Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy

We have become alienated from nature. But the cold is capable of bringing us back to what we once had lost. 

” We have become alienated from nature. But the cold is capable of bringing us back to what we once had lost. “

Alright, so I have been waiting a rather long time to create this post; 3 years in the making I would say! I have an affinity towards doing things that test ones mental fortitude, exposing myself to ‘The Cold’ is one of them. It both strengthens the body, as well as the mind… and that is something I can get down with!

With that being said, I am really excited to go over a little bit of Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy with you all…

First off you may be asking yourself ” what the heck is a ‘Wim Hof’ ” and secondly you may be wondering “why in the heck do I want anything to do with the word ‘cold?!’ “

I am going to be answering all of your pressing questions in this post, as well, I cut a quick video for your viewing pleasure, explaining everything!

(Oh, I also got down into my tighty whities and willingly sat, for around 3 minutes, in a frozen Alberta Lake – so you get the visual pleasure of that as well)…

If you know anything about Alberta, you know it’s cold, if you know anything about the word ‘frozen’ being paired with Alberta, then you know it is REALLY cold!

What I am going to go over in this post, are the benefits I have personally seen to Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy – I will break them down into 2 categories – psychological as well as physical.

Keep in mind these are personal to me, and vary from person to person… 

The purpose of this post is to introduce you to a self-development technique that I have been seeing great results from for many years, and sharing my experiences with you.

This is not a “How To” post, for that is an entirely different form of content that I will create in the future – there is a proper approach, both to the breathing methods used and immersing yourself to the cold – without the correct training, it may be dangerous…

ie: jumping into a Frozen Alberta Lake with no prior experience to cold, could be hazardous to ones health.

Hence why in the future, I will be creating a “How To” video on the subject, for now, this is simply a post on my personal results of cold water immersion. (cold showers being the primary modus operandi)

Enjoy…

Oh I also want to make a disclaimer, because the internet is a wild place, I am NOT a doctor, a health professional, I do not claim to be, and do not advocate you go running into frozen bodies of water.

1. psychological Benefits – my top 3

The mental benefits I have gained over the years from practicing Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy, are actually fairly drastic – I do want to start this section off with a little bit of a disclaimer, and that is there is no hard science for these… just experiences, but sometimes, that is the most powerful form of research.

Mental Benefit Number 1: Clarity.

You know when you first wake up in the morning, that feeling of not really being awake but not really being asleep either – well, I gurantee you that if you step into a cold shower during that time, all brain fog will instantly disappear…

If you continue to initiate in cold showers, which is what I have done for the past 3-4 years, those effects seem to compound, leaving your mind clear and free of fog.

Mental Benefit Number 2: Sense of Accomplishment.

There’s this feeling we all get, that after we do something we do not really want to do, we feel better after doing it?

Kind of like when we were children, our parents made us eat our veggies, and afterwards we felt good…

Err that’s a bad example, cause thinking back on it, I still didn’t feel too great after eating my vieggies, but you get my drift!

When you willingly put yourself into a situation that you know you DO NOT want to be doing, and then you DO IT – you immediately feel better about yourself… I would venture to say it is a very similar feeling to that of finishing a tough workout.

Mental Benefit Number 3: Calmness.

My friend Cole Wiliston, from Yoga With Cole, taught me that when you are in moments of pain, you cannot show it on your face… remain poised at all times, even in situations that are difficult.

I will tell you what, if you want to gain the skill of remaining calm in a stressful situation, pick up the practice of Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy. 

While you are subjecting your physical body to something rather uncomfortable, but remaining calm while you are doing it, you will be developing a skill that can be transfered to the real world.

From my experience, cold water therapy has helped me in times of complete chaos be able to have a clear vision, keep my focus, remain poised, and think rationally – all because I am learning how to control my emotions and body in times of distress – NAVY SEALS do this as well but to a much higher degree.

2. Physical Benefits – My Top 3

Cold Water Therapy is one of my 3 Simple Life Hacks That Will Turn You Into A Beast and I could not be more excited to share the physical benefits I have gained from ‘The Cold.’

Physical Benefit Number 1: Reduced Inflammation

I grew up fairly athletic, and in doing so, have sustained my fair share of injuries – 14 broken bones to be precise… Everything from my nose, to my tailbone I have fractured, torn, ripped, or broke apart.

The crappiest part about these injuries are that I am not a professional athlete, and the reason I say that is because I do not have someone waiting on me hand and foot for my physiotherapy / massage / chiro / etc…

What I am saying is, I gotta figure this out on my own, and what I find really helps is cold water immersion.

Just when you injury yourself playing a sport, generally the first thing you do to start the healing process, is ICE the wounded area. Well, think of cold water therapy as one big ice cube that gets placed on your body once or twice a day!

Physical Benefit Number 2: Healthier Skin

When you shower consistently with HOT water, what you are essentially do is releasing all of the natural occuring oils from your pores.

There is a time and a place for doing this, but what I have found using Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy, is that my skin is clearer, cleaner, smoother, and more vibrant than before…

I know skin care has many moving parts associated to it, with many factors attributing to its overall health, but from my experience, the cold water therapy keeps my skin moisturized – allowing me to keep my youthfully boyish looks!

Physical Benefit Number 3:  Fat Loss

This one may sound a little wishy washy, but hear me out, there is some science to back this claim up!

We all have something called “brown fat” it is stored in our upper trap area, and when activated through cold, it actually takes the stored energy we have and converts it heat – ie burns fat!

(whoa who would have known we have different types of fat)

The year that I had exclusively used cold showers, I had noticed fat dropping off of me faster than normal. There may be many reasons for this, but the cold water was definitely one of them! 

Conclusion

If you would like to know more about Wim Hof Cold Water Therapy, check the guy out right here.

Challenging yourself everyday to become the best version of yourself, is one of the truly beautiful experiences we have on this little planet. I feel if you are not growing, you are dying, and one of the best ways to grow is by doing uncomfortable acts in spite of fear.

Cold water therapy is not comfortable, and it is not for the faint of heart, but over time, what I have found, is that I have grown to become stronger because of it.

If you are looking to become the best version of yourself, at the end of your next hot shower, turn the knob all the way to freezing and let the water hit you for 10 seconds… 

See where that takes you.

Take it and run with it…