Before initiating any new behavioral, nutritional, or supplementation protocol, always consult a board-certified physician to ensure it is safe for your individual health status.
When embarking on new protocols, especially those involving strong stimuli like temperature changes, progress gradually and do not view gradual progression as a weak version of the protocol.
Aim to find the minimum threshold of stimulus that allows you to derive the maximum benefit from each protocol, as the most potent stimulus isn’t always the most intense in the moment.
To cool down quickly and efficiently, apply cold to glabrous skin surfaces: the upper half of the face, palms of your hands, and bottoms of your feet, as these areas allow heat to leave the body more readily.
When engaging in deliberate cold exposure, choose an environment that is uncomfortably cold, making you want to get out, but where you can safely remain without risking your health.
To build mental toughness and grit, use the ‘counting walls’ protocol: identify the sensations of resistance (walls) that arise during cold exposure and deliberately stay in for a set number of walls before exiting, training your prefrontal cortex to control reflexes under stress.
For increased core metabolism and brown fat stores, aim for at least 11 minutes of deliberate cold exposure total per week, divided into two to four sessions.
To achieve the greatest increases in metabolism from deliberate cold exposure, end your session with cold and allow your body to reheat naturally, avoiding immediate warm showers or saunas afterward.
To further increase metabolism and activate brown fat thermogenesis, ensure your deliberate cold exposure induces shivering, either during the session or immediately afterward, as shivering releases succinate which activates brown fat.
For maximum effectiveness, cold water immersion up to the neck with hands and feet submerged is most potent, followed by cold showers, and then exposure to cold air with minimal clothing.
Before engaging in cognitive work requiring focus and working memory, perform 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (Zone 2 cardio) to enhance energy, visual attentional control, and perceptual speed.
Following a learning or cognitive work bout, engage in mindfulness meditation or non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocols to enhance neuroplasticity and facilitate memory encoding and learning.
While in deliberate cold exposure, engage in cognitive tasks like math problems or recalling challenging information to train your prefrontal cortex to stay engaged and maintain mental clarity despite physiological stress.
To increase the potency of the cold stimulus and enhance mental resilience training, move your body continuously while in cold water to break up the thermal layer and experience it as colder.
To increase work volume and endurance during strength or endurance training, hold a cool (but not vasoconstricting) object in your palms for 1-2 minutes between sets to efficiently reduce core body temperature and muscle heat.
In cases of exercise-induced hyperthermia, rapidly cool the palms of the hands, bottoms of the feet, and upper face using cool rags or ice packs (not so cold as to cause vasoconstriction) to efficiently reduce core body temperature.
If your primary goal is muscle hypertrophy and strength gains, avoid cold water immersion or ice baths for at least four hours immediately following strength or hypertrophy training sessions to prevent potential inhibition of these gains.
For recovery and improved performance after high-intensity endurance, sprint, interval, or skill training, deliberate cold exposure (cold immersion or showers) is beneficial for reducing soreness and improving training efficacy.
Perform deliberate cold exposure early in the day, as it increases core body temperature and alertness; avoid doing it too late in the evening or at night, as this can disrupt the natural temperature drop needed for deep sleep.
For enhanced effects on metabolism and resilience, perform deliberate cold exposure while in a fasted state, as baseline norepinephrine and epinephrine levels are already elevated during fasting.
To maximize dopamine’s effects on mood and focus, ingest 300mg of caffeine (about 2-3 cups of coffee) 60-120 minutes before deliberate cold exposure, as caffeine increases the density and efficacy of dopamine receptors.
Ensure proper hydration and electrolyte balance by dissolving one packet of Element in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise.
Consider taking an all-in-one vitamin, mineral, and probiotic drink like Athletic Greens once or twice daily to cover basic nutritional needs, address deficiencies, and support microbiome health.
Utilize meditation apps like Waking Up, which offer various meditation programs, mindfulness trainings, yoga nidra, and NSDR protocols, to manage mental states and enhance cognitive and physical energy.