Stepping out of comfort

Now more than ever, I feel it is vital for everyone to try and do something different. We are in a time when our habits can become easily stale, repetitive, and unhelpful. The Pandemic has tested us and has often left us feeling drained, bored, and uninspired. Sometimes it is easy just to let the sub-routines in our brains guide us nonchalantly without care, allowing stress and anxiety to rule not only our ‘work’ lives, but also our ‘down-time’. We tell ourselves we should be learning something new, or doing some form of exercise, but instead, in an almost unexplainable turn of events we end up slouched on the sofa, or in bed, munching on crisps and watching Netflix. It is no wonder really, that such a lifestyle often leads to a person feeling down or fatigued. When we allow ourselves to always remain in our comfort zones, it is easy to forget about the things we should be grateful for, and we deprive ourselves of new experiences in which we can live life to its fullest.

This line of thought has arisen mostly out of my obsession with ‘The Wim Hof method’. This is something that I might guess few of Saddleworth Life’s readers may have heard of, but Wim is a fascinating man. Not only are his story and his accomplishments fascinating, but the practices he has created may be revolutionary in the way we view health, mindset, medicine, and comfort. What the method essentially boils (or freezes) down to are what Wim calls his ‘3 pillars’ of the method. Cold therapy, breathing exercises and mindset.

As daunting as it may sound to many, cold therapy is extremely simple: Wim wants us to gradually expose ourselves to the cold. For many of us, the thought of a cold shower, or even worse a dip in an icy bath might be met with feelings of disgust. But what if, by slowly introducing our bodies to cold water, we could alter our biochemistry and improve our immune system? Pseudo-science? Maybe not…

 In fact, Wim often flaunts his scientific collaborations, which appear to be corroborating his claims. You can read about the studies Wim has participated in on his website, and in his recently released book, he talks about the fact that despite the promising discoveries made so far, there is still a reluctance from the scientific community to investigate this further. For me, Wim’s achievements are proof enough. This is a man now over 60 years old, who has climbed Everest in his shorts, ran a marathon in a dessert without any water and swam underneath Ice for 66 metres. He is no superhuman, he’d tell you so himself, and he believes others can replicate him simply by following the method he’s created.

Wim also champions a fascinating use of breath into his method. Essentially this involves taking a series of deep breaths before holding the final one for as long as is comfortable. From personal experience, this practice is surprisingly efficient at energising and refreshing mind and body. Not to mention it has allowed me to be able to hold my breath for almost 4 whole minutes!

Finally, Wim insists that the final, yet no less integral element to his method is mindset. Focusing (or meditating) on the breath is something that has been a meditative technique for thousands of years, and it is clear that Wim believes he could not have achieved any of his sublime feats without it. In his book, Wim recalls being lost and dazed whilst climbing Mount Everest, something that has been deadly in the past, to people much more well-dressed than Wim was! However, by focusing on and harnessing the power of his own breathing, he was able to make it to the summit.

I recently ran 16km. All the way from where I live in Chadderton to Heaton Park and all the way back. Apart from being the furthest I have run so far, it was also a great journey with plenty to look at and time for my mind to be free of excessive thoughts and stresses. 16km might sound like a lot to some, to some, more experienced runners it might seem like a routine run. However, the point is, for me, it was something I had never done before, and it was a route I had never run too!

Too often we are obsessed with what others are doing, what they can do and how much better they are than we are. But these comparisons are essentially pointless, for the only thing that really matters is the progress and change we undergo ourselves. Before setting off on this difficult, but highly satisfying adventure, I did in fact, do the Wim Hof method breathing exercise. It does, in my experience truly alter the physical limits of how far I can push myself, and it’s not a surprise professional athletes have begun to adopt it. However, you don’t need to try this wonderful and wacky process in order to leave the comfort zone. Just acknowledging that you are ‘stuck’ in a pattern of normality and making a conscious step away from routine can make all the difference. It might be taking a walk in the local greenery, or it may be running a marathon, or taking a cold shower. The point is, try something new, become someone new.

It is important to state, as Wim always does, that the breathing should only ever be done whilst sitting or lying down and not whilst operating a vehicle or whilst in a body of water. Similarly, if you have any underlying health conditions, you should consult a medical professional before attempting Wim’s methods. Cold exposure should be gradual, start slow with a short cold shower! Perhaps most importantly, do not attempt to jump into a lake or river unsupervised.

Author: Jacob Moore