Getting into cold water for health benefits is no longer reserved just for athletes. Here’s why you should consider it if you’re trying to be your absolute best.
Getting into cold water is not always pleasant, even on a summer’s day, but more and more people are doing it for health reasons. According to Cold Water Immersion expert Wim Hof, this is “a great way to activate the body’s natural healing powers, and to make it able to relieve symptoms of various medical conditions. Over time, Cold Water Immersion improves your cardiovascular circulation, reduces muscle inflammation, and facilitates weight loss”.
The Wim Hof method has become popular worldwide because of the health and vitality benefits it gives people.
How it works:
The Wim Hof method is based on three pillars:
- Breathing – even though we’re always breathing, we don’t always do it properly or optimise it well.
- Cold water therapy– this helps to reduce inflammation, restore hormonal balance and improve sleep.
- Commitment– both cold exposure and conscious breathing require patience and dedication to be fully mastered.
For more information, there is an introductory Wim Hof method course you can explore here . Or, if you want to know more about the benefits of cold-water immersion for free, watch one of these YouTube videos:
- Short introduction – What Happens after 14 Days of Cold Showers | Dr Berg’s Guide to Cold Showers
- Long introduction – Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance |Andrew Huberman
If you are unfit or have any kind of long-term health condition, please check with your doctor before trying this method. Once you’ve got their go-ahead, the steps are simple and you can work your way up to eventually managing 5 – 10 minutes of cold.
Step 1: Take your regular hot shower
Step 2: Turn off the hot water for 30 seconds
Step 3: Turn the hot water back on
Step 4: Gradually increase your time in the cold water
