Project by: Tucker Schwartz (10th Grade)
Project Advisor: Jessica Prohías Gardiner
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Nick Wight
Description of the Project:
This project is all about learning the Wim Hof Method and my personal journey with the practice.
Final Product (e.g., documents, images, video, audio, poster, display, etc.):
Click the image below to see the final product, an online course on learning and navigating the Wim Hof Method that I created. You will also find my final reflection on learning in the summary of the course.
Final Reflection:
Personal Goals
In addition to the standard benefits, I also had personal goals for the Wim Hof Method.
First, I enjoy participating in intense physical challenges. I have come to learn that your body is mainly limited by your mind and it’s exciting for me to push my boundaries. I wanted to see how the practice could grow my ability to overcome intense physical challenges.
Second, as I often participate in intense physical activity, it’s not uncommon to suffer from a minor muscular injury. I read that Wim Hof’s cold therapy can help reduce inflammation from injury and also speed recovery.
My Results from the Wim Hof Method
I really enjoyed practicing the Wim Hof Method. Overall, I would say I feel physically stronger and have noticed more physical endurance to push through intense workouts. Mentally, I am feeling less stressed and more focused on my schoolwork. I have experienced no negative side effects.
Final Reflection on Learning
One of the greatest learnings I’ve had from practicing the Wim Hof Method is that by trying new things we can learn to push ourselves physically and mentally. I look forward to applying that learning to other areas in my life.
Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3
The past three weeks I have immersed myself in the Wim Hof method through various forms of physical and mental exercises. The first week of my journey was a bit of struggle. I was unsure and anxious as to the right path to learn this new material among the hundreds of online articles, blog posts and videos. This research led me to finding the Wim Hof application; a ten week course spacing out exercises week by week. The app calmed my anxiety for where to start and allowed me to dive in.
Week 2 I was settling into the daily practices the app gave me including intensive breathing exercises. In particular, one breathing exercise required me to increase the airflow in my lungs by breathing deeply in for sets of 30 breaths and then holding my breath for 90 seconds. I would repeat this for three sets every morning. This practice consistently made me feel lighter and less anxious and became something I looked forward to every morning.
Week 3 continued upon the breathing exercises but added a new component of cold exposure. The cold exposure consisted of cold showers, ice baths, and cold physical activities. In my case I experienced this cold exposure through intensive outdoor physical workouts with light clothing. I would make sure to constantly regulate my body heat with my breath. I also noticed I was breathing deeper in my exercises allowing me to stay controlled while achieving more reps. I initially had trouble getting into the cold showers but I am gradually tolerating them more and hope to see my progression with them as I continue this process. My overall focus and ability to “go with the flow” has increased tremendously over the past three weeks and I can’t wait to see what comes next for me with this method.
Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6
The past few weeks I have continued the Wim Hof practice of intense breathing and cold exposure. I’ve noticed an increased sense of well being while also feeling physically stronger. I began to become curious how it works. In particular, what’s the science behind my increased ability to handle the cold exposure?
My research led me to finding out the main cause of being desensitized to cold temperatures is the development of brown fat. As it turns out there are two kinds of body fat.
White fat, or white adipose tissue (WAT), is your normal body fat. While all humans need some white fat, too much of it leads to obesity and other diseases.
Brown fat, or brown adipose tissue (BAT), stores energy and when it burns it creates heat in a process called thermogenesis. Wim Hof’s method allows you to increase your brown fat levels through its breathing exercises. In fact, actual studies found that Wim Hof has higher levels of brown fat than most people which lets him generate heat in cold temperatures.
So the basic process is you engage in the breathing practice and over time build up more brown fat. Then when the brown fat burns it creates heat from the thermogenesis process. Ultimately letting you deal with the cold exposure which has many benefits including increased metabolism, reduced inflammation and improved mental wellbeing.
Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9:
For the final weeks of my project, I have been compiling all that I have learned into an online course for others to view and learn from. I had free access to a tool called Rise 360 from my dad’s company Articulate. I collected various quotes, images and videos to include in my course, along with my own writings and opinions. I spent time to learn the software so I could format my content into a beautiful course.
Approved!