1 Week of Wim Hof Method

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Wim Hof Method by now. Wim Hof a.k.a The Iceman holds various Guiness World Records for withstanding extreme temperatures. He claims that with his method, he’s been able to climb Mt.Everest and Mt.Kilimanjaro wearing just shorts and shoes, stay for hours long in ice baths, and running a marathon in the desert WITH NO WATER – and that any other regular joe can harness that power and achieve the same feat.

Now, I live in the Philippines where extreme heat is a regular thing. As I’m writing this, my phone sensors tells me it’s 32.11 °C and 69.69% Humidity. I’m acclimated to the hot weather but I’ve always been sensitive to the cold. I cuddle up and cover myself in a blanket during rainy seasons where the weather is at most 20 °C. I also have an Autoimmune Skin disease that manifested more than 2 years ago and I have yet to find a way to manage it without the use of steroid creams. The method also claims to improve our body’s immunity. So why not give the Wim Hof method a try?

I’ll follow up with a more detailed look at the method but for now, I want to focus on my progress in this first week. The main component of the method is the Breathing exercise. After you do 30-40 of hyperventilation-like breathing, you hold your breath for as long as your body allows. Here’s my record for the entire week.

	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Apr-29	1:09.95 sec	1:17.87 sec	1:22.53 sec
Apr-30	1:06.95 sec	1:24.51 sec	1:45.31 sec
May-01	1:19.38 sec	1:32.45 sec	1:49.85 sec
May-02	1:19.12 sec	1:40.21 sec	1:56.63 sec
May-03	1:05.57 sec	1:25.53 sec	1:28.04 sec
May-04	1:31.11 sec	1:47.49 sec	2:03.70 sec
May-05	1:23.86 sec	1:50.36 sec	2:05.36 sec

I have to note that I usually do the breathing exercise while seating but on the 5th Day, I tried it lying down. That’s the only difference I made that day so I guess it wasn’t a very comfortable pose for me. Tho there’s a bit of yoyo-ing, from the very first Round I did to the last round for the week, there’s about 55 sec. of difference – a definite improvement.

The second part of component is the exercises/yoga poses. Since last year, I’ve already been doing yoga so this wasn’t such a big deal for me… except for the last exercise. I have to do a bit of adjustment to it. Basically, you lie down, lift your feet off the ground and start swinging them in front of each other. Maybe it’s lack of core or back strength, maybe it’s my Scoliosis, but when I first tried doing it, my lower back curves and lifts off the mat which I know is bad for the back. To make it easier on my back and maintain proper for, I prop my hands on my butt to give it a bit of a lift. During Day 1, I could barely finish it, I actually took a break in between. Succeeding days went much smoother. There was even a day where I started before they did so I got extra few seconds in. I can now get thru the entire time and do it with them, with my upper body also lifted giving more of a workout.

The last part is the Cold Shower. Because it’s currently summer here in the Philippines, the water coming out from the faucet is already warmed up by the sun. I use a pail and “dipper” (locally called a tabo) and put ice in it for my cold exposure. I take a regular bath with warm water first as Wim suggested and end it with a few seconds of Ice bath. During the last few seconds, I put my ice in, let it melt a bit and start my cold shower. Day 1 I was really shaking that I had to take a few breaks in between. Day 7 tho, I get a bit of shake on that first pour, I take a deep breath in and out to warm up and then it goes much smoother. I also talk to my mind a bit and keep reminding myself that I’m in control and I can handle more than I think. I feel like I can actually take much longer cold exposure now, so I’m thinking of just using the ice bath throughout… we’ll see.

So that’s my first week. I’ve watched the Week 2 video and the push-up challenge starts. I’m really looking forward to this because I still have yet to do a full chaturanga to upward dog  so seeing an improvement to that would just be so amazing for my yoga practice. We’ll have to wait and see!