Newsletter #5

A few weeks after the Wim Hof introduction course, I went to a Wim Hof weekend retreat. This retreat was cool, as in cool and cold. It was late February 2020, just before the madness took over. Already, some people at the retreat were talking about doom scenarios. Sadly, they were right. This was one of the last social events I would attend for a while; at the time, I was unaware of this.

Hoffing is the name for people who do Wim Hof stuff.

During the retreat, all participants did breathwork together. After a few rounds, our heartbeats and breaths were in sync. This gave the breathwork a special feeling, something I had not experienced before. We were able to achieve four to five minutes of breath holds together. Besides breathwork, we also went into ice baths and the ocean. The Mediterranean Sea is cold in March, or at least that is what the locals will tell you.

Living in Barcelona is not ideal for cold exposure. It might freeze for a few hours during the height of winter. Snow is sporadic. Cold showers were possible during the winter; in summer, cold showers turned into lukewarm showers. However, I was able to run in a t-shirt during my winter morning runs at 5°C (41°F). The locals looked at me as if I were crazy. I thought they were crazy for wearing winter clothes above freezing. My breath holds gradually increased from 2:30 to 3:00 or sometimes even longer. Initially, I used the Wim Hof App (which was free at the time), and later I incorporated relaxing music into my breathwork. Later in 2020, I started mouth taping while sleeping. This forces you to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth. As you may know, mouth breathing is not ideal.

When I started taking cold showers, I was a vegan. Within four months, I was cured of that affliction. I believe that because I became more present in my body, I started to listen more to my needs. It could be the combination of Hoffing and Lockdown. The lockdown measures were very tough in Spain. I will probably never know for sure, and that is okay. During the first year of Hoffing, my health drastically improved. Towards the end of veganism, I had lost almost all of my muscle mass. Within a year, I was able to regain it, primarily by consuming a high amount of animal protein and engaging in home workouts during lockdown, followed by a return to the gym once it reopened.

During the winter of 2020 to 2021, I was able to sleep in my underwear instead of clothes. My apartment in Barcelona was not well-insulated, which is normal in Barcelona. Nor did I have central heating; I had a small electric heater. Becoming more cold-resistant made me more resilient to the “winters” in Barcelona. During the day, I didn't use the electric heater much; 16°C (60°F) was warm enough for me and prevented mold. Thus, not only did my gas and water bill decrease, but my electricity consumption also went down.