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Have you ever been taking a shower, nice and relaxed, but then suddenly freezing water shoots out and stings your skin? You yell for whoever is using the taps elsewhere in the house to stop, and don’t know whether it would be more uncomfortable to step out of the shower onto the cold bathroom floor or stay and wait for the water to adjust back to comfortable temperatures. Particularly uncomfortable on a winter night, the freezing shower water has stung us all!
Though you may dread the experience, did you know some people voluntarily do the whole cold shower routine? A few even go a step further and take ice baths, which could make you chilly just reading about it! But it really is something that people do.
As a matter of fact, for some people it’s kind of their whole thing. Wim Hof is known as ‘The Iceman’. He has developed an incredible routine of putting himself through excruciating temperatures. Why would he do this? Well, it turns out this practice really does have a lot of benefits! With the methods of Wim Hof you can master your fears and set yourself free of limitations. Get comfortable and get ready to read all about how getting uncomfortable can do you a whole lot of good!
His real name is Wim Hof (no he was not born Iceman). He is from the Netherlands and excels at extreme sports. He gets his nickname from breaking a multitude of records related to extreme temperatures, and he is truly an extraordinary person. His methods have become scientific revelations and have even been scientifically verified!
Having achieved some extraordinary things, Wim Hof now teaches his methods. His motto is, “What I am capable of, everyone can learn.” He strives to teach willing students to control their nervous system in order to overcome fear and limited beliefs. Whether it’s athletes, celebrities, or regular people who want to push themselves, he uses the Wim Hof Method to help his students take control of their body and, crucially, their mind.
Here’s just some of the amazing things Hof has accomplished:
You get the picture! The Iceman is an incredible guy who does a whole lot of really cool stuff that most of us would be uncomfortable even imagining undertaking. But with the Wim Hof Method, maybe you can train your brain to achieve these things, too!
Though the Wim Hof Method has been scientifically supported, many were skeptical of the Iceman’s methods, believing he was just, well, some crazy guy doing crazy things. However, attitudes changed in 2011.
That was the year Radboud University (located in Wim Hof’s home country of the Netherlands) undertook a study to test the validity of the Wim Hof Method and the claims he could influence his own nervous system. The results made it clear that Hof had the ability to control his autonomic nervous system—the part of the nervous system involved in the regulation of our body’s involuntary processes, including heart rate regulation, blood pressure, digestion, sexual arousal, and respiration. This was a stunning revelation as it was largely accepted that controlling your autonomic nervous system was impossible. Despite what everyone thought, Wim Hof truly has proven to be a complete master of his own body.
A further two scientific studies show that Wim Hof’s methods really do have some incredible, frankly unbelievable, results. The first of these was undertaken again by Radboud University. The study involved 12 people who were using the Wim Hof Method. They were injected with endotoxins, which are parts of bacteria that cause illness. This was done under supervision in a controlled laboratory environment; obviously none of us should do the same! The results stunningly showed that those that practiced the Wim Hof Method were able to, like Wim himself, control their nervous system response.
A second study, carried out by Wayne State University, looked at the Iceman’s brain. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of just how Wim Hof’s brain functioned when his body was exposed to extremely cold temperatures. To study this, Wim was wearing a suit which could have its temperature controlled. While the temperature of the suit was adjusted, he went through brain scans. The scans showed activity in the areas of the brain that are associated with self-reflection, personal well-being, and suppressing pain.
We all want to achieve our goals, but may not know where to start. While Wim Hof seems like a person with super powers, he has made it his mission to teach people his ways. With persistence and consistency, anybody can learn these extraordinary skills.
There are three key elements of the Wim Hof Method:
Remember, for these things to work you have to work on them consistently. Let’s look a little further into how to do these and the benefits of each:
This is probably the simplest one to execute, and also why they call Wim Hof the Iceman. You can take a cold shower at home (once you’ve braced yourself), or you could visit a facility where you can use an ice bath. These baths can be found where athletes train, since scientific evidence shows that ice baths and cold showers are beneficial, especially for athletes.
If you can bear it, get into the shower in the morning and turn the water to the coldest setting. For one thing, it will wake you up—that is to say, really wake you up. While caffeine is the more popular choice, it takes about 20 minutes to work. If you take a cold shower, however, the second the freezing water hits your face you will be alert!
Crucially, cold showers are good for you! The temperature increases the size of your veins, which leads to better circulation. As well, the cold temperature helps increase your metabolism. Cold showers are also good for a multitude of other things such as skin, hair, and weight loss.
Ice baths are a step further, but admittedly may be somewhat more challenging to arrange. Their benefits are the same as a cold shower but to a greater extent.
Presumably you’re already breathing while you read this, so you’re halfway there! But breathing exercises require a little more awareness of what you’re doing than just inhaling and exhaling.
First things first, get into a comfortable position to practice. For this, it is better to lie down but it’s not necessary. Now you are going to focus on your breath. For starters, breathe in and out heavily with a mixture of deep and shallow breaths. It is normal to feel a bit of lightheadedness when doing this. After doing this about 30 or 40 times, empty your lungs completely with a big exhale and hold your breath. Hold it as long as you can without causing choking (do not go too extreme too early, you can practice this and time yourself with the aim of going longer). Repeat these steps for three more rounds. Once you’ve done this four times, you can move on to meditating.
As much as it may seem stressful, doing this is actually good for you. You will feel more relaxed right away.
Meditation can be a challenge if you’re new to it, but with repetition and time it’s very useful. It is important to find somewhere quiet where you can be at peace and clear your mind. Make this a part of your routine and you will feel much calmer. Meditation can help you turn off your negative thoughts too. You can train your brain to tune out the noise and feel calm.
But why would you get into a cold shower every morning? Why would you want to intentionally make yourself uncomfortable? Well, experts suggest getting out of your comfort zone has significant benefits.
Getting uncomfortable helps you improve your mental strength. Think about it this way: If the first thing you do each morning is stand in a freezing cold shower, the rest of the day isn’t going to be so challenging, is it?
Doing things that make you uncomfortable is a big part of growth. You can overcome fear by challenging yourself to do things that make you just a little bit uncomfortable. Because outside of your comfort zone is where you really start to grow.
Your brain needs to be trained like a muscle, and with this training you can unlock your brain’s potential. The big thing the Iceman teaches is that with consistency and practice anybody can achieve what he’s doing. By working on the Wim Hof Method, you can train yourself to take control of your body, overcome fear, and beat your mental limitations.
