I NTRODUCTION

I n this book, we will describe a method that combines breathing exercises, cold training and commitment. The method is named after Wim Hof, as he is the one who brought these three components together. It is also named after Hof for practical reasons—he is already well-known for his many appearances on television showing what he can do with the cold.

The method is based on Wim Hof’s many years of training in the natural environment. For a long time, he has tested the limits of his body by exposing it to increasingly extreme challenges. One important discovery he made during this process was the ability to control his bodily functions in a way that science had not deemed possible.

For example, anyone can lift up their right hand and scratch their nose with their index finger, but no one can fight bacteria that have been injected into their arm. Hof can do that. He can influence and control his autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system regulates things like your body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and determines whether your blood vessels dilate or contract. In other words, everything that automatically happens in your body.

“Normal” people cannot control these functions. In the autonomic nervous system, everything happens automatically. The fact that Hof can control his autonomic functions has long been regarded as a medical wonder. But Hof sees it differently: he is convinced that everyone is theoretically capable of influencing their own autonomic nervous systems.

In 2014, he was proven correct. A scientific study conducted at the Radboud University Medical Centre with 24 test subjects showed that people who had practiced the Hof method were all able to control their autonomic nervous systems.

A D ISCOVERY T HAT W ILL C HANGE THE W ORLD

It’s impossible to predict the potentially far-reaching consequences of this discovery. If people can influence their autonomic nervous systems, what will that mean for those suffering from autoimmune diseases? Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks the body’s own cells and tissue by mistake. If you are able to influence your own autonomic nervous system, can you let your body know that the autoimmune disease is harmful? And can people who are overweight tell their bodies to use their otherwise energy-depleting stored fats as fuel?

If we really can control our bodies, this opens up countless possibilities. So far we have only mentioned serious diseases, but according to Hof, his method can also be used to cure a normal hangover after a night out on the town. It can give you a lot more energy, even if you are perfectly healthy.

Now that Hof has scientifically proven he can influence his nervous system, he wants nothing more than to teach as many people as possible how to use his method. Although, when one woman asked what she would learn from one of his courses, he answered “I can’t teach you anything, you’re only here to learn not to do certain things.”

Hof was referring to tapping into the physical capacity already in our bodies. We just have to find the key to rediscover that physical potential. To do that, you only need to do two things: breathing exercises and cold training. To do these two things properly, you will need to make a resolute commitment. These three components—breathing exercises, cold training and commitment—constitute what we call the Wim Hof Method (WHM).

We will describe these three components in three separate chapters, and of course give you exercises that you can do at home. You can start immediately, today.

We will also give you background information on the exercises. You will learn how to tell if the exercises are working and how they can affect you physiologically. Hof will share many of his experiences to inspire you and to give a deeper understanding of what happens when you use his method. But, he is an extremist. You don’t have to go to Iceland to swim among the icebergs for a quarter of an hour. Taking cold showers is enough to start. For that reason, we will tell you about people who are already using the Wim Hof Method. Some of them have fascinating stories to tell. Marianne Peper, for example, used to take twelve different medications for her rheumatism. She was unable to dress herself because of the pain. Now she no longer takes any pills and feels very healthy.

We hope that stories like these will inspire you to start doing the exercises. Just the combination of breathing exercises and cold training can produce startling results. We understand that you may be skeptical and won’t take our enthusiastic stories at face value. But, if you are skeptical, you are also curious and inquiring.

Hof also has critics who are not skeptical, but cynical. They call him a charlatan. When skepticism turns into cynicism, it is harder to see what works and what is possible. So, please read this book with a healthy dose of skepticism, but don’t allow yourself to become too cynical.

Before we learn about cold training, let’s first take a closer look at Wim Hof. Who is this man, and why can he do so much more than other people?