I love getting to feel like an animal. Something sprinting across the land and then moving in the ocean.
Being outside
Getting your heart rate up
Feeling yourself freeze and catch your breath
Gets all sorts of instincts humming and there’s no doubt I’m addicted to the rush of it
Any time I can start the day like this I feel way more effective. I focus harder, sleep better and stay on my game.
Sometimes I just run straight from my house for a dip, other times I follow up a workout at the gym but my favourite go to pre-dip is the workout to the left.
The jog gets me loose and warm through my legs, discs and its a chance to focus on optimal form for sprints. Core engaged, powering through my glutes and landing on my foot well with strong strides.
The dynamic stretches I typically do are bringing my knees into my chest, rotating through my torso using my obliques to control the movement and then some lateral lunges.
I knock the sprints out hard and fast, stopping when I feel myself losing power which is normally at about 8 but I started on 4-6.
5 minutes to down regulate and let my heart rate come down feels blissful. It is a chance to soak up the endorphins and feel at peace. By getting myself back into recovery mode I will not only get better recovery and results from the sprints but also get more out of the cold water exposure.
Once I’m feeling calm, cooled down and collected, I take myself to the ocean and dive in. I feel my breath catch and stomach tighten and my challenge is to steady my breath and feel calm. This is where the regular practice of this feeds back nicely into your ability to get back to baseline after stressful events and to be more resilient in your day-to-day life.
Cold water exposure is something I feel super passionate about due to its affordability (free), accessibility (to those of us lucky enough to live near the water and most of us in the first world) and plethora of benefits. So there will be more to come on the additional benefits of this awesome practice.
Stay tuned for more and if you would like guidance on developing your own cold exposure or breath work practice then get in contact for a free 15 minutes phone consult on your goals.