When I wrote down two of my running goals a few years ago, to go after by the age of 50, I didn’t know how hard it would be to get back on the running track. With old injuries, body alignment issues, inflammation, and continuous strains and tears, running freely today was the biggest win…
The Wim Hof breathing method is a practice that combines controlled hyperventilation, breath retention, and cold exposure. It has been shown to produce various physiological effects on the body, both short-term and long-term. In this article, I will focus on the breathing component of the WHM. It’s been part of my daily routine for well…
If I were to rate my ability to train for up to six months and compete in a marathon on a scale of one to ten, with 0 being unable to run at all and 10 being 100% capable, I would rate myself a two. I wrote the above in a post on May 17,…
You wake up hungover and get up later than you need to. You feel like rubbish. You regret staying up past midnight and worry you said something to someone that was best left unsaid. You haven’t exercised for a few days and feel sluggish and disappointed in yourself. You have been putting off an item…
“If you are involved in an accident, try to move yourself and your bike off the track and wait for medical assistance. There are 51 paramedics, 10 ambulances and three helicopters to support you.” Hearing these words from the race secretary at the rider’s briefing, my brain simultaneously digests the information with, “That’s comforting to…
Why Why Why?? When minutes are so precious, why take time to practice a meaningless activity in a sport I don’t even play? Because it’s not meaningless, it’s an opportunity to keep moving, stay agile, feel young, be healthy, and conquer challenging tasks. This 50-by-50 goal was a tough one. I couldn’t tell you…
I woke intensely nervous. I was lacking confidence, and self-doubt was setting in. I ferried the kids off to school and hastily returned home. Capitalising on my deliberately empty stomach (it saves O2), I rushed to tackle this obstacle head-on. The obstacle is the way. In the stillness of the room, the house in silence,…
I read a bunch of information online and decided to put my trust in this four-week process by Ian Donald (an AIDA master freediving instructor and author). I followed Ian’s c02 and O2 tables pretty much to a tee except I did all my breath holds on land as I didn’t want to risk passing…
I have been enjoying my Wim Hof (WHM) breathing sessions for the past 18 months, they seem to give me increased energy and alertness. There is a feeling of stress reduction, there is something about the controlled hyperventilation that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. The holds can give you a natural high and prolonged energy…
I’ve been accruing a number of goals (50 to be precise) and documenting them in preparation for massaging them into a plan and going after them. In the lead-up to turning 50, it’s my ambition to thread these goals into my daily life. I’m conscious of aging and I’m keen to hang onto my youth…