![riciardus-189738.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQuDyhVTbQCedXk6xbcQb9xkfbaQjJHMFJA7TLaQ8tA5e/riciardus-189738.jpg)
<center>Photo by riciardus on Unsplash</center>

Growing up, it was made clear that cold was something to avoid.  And for good reason, cold can damage or slow the functioning of our bodies, even potentially causing death if we remain at a low enough temperature for long enough. But that doesn’t mean the cold will always hurt us. In fact, new research is showing us that cold exposure can actually [be beneficial](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajhb.20627/full). 

And while science is starting to show the benefits of cold exposure, ways to get that cold exposure and benefit from it are coming out. For example, maybe you’ve heard of Wim Hof, “The Iceman.” Wim is a Dutchman who has been bringing cold exposure to the masses by claiming and demonstrating the benefits. He holds 26 world records including longest ice bath. I first saw him a few years back on a Vice documentary, and since then I've practiced his methods to a small degree with decent results. Since that documentary he's gained a huge following and many people swear by his methods. This year I plan on implementing certain forms of cold exposure and I will definitely try out his methods again.

<center>![index.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUGEdaeyR56dC5XhxF7wCZVGKiQKJ8PytmNi6miHkaf9e/index.jpeg)</center><center>"The Iceman"</center>

Other methods I've seen are cold water baths, cryothearpy chambers, ice lake plunges, walking barefoot/bareback in snow, or even things as simple as cold showers.

Montana winters get pretty cold, I walk outside almost everyday and I can feel my body tensing up as the cold air hits me. Usually I underdress for the weather unless I know I'll be outside all day snowboarding or something. The reason I do is to try to embrace the cold.

In my opinion, part of the reason we get so cold is because we shy away from it. We tense up when we feel the cold air because we've told ourselves cold is bad all our lives. I used to always hear that I'd catch a cold if I didn't bundle up, but when has being cold or in a cold environment ever directly caused a sickness. 

Since we believe cold is bad, we avoid it, even when we can't avoid it. When we're outside and it's cold and we can't get away from the fact, even then we try to avoid it. We do this with little bits of tension we carry in our body. When we embrace the cold, we allow our body to lose this tension, which means we feel the cold instead of numbing ourselves to it. Once we do this our bodies function more naturally, our hearts start pumping blood to warm the cold areas, this can be hugely beneficial for our circulation. Ever notice how when you come inside on a cold day you feel hot for a little while? Utilizing cold therapy we can improve our normal circulation, cold feet and hands can be a thing of the past.

So I challenge you to test out cold exposure. Start small with cold water for a minute to finish off your shower, step out into your backyard for a minute in just your skivvies, or simply try to embrace the cold when your out and about, don't get so bundled up you're toasty everywhere, even little bits of cold exposure can reveal how you react to cold.

![IMG_20171225_155000.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYTHtWtVRPYoJkzFcry61mgx2GrH8x8sT7xr7aZCTBZzm/IMG_20171225_155000.jpg)

So test it out and let me know what you think in the comments. If you enjoyed this article don't forget to upvote, resteem, and follow me! 

Disclaimer: Don't push this too far, cold still has real danger and you can be seriously injured if you overdo it.