I Took the Cold Water Challenge
I have learned Hof’s techniques and started taking cold showers about 60 days ago. Increasing my cold exposure to over five minutes. In the last few days I have graduated to cold baths at 58 degrees F. In the beginning my body responded with a vengeance trying to get the heck out of the cold. My weak mind did all it could to make me fail, but I persisted. Going as far as to tell myself, “Shut the F543 up, your’e doing it.” When I continued to force myself to do something I did not want to do I gained an inner strength uncommon to myself. I noticed a vigor, more energy, and began increasing my workout frequency and intensity. I have gone from walking 3-4 times a week to walking about two miles daily during my breaks at work. I can be seen often running down the halls of the hospital I work at with a latex workout band doing curls, tricep extensions, flies, rows and more. The amount of energy I have is amazing. My attitude and demeanor are noticeably different. Another unexpected benefit is I do not get sore after workouts as the cold reduces inflammation. I believe it reduces lactic acid as well. I am less sensitive from cold or hot.
Take the Thirty Day Challenge
Check with your doctor if you have any medical conditions. At first exposure do not expose your head and face first. Start slow. I used a handheld shower head and started with my feet and worked upward. This was after discovering doing the head first was too intense. Aim for one minute cold water after taking a hot shower to get clean. It is important to end with the cold and not the heat. This is because once you get to five minutes or more of cold exposure dopamine in your body will go up to 230% more than your baseline. Dopamine is neurotransmitter that gives you a sense of well being. It makes you feel good. Your metabolism will accelerate due to your body using energy to warm you back up for several hours. For more information about Wim Hof use the links below.
I invite you to comment and let me know your thoughts and results if you take the challenge.
Wim Hof Method
Wim Hof Story
Dr. Huberman on Wim Hof
Russel Brand on Wim Hof
