
Wim recommends you begin by gradually working up to taking a cold shower. There’s a way to ease your body into this practice. The cold therapy portion of the Wim Hof Method is just like it sounds, but don’t be afraid. Inhale fully and hold your breath for about 10 seconds.Hold the last breath for as long as you can (usually 1-3 minutes).Wim advises doing this breathing exercise every morning. People often report struggling to do it while lying down. It’s best to practice this breathwork while you’re sitting up with your feet firmly planted on the ground. Be sure to listen to your body and stop if you feel too uncomfortable. Some people report feeling lightheaded when first doing this breathing exercise. This is probably obvious, but don’t do this exercise while you’re driving, swimming, or doing anything else that could put you in danger. If you have asthma or another breathing condition, this might not be the technique for you. This is a great place for beginners to start because anyone can set aside 10-20 minutes a day to practice breathing. While most people get fixated on the cold tolerance portion of the Wim Hof Method, there are actually three equally important areas the method focuses on: breathing, cold therapy, and meditation. The three components of the Wim Hof Method But you’re still not sure if freezing your booty off in the snow is worth it.ĭoes the Wim Hof Method actually deliver the results it claims to? Let’s dive a little deeper (beneath the ice?) to find out. Maybe you’ve even tried parts of it yourself. If you’re involved in a trendy fitness community, you’ve probably heard all about the Wim Hof Method. Why am I talking about Wim? Well, he has a renowned technique called the Wim Hof Method that promises numerous health benefits, including: I mean, this guy is basically superhuman.
#WIM HOF BREATHING METHOE FULL#
He has run a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot and shirtless, swam underneath ice for 188 feet, and completed a full marathon in the Namib Desert without consuming any liquids. Or maybe we were just a special kind of crazy. It’s a fantastic source of information on his fascinating work.Wim Hof (AKA The Iceman) makes me proud to be Dutch…and maybe this heritage is what drove my cousins and me to roll around in the snow in our swimsuits when we were younger. I highly recommend checking out Wim Hof’s website to learn more. These include better sleep, increased energy levels and anti inflammatory benefits as well as improvements in mental and physical health issues. However, in recent years, the benefits of practicing the Wim Hof Method are backed by a significant amount of scientific proof.Īs well as weight loss, there are many purported health benefits to be gained by practicing Wim Hof’s techniques. Wim Hof’s methods have received skepticism in the past. These metabolites have been associated with decreased inflammation. Increases in lactate and pyruvate were particularly noted.


In one study of 12 young men, 92 out of 224 metabolites increased when they performed Wim Hof’s breathing method. Simply put, metabolites are the intermediate products of metabolic reactions including those that take place when we convert food to energy.

Studies have been carried out to look at the ways this method of breathing impacts the metabolism. If cold showers aren’t for you, you can try out Wim Hof’s breathing technique instead. However it doesn’t take long to get to a point where the time passes by much more easily. I won’t lie, at first I jumped around and swore a lot. I’ve build up my cold shower time gradually. But after hearing increasing numbers of friends in the health world get on board, I decided I had to give it a try. I was completely averse to the idea when a friend first told me that he took them daily. I appreciate how unpleasant the idea of cold showers sounds. It is white fat that we tend to accumulate in excess as adults. Brown fat is actually ‘good’ fat, it helps the body to produce heat and control its temperature in cold conditions. In addition to speeding up our metabolism (which results in increased calorie burn), exposing the body to the cold also activates brown fat. But can Wim Hof’s techniques help weight loss?Īm I going to suggest that you bathe in ice cubes for hours at a time to promote your metabolism and lose weight? You’ll be pleased to hear the answer is no (though you can if you want to!) However, exposing the body to the cold, by taking a cold shower may contribute to losing weight. He has broken a number of records related to cold exposure including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts and standing in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes. Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof has been nicknamed ‘The Iceman’.
