Do you feel like taking an ice bath? Probably not. However, for Wim Hof, better known as "The Iceman", it’s a staple in his daily routine. He has what some might call "superhuman" powers with his incredible tolerance of cold temperatures that earned him worldwide acclaim.
Unlike most people, Wim can sit or stand in an ice bath for more than an hour. Most of us would die of hypothermia within half an hour, but not Wim. He relishes it, using the power of breathing and his mind to harness the healing effect of the cold.
21 Guinness World Records bear his name for withstanding the cold. Some of his more notable feats include swimming underneath ice without breathing for 66 meters, running a half marathon barefoot in the Arctic circle, and climbing the highest mountains in the world while wearing only shorts.
He is the creator of "The Wim Hof Method," which is a routine that combines breathing exercises, cold therapy, and meditation exercises that improve self-control. Many celebrities practice his method, including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, and Joe Rogan. This methodology and the associated products he sells have boosted Wim Hof's net worth significantly.
So what does the daily routine of the Iceman look like?
Chilling with Wim
Mornings
In the morning, Wim likes to start off his day with a deep breathing exercise to cleanse himself of all the processing his body did from the previous night. Then, he does his routine exercise and ice bath.
Wim is a big believer in cold baths and their restorative power. He states that the cold has a positive effect on the nervous system, which increases stimulation of the vagus nerve, causing a significant positive effect on the body functions–including the nervous system and brain.
After taking an ice bath, Wim does another round of exercise to feel good and be conscious of his body. He does asanas, where he incorporates the posture exercises he made himself. He spends about 10 minutes doing it in the morning to improve blood flow and gain energy.
He also likes to fast. He rarely eats breakfast, fasting through the day. He also emphasized how he allots time for whatever forms of art comes to him, including playing music, singing songs, writing poetry. He also spends time talking to people and helping them in healing.
The last thing he does in his morning ritual is practicing gratitude. He emphasizes that the people he helps are also helping him in more ways than one. He believes that their healing is his success since it is something he wants to help them achieve.
Afternoons
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. He loves plants and trees because he believes that he is one with them, sharing a symbiotic relationship and benefiting from one another.
He will spend his afternoon talking to his plants, sipping green tea, and meditating amongst the greenery. He also has a greenhouse where he grows seasonal plants and vegetables.
Wim might also take an ice bath in the afternoon to help drive the stress from his body. If he has students, he’ll use the afternoon to run classes teaching the Wim Hof Method. He 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.
According to him, his students often experience their first ice bath in the river, which helps them last longer on the ice bath since they have a connection to nature involved in the exercise.
Evenings
After a day of relaxing in the garden, Wim heads indoors before it gets dark. But sometimes he walks in the garden with his son at night.
Wim said that after giving his best during the day, he finds that sleep comes automatically and naturally in the evening. He mentioned that he loves dozing off into a state of regeneration, reparation, dreaming, and deep sleep. That way, he could get invigorated and start off the following day fully energized.
