Wim had been severely depressed when the love of his life committed suicide. It was then when Wim discovered the cold. The sadness and bitterness he felt all went away when he exposed himself to low temperature environments. techniques on how to face and survive low-temperature environments.

Hof had set his first-ever Guinness World Record was on March 16, 2000, in which he accomplished swimming under the ice with a total distance of 66 meters. It was followed by another world record of being the fastest runner in a half marathon on January 26, 2007, in which he was able to run barefoot on ice and snow a total time of 2hrs., 16 mins., and 34 secs.

“We can do more than what we think.” It’s a belief system that I have adopted and it has become my motto. There is more than meets the eye and unless you are willing to experience new things, you’ll never realize your full potential.”

The immune system is part of the autonomic nervous system which could not be consciously influenced according to medical opinion.  To test this hypothesis, Wim Hof was injected with E-coli bacteria which triggers the immune system to produce inflammatory cells, leading to fever, nausea and headaches.

By applying a breathing concentration technique for 30 minutes,  the rise of cortisol levels in Wim's bloodstream were evident. This trend continued after Wim Hof was further exposed to an ice bath, also leading to a decrease in inflammation. The bacteria had no influence over Wim Hof's body. It was now shown that he was able to influence his immune system and raising the question whether the method can also be learned by others leading to a breakthrough in science.

If you can learn how to use your mind, anything is possible.

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Morning routine

As a yoga practitioner, Wim likes to wake up with the sun. He meditates and breathes to clear his mind and body, preparing him for the morning ahead.

After meditating, Wim will stretch and get the blood moving. He'll then move into a session of power breathing before taking a cold shower.

Related: Wim Hof's breathing technique

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Wim is a big believer in cold showers, and their restorative power. He states that the cold has a positive effect on the nervous system, influencing your nervous system function and brain activity.

Wim also likes to fast. He rarely eats breakfast, fasting through the day. After finishing his morning routine, Wim will teach students or check on his business, "Inner Fire". He uses coffee to help elongate his fasted state.

He answers emails and questions from his students before taking the afternoon off to connect with nature.

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Afternoon routine

Wim enjoys spending his afternoons in his garden, which is something he has talked about a lot. He likes to keep stress as low as possible during the day, using time outdoor in his garden to regulate his stress levels.

His afternoon is spent by enjoying green tea, and meditating amongst the greenery. Wim is vegetarian. He is also very conscious about his diet and by extension the quality of his food. He also has a greenhouse where he grows his own seasonal plants and vegetables.

An ice bath in the afternoon always comes in handy to help drive the stress away from his body. Sometimes his afternoon is teaching classes about the Wim Hof Method.

Wim lives close to a river, and he enjoys taking his ice baths there in the wintertime. He says he feels in touch with nature and God when he bathes in ice water.

It is in this river where his students often experience their first ice because according to him, they last longer on their first ice bath when they have a connection to nature involved in the exercise.

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Evening routine

He eats after 6 pm, and it's usually clean, simple food, like vegetable soup or pasta. During the day, he likes to sip on green tea. He still the occasional beer at night, ice cold, of course.

He'll prepare his evening meal with his wife, Olaya. Both Wim and Olaya are vegetarian, and Wim only eats one meal a day, preferring to stay in a fasted state for at least 16 hours each day.

His evenings are spent stretching, reading, and talking with his wife. Wim avoids working at night since this requires being in front of a computer at night.

Bedtime is around 10 pm and before he turns in, he'll meditate on the day, visualize and plan the following day's events.

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The principles that guide Wim Hof's recovery

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Getting more rest and sleep.

During sleep, your body delivers certain hormones that assist it to recover from your intense workout. The testosterone levels increase, and the pituitary gland increases the production of HGH during REM sleep leading to quality and restorative sleep.

Related: Sleep Cycles

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Make sure to eat properly.

Normally, your body needs enough protein to repair muscle tissue after an intense workout. Likewise, a need for enough carbohydrates is also vital to restoring your energy supplies in the body. Keeping a healthy eating regimen that contains all the needed proteins and carbs will guarantee your fast recovery.

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Hydration

Water is an important part of your workout recovery, as it is the one that supports your metabolic function. By staying hydrated, you help to promote the exchange of all nutrients throughout your body.

Advantages  of the Wim Hof Method that helps in speeding up workout recovery:

• It can help you to have a better sleep at night by giving you full control over your emotions and relieving your stress
• Cold therapy can help in reducing inflammation and muscle soreness
• Breathing exercises can help in strengthen the cardiovascular muscles and improve blood pressure.

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