Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Best of Ben Greenfield 🎙️

Best of Ben Greenfield 🎙️

BEN GREENFIELD

On Cold Therapy

If you've been looking to incorporate cold therapy into your regiment, then you've likely come across wellness thought leader, master biohacker, and fitness freak Ben Greenfield.

He's been a guest speaker on The Joe Rogan Experience and The Tim Ferris Show, as well as authoring multiple books on health optimization.

We've diligently researched his vast library of content to give you a concise, digestible report on all things Ben Greenfield & Cold Plunging - so you don't have to!

Cold Thermogenesis

Ben often refers to this term as the process of exposing the body to cold temperatures to stimulate its natural thermogenic response.

This exposure can lead to various physiological changes, including an increase in metabolism, activation of brown fat (which burns calories to produce heat), enhanced immune response, and improvements in insulin sensitivity.

Cold Therapy and Fitness: Two Pillars of a Long, Healthy Life

"Integrating cold therapy into my training routine isn't just about recovery; it's about activating deep biological processes that enhance longevity and performance." -Ben

Among the many benefits that cold therapy produces, these are Ben's favorites:

Improved Cognitive Health: Cold exposure increases the release of hormones called "catecholamines" in your body. Norepinephrine, one of the main three, is responsible for increased vigilance, focus, attention, and mood.
Weight Loss: Ray Cronise, former NASA scientist, found that intentional and frequent cold exposure helped him double his weight loss over 6 weeks. Wim Hof, "The Iceman", reports that safe and regular cold exposure can increase the metabolic rate by ~16% through shivering.
Enhanced Immune System: Your immune system is fed by your vascular system—and cold exposure helps to optimize your cardiovascular system. A large Netherlands study found that a group who adopted a 30-day cold shower regimen showcased a 29% reduction in sickness compared to the control group.
Increased Longevity: The norepinephrine that's released when you're exposed to cold can inhibit many inflammatory pathways. Low inflammation is the only common predictor of survival and cognitive capabilities in people 100 years or older.
Boosted Mood: A Medical Hypotheses study reviewed the hypothesis that a lifestyle unconditioned to evolutionary conserved stressors could result in psychotic symptoms. It concluded that a cold shower could suppress psychosis-related neurotransmission by prompting stress-induced analgesia

Ben's Techniques For Incorporating Cold Therapy Into Your Fitness Routine

Start With Cold Showers — Ben says this can be an effective way to ease into cold therapy. He offers Ray Cronise's "Shiver System" for a simple option: a five-minute cold shower at the beginning and/or end of the day, alternating from 20 seconds of cold water to 10 seconds of hot water for 10 reps. "Cold" meaning anything below 55 degrees.
Incorporate Breathwork — If the discomfort of the cold is holding you back, Ben implores you to try out a breathing technique from cold exposure legend, Wim Hof: 30 to 40 rounds of deep, controlled inhalation and exhalation similar to traditional yogic fire breathing. Not only will this help you build cold tolerance, it can also lead to improved concentration and relaxation.
Time and Dose Properly With Exercise — While Ben's covered the health benefits of moving back and forth between hot and cold water, it isn't always optimal from a fitness perspective: If the goal is to increase muscle mass or strength, he suggests waiting two hours post-workout before taking an ice bath. Immediate post-workout ice baths can blunt inflammation and reduce muscle pain, but they may slightly hinder hypertrophic responses due to decreased muscle temperature and inflammatory molecules.

We hope you enjoyed this brief recap of Ben Greenfield's best advice for using cold plunging to increase your health for the long haul.

If you found this email helpful, send us a quick reply now and we'll reach out with even more beneficial cold immersion advice.

To your health,

-Inergize

P.S. If you have any questions about The Inergize Cold Plunge Tub our team has opened up some space to chat with you about cold water immersion and how it can serve you.