Why EVERYONE should cold plunge

Hola and welcome to The Summit, my weekly newsletter where I share my unfiltered thoughts on navigating the peaks and valleys of adulthood. From health and relationships to productivity and purpose, consider this newsletter a collection of naive wisdom from a 20-something year old summiting the mountain of life.

Today: Why EVERYONE should cold plunge

As some of you may know, I have spent the last two weeks vanning around the South Island of New Zealand with my lovely girlfriend:

The trip has been nothing short of epic. I have loads of new stories and experiences that I am keen to write about, but today, I want to chat about cold plunging (and convert you all!):

So, what’s the go with the weird cold plunging trend? You’ve probably seen a bunch of ‘crazies’ on social media jumping in ice baths, swimming in glaciers or rolling around in the snow - WHY?

Well firstly, there are all of the scientific health benefits (you can read more about these here):

• Reduced Inflammation

• Improved Circulation

• Mood Boost (release of endorphins)

• Benefits for Mental Health

• Increased Alertness and Focus

• Increased Metabolism

• Strengthened Immune System

They all sound great, but let’s be real, that probably won’t get you jumping in freezing water anytime soon. So let me tell you why I (a pretty regular dude) do it:

1. The Hardest Thing You Will Do All Day

• Seriously. Conquering that initial blast of bone-chilling water is a victory before you even dry off. It's a primal "I did the damn thing!" moment that sets the tone for the rest of your day. Booyah! Confidence unlocked.

• If you can find a sense of calm in the midst of cold exposure, you can find calm in any situation - now isn’t that calming.

• It is literally the practice of calmness and control. Months of practice and you will become unshakeable.

2. Builds Resilience and Grit

• Cold exposure is UNCOMFORTABLE (if it isn’t, you are doing it wrong). And seeking discomfort is the secret sauce of mental fortitude and personal growth, AKA resilience and grit. I will be writing an article on this soon - watch this space.

• In the words of Andrew Huberman, “it is a skill that carries over to situations outside of the deliberate cold environment, allowing you to cope better and maintain a calm, clear mind when confronted with real-world stressors.”

• So, taking a cold plunge is basically mental gym time for dealing with life's curveballs.

3. The Afterglow

• You feel FANTASTIC afterwards. If you are truly cold for enough time (generally a minute or longer in my experience), you seriously feel refreshed, reborn, and more than awake afterwards - try it once and you’ll see.

• Like I said, it is a victory before you even dry off. You are proud of yourself, confident and ready to tackle the day.

• Let's be honest, it’s cool asf knowing you can do hard things. The confidence boost is real.

The CHALLENGE:

1. Ten Seconds: 

   When having a shower, challenge yourself to make the water as cold as it can be for ten seconds, then you can go back to warm - for now.

2. End on Cold:

   Do the same thing but end on cold. That is, before you finish your shower, make it cold and DO NOT go back to hot afterwards.

3. Straight Cold Shower: 

   Aim for a minute, then two, then three… I personally feel like I have completed the challenge after a minute or so.

4. Bonus Challenge:

   Don’t start the shower and ease yourself into it, one limb at a time. Stand under the showerhead before you turn it on, so that as soon as you turn it on, it hits your whole body all at once… embrace the shock hehe.

5. Ultimate Challenge:

   Ice bath. Or if you find yourself in a cold climate, jump in a lake. Strive for 3 minutes. Something like this:

Side Note:

Let's be honest, not everyone is as gung-ho about cold plunging as I am. My lovely (and slightly saner) girlfriend thought this whole thing was ridiculous. But guess what? A few plunges with me and I’d say she's almost a believer (she’ll never admit it). She prefers a bit more practicality (she tends not to join me when it’s snowing outside), but at the end of the day she cannot deny the awesome effects.

My Final Pitch:

If you still aren’t convinced, take it from a few of my close friends:

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_{As always, if you have any feedback, you can respond to this email! I’d love to hear what you think :)}