Millions of people around the world are following the lead of Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, in subjecting their bodies to extreme cold with intent to shock their bodies into better health.
Well, I say Bah Hofbug!
Cool your jets for a moment while I pour cold water on your every Wim.
Did you know that the aforementioned Dutch dude has an identical brother who does not torture himself in ice and cold water, and has been found to be in the same physical condition?
Nobody knows what the long-term psychological effects might be from regular exposure to the physical and mental trauma of cold plunges.
I did my own research on a cold plunge in my unconventional swim suit – Making a Splash – and it literally drove me to the bottle.
I rest my cold case.
Today, I propose that you follow me on a more sensible path – the hot plunge!
In recent years, I have been consistently subjecting myself to elevated levels of heat, and I feel great!
My incredible journey started with hot-tub sessions at a friend’s house after playing sports. It is a bit of a shock to the system at first, but I can usually last about one hour almost completely submerged in a hot tub. I get the best of both worlds by injecting cold in the treatment through consumption of chilled liquids consisting of grain, hops, yeast, and water.
Then I added steam rooms to my workout routine – up to 30 minutes per session.
I consume hot drinks every day.
Believe it or not, there is more.
I recently introduced additional heat exposure in the form of dry saunas. My dedication to this challenging but fulfilling lifestyle has seen me steadily make gains – to the point at which I can now last up to 45 minutes in a single sauna conditioning drill.
I even play beach volleyball under the hot sun with really hot people. I will be forcing myself to do this nearly every weekend for the next six months.
It sounds scary at first, but if you ease in to my proprietary HEALTH (Heat Exposure And Less Torture Hegemony) program, you should see results, which will inspire you to fully adopt the training regimen.
Wave goodbye to the Iceman, and say hello to the Sauna Dude.
(Rob Driscoll – BIG Media Ltd., 2023)
