I value what Wim Hof says about cold water exposure and breathwork. I am not a disciple, necessarily. I value breathwork 100 times more than cold exposure, which goes against most of Hof’s hardcore followers. But, there is certainly one particular instance where a good freezing cold shower makes a major difference in my life.
I personally believe that you don’t ‘over train’. You ‘under recover’. In the past year and half, I have gone from someone that hadn’t run in over a decade to someone who regularly puts in runs no shorter than 10km and often runs over 20-30km (and beyond). I have done that injury free. I mostly do my runs on an empty stomach and don’t carry water with me. I often do quick turnaround back-to-back runs with one in the evening then one the following morning. If you look at any recommendations on increasing running mileage, I should be laid up on crutches and possibly in need of some surgery.
This is not a posturing statement. This is emphasizing the value of the recovery process. Back to the Wim Hof Method, a cold shower as soon as possible after a run (or other intense physical activity) absolutely leaves you in a much better condition. The only aspect of recovery that comes before the cold shower (or bath) is stretching. If you follow that simple routine, you’ll be amazed at the lack of stiffness and pain.
My Personal Proof
Living in Canada, there is no lack of cold water in the fall, winter and spring seasons. You don’t need to search out an ice covered lake or river. You just need to turn on your tap. Our water numbs the flesh on your scalp in a very short time.
December, 2021 was the start of a cold winter for us. The previous winter was actually quite moderate with no drastically cold spells. Not the case this past winter. It was much more ‘traditional’ with cold temps, wind chill and snow.
Back in my college days in the early 1990’s, we often played hockey on town maintained outdoor rinks in Lindsay, Ontario. On one particularly cold night, I got frostbite on my toes. The following day, they were still tingling so I guess it was pretty serious.
No harm was done, I still have my toes. But, when it gets cold in the winter, they are extremely sensitive and it can become near impossible to warm them up. The tips of some of the toes will start to look bruised and I even get blisters or dead skin from time to time.
Cold showers make this condition much worse. So, in December, I started skipping some of the cold water exposure. I would often end my showers with a period of hot water which would bring circulation back to my feet (and hands). I started drifting into a time where I would just have a hot shower.
Mixing running and hockey, I noticed over the months of January and February that I did seem to recover slower. But, the thought of going back to cold water was just to painful when I was already cold and tired.
I slogged on. My winter mileage was down anyway with routes limited to ice and snow covered roads and sidewalks. I typically put in my usual 10km but did not do any long runs. But, the cold did come to an end and the snow and ice melted away. With trails available for running again, the long runs began to build up.
This was my chance to be reminded of just what the cold exposure could do for the body. I returned to full cold water showers right after running and stretching. The difference on the recovery process was amazing. In a recent five day stretch, I put in two trail runs over 25km, one in-town run of around 10km and a lower body strength workout. No injuries. No pain. No upward change in resting heart rate or sleep quality.
Is It Just The Cold Exposure?
The cold showers aren’t the single magical elixir. Breathwork at least once per day is incredibly important to a healthy system. I generally put in a Wim Hof style session each day, as early as possible. Before and after workouts, I try to put in at least some kind of breathwork to oxygenate.
Stretching! When I was in high school, on our Cross Country and Track and Field teams, we had an elite distance runner who often said, “Stretching is useless. My first couple of KM are my warmup.” He won races in high school and he would later be among the top 10 in various large scale marathons.
Taking the path of least resistance, I took his words to heart. If he didn’t stretch before a run, then why should I? Well, I was naive enough not to think that it might have been just bravado. I didn’t like stretching and this guy’s words were enough to justify me not to stretch.
This, of course, led to several injuries in my younger days. Ultimately, it was the reason I didn’t run at all for over a decade prior to the past year and half.
No more. I have embraced stretching as a daily ritual, whether I’m running or not. I start my morning off with a routine while my coffee is brewing. I stretch before and after each run or other physical activity. If I feel any kind of twinge, I stretch. This hasn’t just helped me run injury free but has also made a big difference in upper body strength workouts.
One other main aspect to recovery is fasting. It may sound counterproductive to not eat when your body is trying to repair itself. I’m certain many ‘experts’ think that it’s a crazy idea. But, I often don’t eat 12 or more hours before a long run and don’t eat for several hours after. I feel much, much better than if I did eat. Autophagy is the magic that repairs this incredible machine that we are blessed with.
Everyone that wants optimum health should strive to have a ‘feeding window’ of eight hours or less each day. In other words, there should be at least 16 consecutive hours out of each 24 when we are not ingesting food. There are so many benefits that it should be part of everyone’s lives. Of course, this is most commonly known as ‘intermittent fasting‘.
One last, but very important, item to what I feel is optimum recovery actually occurs during the activity. I make it a point to nasal breathe on each inhale while running, working out or any other moment during my day. The benefits of nasal breathing over mouth breathing are numerous and should be a focal point during everyone’s day.
What Was The Point Of This Ramble?
Oh yeah, it was about cold exposure, wasn’t it? Yes, I believe in the benefits of cold water exposure. However, it’s not something you need to wrap your life around. I monitor a Wim Hof Method Facebook Group, always on the lookout for anything new that I should look into. In that group, as with much of our society today, there are extremists that have somehow turned a 5-10 minute shower into an all-consuming lifestyle.
It’s just even as low as three minutes after a run/workout or to start your day. It’s not a competition to see how long you can withstand the cold. It’s a boost to your system. It’s like sleep, eating and drinking – more isn’t necessarily better and can be, in fact, detrimental.
Stand under some cold water for a few minutes. That’s it. You will feel better for it.