Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Warm welcome for The Iceman’s chilly route to a healthier life
Many exponents of cold body therapy follow the teachings of Wim Hof, also known as The Iceman – a Dutch motivational speaker and extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures.
Because it is associated with various health benefits, cold body therapy has gained soaring popularity in recent years.
The use by professional athletes, bodybuilders, and celebrities of whole body cryo therapy has been well documented. Expensive and rarely available, it involves standing in a sealed container for a few minutes while extremely cold air is circulated around the body.
An effective and much more accessible alternative way to reap the benefits of cold body therapy, maintains Hof, is to simply start the day by standing under a health-boosting cold shower.
Every morning, US health guru Tony Robbins wakes up and plunges into a 57-degree Fahrenheit pool of water.
Rather than shocking himself into wakefulness, he does it because of the numerous proven cold shower benefits.
Cold water immersion, he says, activates the body’s natural healing powers that can relieve the symptoms of many medical conditions and promote a sense of health and wellbeing.
And when you take cold showers on a regular basis and turn it into a habit, you begin to experience health benefits, including long-lasting changes to your body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems that enhance your quality of life.
Even if you don’t have an immersion pool, Tony says you can still enjoy the same kind of results, just by taking a cool shower.
Hof claims that scientific evidence has found that frequent exposure to cold speeds up metabolism, and can therefore reduce inflammation, swelling and aching muscles.
That’s why many athletes, including tennis ace Sir Andy Murray, use ice baths and other types of exposure to cold as a means of speeding up recovery after physical exercise.
Cold body therapy is also linked to improved quality of sleep, sharper focus and an improved immune response.
Those who practise the Wim Hof Method report health benefits ranging from higher energy levels to relief from symptoms caused by autoimmune diseases.
Combined with breathing techniques and a determination to master one’s own body and mind, the cold‘pillar’that forms the foundations of the Wim Hof Method has made the Dutchman capable of extraordinary feats, such as standing in a container filled with ice cubes and running a half marathon in the snow on his bare feet.
Scientific tests have shown that Hof’s levels of brown fat, which burns calories to produce heat when the body is exposed to cold temperatures, are extraordinarily high for a 62-year-old man.
Now, Wim Hof is teaching ordinary people how they can take more control over their own bodies by following his powerful method.
His online video course begins with breathing exercises and meditation, and will gradually expose the body to low temperatures by taking cold showers.
This, he maintains, helps to achieve balanced hormone levels and the production of endorphins – the feel-good chemicals in the brain that naturally elevate mood.
Within weeks, he promises followers of the method – of whom he has thousands all over the world – will feel more energetic, less stressed, and better rested.