Are you still cold and the idea of getting hardy makes your hair stand on end? Then you're the perfect person to really start hardening up. Take it easy and take it easy on yourself.
Why hardening is healthy
Regular exposure to the cold will not only help you endure the cold better, it will also boost your immune system and improve your mood. At the very least, you'll feel good that you've made it through! Plus, you'll get a nice blood flow to your body and strengthen your cardiovascular system. And you'll probably raise the eyebrows of your cold-hearted friends.
Toughen up, yes, but gradually and with respect to your health.
Do you throw yourself headfirst into every new experience? It might not be worth it here. Get your body used to the cold gradually. First regular cold showers, then outdoor bathing in sub-zero temperatures. But you can also start outdoors - bathe from the end of summer and let your body get used to the gradually cooling water. Regularity is important to build up your resistance to the cold. If you're not sure if you're fit enough, talk to your doctor first.
Source: www.jakubchomat.cz
Cool off like an ice man
The Wim Hof method of hardening is definitely the most famous hardening method of today. This Dutch ice man manages to stay in a bath with ice cubes for so long that it even earned him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. And that's just one entry of many he's earned thanks to his ice adventures.
What is hardening according to Wim Hof?
It's not just about staying in cold water. The whole process is much more complicated than that. Through breathing exercises and meditation, Wim Hof learned to consciously control the autonomic nervous system, the one that cannot be controlled by will. But he succeeded, as scientific research later confirmed. He can regulate body temperature, change the pH of the blood, consciously influence the body's immune response and even influence the behaviour of certain hormones. The Wim Hof method is very complex, but under the guidance of an accredited coach, you can also start hardening yourself. Are you looking forward to discovering abilities you didn't know you had?
What are the benefits of the Wim Hof Method?
Through breathing exercises, meditation and subsequent hardening, you will kick-start your immunity and revive your metabolism. Have you ever thought that your dream figure is waiting in a tub of ice? That's right, the method can reduce the white fat in your body and increase the brown one, which has a major function in heat generation. Also, you won't suffer so much from inflammation, and you can even help yourself in curing various autoimmune diseases. If you follow the right steps, and with respect to your capabilities, you will be able to reduce chronic stress as well. Plus, all the benefits are proven by studies, so no quackery.
Experience with the Wim Hof Method and hardening
Our colleague Tomas has also embarked on the hardening path. We interviewed him for you.
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How did you get into hardening and how long have you been doing it?
One day I was standing in line for food and overheard a conversation between two people in front of me. The lady was talking about getting a bit of a shower and the young man said that he was reading a book called What Won't Kill You - which is really interesting by the way - and that he goes out running in a T-shirt and shorts.
It was December 2019 and there was snow outside. I went home after eating and it was incredibly mind-boggling because I was obviously wearing X layers of clothing and I know for a fact that if I loosened my scarf just a little bit more, I would have embarrassed myself.
What was next?
That very day, I ran some lukewarm water on myself for the first time in the bath - really only slightly lukewarm and from the knees down. It went on like that for a few days, maybe weeks, and I kept adding a little more. Then, when I started to shower after the bath with really cold water and all over my body (well, except my head), I also experienced a whole new sensation for the first time.
How would you describe that feeling?
When the cold shower is over, the body starts sending blood to the skin again and gradually warms up all over. And that's really cool. I didn't experience it more intensely until October 2020, when I went to an outdoor swimming pool for the first time. It's a really surreal feeling, and I laughed uncontrollably the whole way home. On subsequent outdoor swimming trips, it's been that I've gotten out, dried off, waited a while and then it came and I wasn't cold at all and felt great.
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What does hardening off give you?
Hardening off gives me this great feeling. But you can't overdo it. Then maybe the relaxation doesn't even come. But mostly, it gives me the joy of overcoming myself. I am exactly the kind of person who hates the cold, always had 2 layers more and usually showers with almost boiling water. Of course then there is also the benefit of learning a new dimension of my body. I can now manage to go hiking in shorts and a t-shirt for maybe 2 hours, even if it's only 5 degrees Celsius outside.
I'd say hardening up also has an effect on my mood. You still get angry sometimes, but such an average mood gets a little better. Last but not least, I notice that I have a harder time sleeping - the cold makes me tired. When I come home from that hike or swimming outdoors, I'm much more tired than usual in the evening. As far as health is concerned, I haven't been sick once in the year to the point where I've really been in bed (before, about twice a year for sure). Sometimes I might have a bit of a cold or a cough for a day or two, but it's gone right away.
What do you think about the Wim Hof method?
It's extremely interesting and I think it makes sense - I studied physiology for a while in college. But I would add in the same breath that Wim directly is almost a genetic anomaly. Certainly not everyone can do what he can do. I've taken from that the very breathing technique I do when I'm hardening off. It's not like I suddenly get hot in cold water. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but it's more like I'm feeling the cold and myself and just observing it. This is also important to add, hardening off in my opinion is not about getting warm in cold water over time. It's more about perceiving the cold, coping with it, and not letting it throw you off.
Would you recommend hardening to everyone, even your family?
I really recommend it to everyone. I guess sometimes I get really annoyed with it. But it's not about digging a hole in the ice, getting wet for 15 seconds, taking a picture and going out. The cold in the water is changing. The first few seconds your body feels it one way, a minute later it feels it another way, and in another 5 minutes or more it feels it a little differently. I think you have to start gradually but at the same time discover and perceive the changes and evolution.
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If you would like to learn more about the method, read our interview with accredited coach Jakub Chomát.
