Taking ice baths is a practice that has been around for ages. Even in civilizations that typically used hot water for bathing, people occasionally immersed themselves in freezing cold water. The reason is that ice baths are linked to several health benefits. Unsurprisingly, nowadays people still use ice baths to increase their health and overall wellbeing. You can easily experience the power of the cold yourself by incorporating the Wim Hof Method into your daily life. Many people from all over the world are already using the method to become a stronger, happier, and healthier individual.

It is common for professional athletes such as marathon runners, triathletes, and football players to jump into a tub of ice water after an intense race or game. The reason for their behavior is that regular ice baths have a number of potential benefits. We discuss some of these benefits below.

Physical recovery. An ice bath can change the way in which fluids like blood and lymph flow through your body. Your vessels constrict because of the cold and open back up when your body warms up after the ice bath. This process helps to flush metabolic waste from your body, while also getting oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. There is even scientific evidence that ice baths lower inflammation after intense physical exercise.

Weight loss. Cold temperatures stimulate the activation of brown fat tissue throughout your body. Brown fat helps your body to generate heat as it burns off white fat. Therefore, taking regular ice baths helps prevent the accumulation of excess body weight.

Increased parasympathetic activity. Exposing your body to cold conditions on a regular basis can make you more resilient to stress. As your body adjusts to the cold, the vagus nerve is stimulated, which is connected to many important organs by means of the parasympathetic nervous system. The resulting increase in parasympathetic activity has positive effects on all kinds of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and gut problems.

Together with breathing exercises and focus, controlled exposure to cold conditions is an important part of the Wim Hof Method. This powerful method is developed by ‘Iceman’ Wim Hof, to give people the means to take control over their body and their overall wellbeing. Scientists have shown that the method is related to a stronger immune response and the capability to voluntarily activate the autonomic nervous system. When you start practicing the Wim Hof Method, you gradually expose yourself to the cold by ending your daily showers with cold water. After practicing the method for some weeks, most are able to withstand the cold for longer periods of time, and are able to take their showers using cold water only. Experienced practitioners of the Wim Hof Method are even able to enjoy regular ice baths.

You can practice the Wim Hof Method yourself by signing up to our Fundamentals online video course. This video course enables anyone to learn the basic principles of the Wim Hof Method. All videos are available in English, with subtitles in German, Dutch, French, and Spanish, and you can watch them as many times as you want. Because you can watch the videos whenever you want and wherever you are, you can even practice the Wim Hof Method if you have a very demanding lifestyle. For example, many professional athletes and celebrities already benefit from the Wim Hof Method, and you can read some of their testimonials on our website.

Breathing, focus, and controlled exposure to cold are the three pillars on which the Wim Hof Method is built. Together they enable us to deal with ‘cold hard nature’, which are conditions that our bodies are no longer accustomed to, due to the modern-day comforts that characterize our lives. Exposing oneself to cold conditions such as cold showers and ice baths is related to serious health benefits, including stress relief, better sleep, faster recovery from physical exercise, and even relief from symptoms that are related to diseases like fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

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Tineke, The Netherlands

I have severe arthritis in my left hip. By implementing the Wim Hof Method in my daily life, I can deal with this without getting surgery. I love Wim’s purity. His coaching inspires me and gives me energy. I’m almost 66 years old and by practicing the Wim Hof Method I feel much more...

Albert, The Netherlands

For 12 years now I have had rheumatism. Thanks to the Wim Hof Method I have been able to halve the amount of anti-inflammatory drugs. My goal is to completely stop the use of anti-inflammatory drugs after finishing the video course.

Aivar, Estonia

I am 52 years old, and after 10 weeks of the Wim Hof Method I am in the best shape I have ever been. I did 30 push-ups as a test before I started the course, and when I finished I did 100 push-ups for the first time in my life. The Wim Hof Method gives you a good mood, it’s addictive!

Monic, The Netherlands

It’s only been 4 weeks since I started, but the results are remarkable! Thank you from the heart for changing my life, my health, and my understanding about my own power and the influence I have on this. I’m looking forward to a nice cold winter in the Netherlands.

Mino, Germany

Learning Wim’s method is like studying from one of nature’s best students. My life long fear of cold is history. I now fully enjoy cold immersions, but the benefits are not limited to cold. I am now a better person and a happier being. I smile when facing life challenges.

Gregor

After 8 months of daily Hoffing, puffing and cold showers I can claim to be cured of my 5 year burnout. Not having had a single cold or flu, my sore knee is working perfectly again, which was very painful the last 2 years. It is like a miracle, and I’m really grateful that our paths crossed.

Franco, USA

Wim I hope to train with you someday. I love to jump into that cold water and climb that mountain with you. Your method has truly helped me with psoriatic arthritis. I am no longer taking Humira injections for my symptoms. I am controlling it with breathing, cold showers and ice baths.

Matthew, Australia

I would have paid $10,000 for this, but that would not be enough because this has changed my life. I feel like I have taken Valium yet am supercharged. As a clinical psychologist my days can be very stressful. There is a stillness inside me now, and what I am really amazed by is the peace lasts.

Per Kristian, United Kingdom

After 3 weeks of daily practicing my medication (Naproxen) for long-standing sciatica has been cut by 80%, and my arm pain and 'pins and needles' following a neck injury 50 years ago has been halved!

Arthur, USA

I got anxiety 2+ years ago, and have had panic attacks every day since. Medicine helped a little. I came across your videos and started to walk my 2 miles a day in only a t-shirt at 20F degrees. Within 2 weeks my anxiety went away! I found it to be a miracle.

James, USA

I’ve had astonishing results battling addiction with the Wim Hof Method. It has saved my life and is the only thing that worked on getting clean and healthy. I go ahead and get my suffering over with in the cold showers, so I don't have to suffer throughout the day. Pretty good trade to...

Georg, Germany

Cardiac and respiratory arrest began my life. Heart defect and cleft palate pushed diseases. Depression, lack of self-efficacy, and post traumatic stress disorder followed. The Wim Hof Method frees me: I am twenty-nine years old, and I love to live. Thank you!

Grant, Australia

I was born with Spina Bifida, and was told I would end up in a wheelchair. After incorporating the Wim Hof Method into my daily life I have begun to see results in my pain levels and athleticism. I am no longer looking down the barrel of becoming a paraplegic, and I attribute that in part to the...

Raúl, The Netherlands

From the 90s to 2012 I developed hayfever symptoms and had to take daily medications in order to cope. The effect of these medications only lasted for several hours. By using the Wim Hof Method training daily, my body has conquered hayfever symptoms since 2013.

Benjamin

I started the Wim Hof method in October of 2018, and now the holes I had in my brain are gone. My neurosurgeon was so impressed by the scans that he told me I don't have to come back anymore. I take this as proof that this method works to regenerate brain tissue.

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Regular ice baths

Benefits of regular ice baths

Regularly enjoy ice baths with the Wim Hof Method

Practice the Wim Hof Method

The three pillars

Wim Hof Method References