Beginning to practice the Wim-Hof method

I admit that I knew little about this man but when I started to search about him I was amazed by his uncommon and extreme achievements, in fact he holds 22 Guinness World Records, all of them related to the ability of his body to withstand extreme conditions such as climbing Everest in a bathing suit or doing a marathon at the North Pole with little clothing.

The man seems to have superpowers and has been taken as a laboratory mouse for some experiments, luckily escaping all of them.

After an unfortunate incident, the man set out to prove to the world that the will of the people is superior to everything and developed a method which he massified through all available means and with it he assures that those who practice it will be able to increase their energy, improve their concentration, drive away stress, connect with nature, sleep peacefully and influence their immune system, in such a way that diseases will not be able to affect them.

It is based on three fundamentals, which are exposure to the cold, controlling and managing breathing so that oxygen circulates better through the body by doing certain exercises and acquiring the commitment to comply with everything as recommended.

I personally reviewed the above and came to the conclusion that one must be cautious when putting it into practice, since personal factors must be taken into account according to the type of life, health or place where one lives.

A young person in his twenties is not the same as an adult in his sixties, nor is someone who is that age and has led an active and sporty life the same as someone who has been sedentary, nor is someone who lives on the equator the same as someone who lives in one of the tropics or near the poles.

Like self-help books, which are not to my particular taste, everything must be adapted to the realities of each person and the circumstances experienced by the person, and not everything that works for one person works for another.

I am 65 years old, I had an active and sporty life but for the last decade or so my physical activity has been low due to several factors, one of them health, since I have an inguinal hernia that limits me, however I am physically fit in relation to others of my age.

The method that Wim Hof proposes and that bears his name is to take 30 deep breaths that fill your lungs, taking air from the bottom up and then release the air slowly, but without emptying the lungs completely, until the last one, in this you must keep the air as long as you can before expelling it all. While you hold it, do push-ups and when you have to let the air out due to the effects of the exercise, repeat the last action again but without the exercise and hold your breath for 15 seconds. Repeat the process 3 times, then take a shower of very cold water.

Personally I have decided to take it step by step, starting the first week with 20 breaths, including the last one in which I hold my breath for 10 seconds at times.

Without exercising or taking cold showers, something that is impossible here since I live in a very hot city, where the lowest temperature is 37 degrees Celsius and the wind chill has reached levels of more than 50 degrees Celsius.

It is too early to give results, next week I will be able to give some, but I recommend everyone to take into account what I wrote about customizing the method according to the conditions.