Winter is Coming

[WolfDreamer]

I've finally set my goals for my first four-week challenge.

 

1. Spend at least 5 minutes outside shirtless and shoeless in temps below 30 degrees F (-1 C).

2. Cold shower every morning for four weeks.

3. Practice at least 15 minutes of Wim Hof Method breathing (similar to Tibetan Tummo meditation) every day.

4. Raise at least $350 for the Special Olympics (What does this have to do with winter? Well...)

5. Participate in the Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics.

 

I'm not even kidding when I tell you the date for the Plunge: February 4th, the last day of the four-week challenge. What better way to end my challenge than a jump into icy water?

 

As for my Level Up Your Life Quest, I chose to find and outdoor destination without step-by-step instructions. Preferably in the snow to help prepare for #5.

 

Good luck to all other challengers.

[Sylvaa]

I am going to forever think of you as this guy:

 

 

Sounds like a great challenge! I'll be stopping by to check in on you - can't wait to hear about the Polar Plunge!

[PinkNinja]

I did a polar plunge once. Then something came up where they had to have a medic in order to have future polar plunges. I happily agreed to take on that role.  Warm toes and still help? Yes!

Interesting challenge.  Is there anything in particular that you are acclimating yourself to the cold for, other than the plunge?

[WolfDreamer]

27 minutes ago, PinkNinja said:

I did a polar plunge once. Then something came up where they had to have a medic in order to have future polar plunges. I happily agreed to take on that role.  Warm toes and still help? Yes!

Interesting challenge.  Is there anything in particular that you are acclimating yourself to the cold for, other than the plunge?

 

On a physical level, it's just to be able to endure the cold, mostly. I think about "what if" scenarios, like what if I had to survive in the cold for a long period of time? There is also growing research that controlled cold exposure is actually good for you (think ice baths, cold showers, etc.). Plus, there are benefits to putting the body through stress and using the body to control that stress (which is what exercise is: taxing the body through workouts, then allowing time to rest and recover, then taxing it even more with more challenging workouts).

 

On a spiritual level, cold exposure requires you to be mindful, especially if you're going to be exposed for a long period of time. There are conscious breathing practices that help with this. So the cold exposure and breathing techniques have trickled into my meditation practices.

[Laghail]

Wolfen! I'm excited to follow your challenge! As a Wisconsin native, I've often done barefoot in the 20's, enough to know it's cold as bejeebers. That isn't to say I liked it, or that 20fh is the same as subzero temps.

[Elastigirl]

What an awesome challenge! I'm trying to be less whiny in general about the cold. It's so easy to get so used to our climate controlled environments, that we just have no cold/heat adaptability. I will follow for inspiration.

[WolfDreamer]

11 minutes ago, Elastigirl said:

What an awesome challenge! I'm trying to be less whiny in general about the cold. It's so easy to get so used to our climate controlled environments, that we just have no cold/heat adaptability. I will follow for inspiration.

 

That's another one of my reasons. I want to be less whiny and more adaptable. :-)

[WolfDreamer]

Update:

 

It snowed last week, about 3 inches. Temperatures were below 30 degrees F Friday. To test my training so far, I took a 15 minute walk outside in minimalist shoes (just slip-ons, similar to Vibram Five Fingers), basketball shorts, and no shirt. I could definitely feel the cold, but I wasn't "cold". This weekend, temperatures stayed in the teens and lowers 20s. While I didn't take another walk, I did spend about five minutes each morning outside shirtless and in shorts (tried shoeless, but that only lasted about two minutes, so I put my minimalist shoes on). Did not wear a jacket at all, even while I was out.

 

Still taking cold showers, starting with warm water for the first ten seconds or so and changing over to cold for the rest of the shower (3-5 minutes). Doing WHM breathing every morning. It's an interesting experience that is difficult to explain, like no other form of meditation I have ever done before. I feel very mellow afterwards, and I can feel warmth and tingling through parts of my body.

 

I'm already at $195 in donations, all going to the Special Olympics.

[deftona]

I read the first goal of your challenge and thought to myself "why would anyone want to do that..." but by the end it made much more sense! 

 

Excellent work raising that money!

[Laghail]

Dang Wolfen, it sounds like you're making real progress. How's morning energy following cold showers?

[Elastigirl]

Thought you might find this podcast interesting It's an interview about a report who set out to debunk Wim Hoff, and instead was so impressed he now does the breathing excercises himself. http://rdellatraining.com/podcast-2

[WolfDreamer]

On 1/12/2017 at 3:05 PM, Elastigirl said:

Thought you might find this podcast interesting It's an interview about a report who set out to debunk Wim Hoff, and instead was so impressed he now does the breathing excercises himself. http://rdellatraining.com/podcast-2

 

Thank you for linking me to this. I haven't heard it yet, but I know about Scott's book. In fact, Scott and I are Facebook friends, and I'm reading the book now. He will also be featured in a podcast run by another friends of mine, James Broderick. If you want to check it out, it's called Ancestral Health Radio.

[WolfDreamer]

On 1/11/2017 at 6:23 PM, Laghail said:

Dang Wolfen, it sounds like you're making real progress. How's morning energy following cold showers?

 

Great, of course. I feel lit up and ready for the day.

[WolfDreamer]

Update:

 

Well, the weather since my last update hasn't exactly been conducive to training for cold. Daytime temperatures have averaged 60-70 F. However, morning temps still creep around 30-40, so I am continuing my shirtless/shoeless morning stretches as well as my WHM breathing. Yesterday it was rainy and around 45 F, so I went for a splash in cold puddles, acting like a child in summer. I'm also continuing cold showers in the morning (been doing this since October, so no problem there).

[Sylvaa]

Checking in on your progress. Has the weather been cooperating for you by snowing yet?

[WolfDreamer]

On 1/25/2017 at 9:29 AM, Sylvaa said:

Checking in on your progress. Has the weather been cooperating for you by snowing yet?

No snow yet, but finally, we're getting some cold weather. Here's the update:

 

*Today, temps around 30-35 F (1.1-1.6 C) with sleet and icy rain, but I took a 15 minute walk in shorts, shirtless and shoeless.

*Still doing WHM breathing every morning for about 15 minutes.

*Achieved my goal of $350 for Special Olympics and still accepting donations.

*Still taking cold showers every morning.

*The Polar Plunge is just over a week away. I'm ready.

 

Thanks @Sylvaa for checking in.

[Defining]

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but as someone who lives where our winter regularly dips to -20C, -30C, and occasionally -40C, I don't quite understand people who choose to seek out the cold.  But actually, those are awesome goals, well done!

[WolfDreamer]

21 hours ago, Defining said:

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but as someone who lives where our winter regularly dips to -20C, -30C, and occasionally -40C, I don't quite understand people who choose to seek out the cold.  But actually, those are awesome goals, well done!

 

I seek it so that if it ever seeks me, I will be ready. 

[WolfDreamer]

Update:

 

I have only one thing to say:

 

If you've never sprinted in the falling snow wearing only shorts, I recommend it. It's quite a rush.

 

36F (2C) with heavy snowfall (1-3 inches expected by morning) and I just went for a walk. After about 15 minutes I seemed to be just on the cusp of the urge to shiver. I paused, closed my eyes, and did some breathing techniques I have learned from the WHM. The urge faded and I continued my walk. After getting about 100 yards from my house, I broke into a sprint, feeling and savoring the fat flakes of snow as they landed on my bare chest and arms and melted on contact. Once I arrived at my house, only my feet felt cold, but not the pain I barely remember from when I first started the training. They were just noticeably colder than the rest of my body.

 

In other news:

 

• I have surpassed my $350 goal for raising funds for the Special Olympics.
• Daily cold showers still a go.
• Polar Plunge is Saturday Feb 4th (last day of the challenge).

[WolfDreamer]

I took another bold step yesterday, although I think I regretted it for the rest of the day.

 

In my home town (St. Albans, WV) there is a river, the Coal River, where I used to swim, fish, and boat a lot as a kid. I jumped off my first bridge when I was about 16 into this river (terrifying, btw). Yesterday I decided to visit my favorite swimming spot, nicknamed Lower Falls. The river is somewhat shallow in this part, ranging from knee deep to waist deep depending on what section you walk across or how much rain we have had. Keep in mind it snowed two days ago and yesterday the sun was out, melting most of the snow (close to 2 inches).

 

Well, I just happened to have a pair of swimming trunks in my car. So, I changed into them. I hesitated but closed my eyes and did three rounds of WHM breathing. Then I got out and went to the riverbank. With little hesitation this time, I stepped right into the flowing water and sat in it until I was immersed to my shoulders. I tried to resist the stinging pain all through my legs and feet, but after only about thirty seconds I sat up and walked back to the bank. This is when the shivering started. I tried to resist it by jumping around, moving my body to get warm. But it was about 31 F and getting dark, so progress was slow. I just ran back up to my car, started it, and changed back into my dry clothes. It didn't take long to get warm after changing. I laughed, still feeling the rush of having taken a dip in a cold river, no doubt made even colder by the melting snow.

 

However, for the rest of the day I felt very sensitive to cold, which is unusual since I've pretty much been resistant to it. Maybe my core temperature took a hit after the immersion, but I felt cold all evening long, even after getting home to a house with central heating. I don't regret it (and I may try again) because now I have a sense of how my body may respond this weekend after the plunge.

 

Just need to make sure I keep a towel and dry clothes handy.

[WolfDreamer]

Tomorrow is the big day: The Polar Plunge. Donors and sponsors helped me raise almost $400 for the Special Olympics! A friend who participated in the past said, "Nothing can prepare you."

I found out later that the friend had not been "preparing." No cold showers, no time in the cold, no ice baths, nothing to prepare for such a shock.

I know to some people the Plunge is no big deal. But I am thinking about it like a fitness challenge, one that requires training, both physical and mental: breathing exercises, meditation, cold exposure, etc.

So I would say plenty can prepare me and plenty has. I'm ready.

 

 

1. Still spending at least 5 minutes outside shirtless and shoeless in temps below 30 degrees F (-1 C).

2. Cold showers still going well.

3. Added a new element: soaking just my face in ice water before bed until I need to take a breath (recommended by Dave Asprey)

4. Practicing at least 15 minutes of Wim Hof Method breathing every day, although I still need to do today's.

5. Raises almost $400 for the Special Olympics

6. Polar Plunge is tomorrow!

[Jord]

I wish I had discovered your challenge earlier, this is so cool! Good luck tomorrow! I'm sure you will be glad you actually prepared. 

 

This reminds me of when I did study abroad in college to Italy and I was the only person from my university who bothered to learn some Italian before going. That other guy will wish he had done some cold prep!

[WolfDreamer]

Today is the day! I'm getting restless. But I took another great stride in my cold challenge this morning:

 

• Morning temps were 19F (-7.2C). I took the dog for a short walk (about 5-6 mins.) barefoot, shirtless, and in shorts. I think those are the coldest temps I have been exposed to so far for that amount of time since starting the challenge. It wasn't the cold that bothered me, but the hard frozen ground on my feet felt like walking on rocks.
• No cold shower today (figured the cold walk served the purpose pretty well).
• Donation totals: $391
• Plunge is tonight at 6pm. Prepare for photos and videos next time I post.

Thank you everyone who has encouraged me. I'm not done challenging my body to handle extremes. I will continue cold exposure and cold treatments until the weather warms. Then I may start preparing myself for warm/hot weather, who knows?

[WolfDreamer]

And I ended my 4 Week Challenge with a splash:

 

 

It felt amazing. I would have stayed in longer but couldn't because of the line behind me, and I asked if I could get back in line and do it again but they wouldn't let me.

Big thanks to everyone who believed in me and supported me, but especially thanks to those who donated to help support the Special Olympics. I look forward to next year.

 

I plan to continue cold showers and spending time outside in the cold shirtless and shoeless, as well as continue integrating the WHM breathing into my daily meditations. This challenge was so much fun, I look forward to the next one.

[WolfDreamer]

Below is my retrospective for this challenge:

 

Goal One

Spend at least 5 minutes outside shirtless and shoeless in temps below 30 degrees F (-1 C).

What did you do to help your success?

Went outside shirtless and shoeless every day and stayed as long as I could handle; gradually increased the time.

What would you do differently next challenge?

Worry less about time and more about just enjoying the feelings.

Goal One Grade

A

Continue this goal next challenge?

•  No, this goal is complete!
•  
• Goal Two

Cold shower every morning for four weeks.

What did you do to help your success?

Started with warm water, then rinsed with cold for the first week; then decreased time in warm water and increased time in warm water; by the third week all cold water.

What would you do differently next challenge?

Nothing.

Goal Two Grade

A

Continue this goal next challenge?

•  No, this goal is complete!

Goal Three

Practice at least 15 minutes of Wim Hof Method breathing (similar to Tibetan Tummo meditation) every day.

What did you do to help your success?

Practiced the breathing first thing in the morning before the busy chaos of my day.

What would you do differently next challenge?

Maybe increase the number of sessions.

Goal Three Grade

A- (I missed a day)

Continue this goal next challenge?

•  Yes (I plan to increase my meditation times next challenge).
•  
• Goal Four

Raise at least $350 for the Special Olympics

What did you do to help your success?

I asked friends and family for support, as well as sought sponsors from the community, and used social media.

What would you do differently next challenge?

Seek corporate sponsors

Goal Four Grade

A

Continue this goal next challenge?

•  No, this goal is complete!
•  
• Final Overall Challenge Grade

A- Participate in the Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics.