ARE YOU COLD ENOUGH ?
Getting me to my next point about dopamine reset . All around us are these little “ like buttons ” saturating our frontal cortex with dopamine . In our hands , we hold a dopamine addiction . Whether it be our phones or processed food , we hold her hands before it goes into our mouth . Like it or not , believe it or not , most of us out there are fully addicted to these things . Don ’ t believe me ? Try going 24 hours without looking at Social Media . Zero interaction on your phone . Imagine not giving in to cravings or pressures to eat or drink those things that to your mind and body , are no good . All of the tech , the food , the substances , and the materials that feed the frontal cortex addiction .
This is dopamine fasting , it ’ s the opposite of the overloaded dopamine flood . It is so challenging and incredibly effective at resetting your dopamine sensitivity . You must understand that we are dopamine fatigued . We are overloaded . We are dopamine resistant . We are fickle , and we are flighty with what we do and how we seek pleasure satisfaction , and reward . Eat it , click , click , swipe , swipe . Just think about it .
Circling back to our ancestors facing the cold to produce what result ? Food , dude ! The reward of survival pretty much says it all , we have that in our DNA . Doing this taps into that ancestral tenant .
We have an increase in heat shock proteins ( this enhances your immune system , and has been shown to have a powerful anti-malignancy effect ). There is an increase in brown fat development , which is full of metabolic up-regulating mitochondria . We can increase our androgens temporarily by up to four times our natural production rate . We build immunity , build muscle , burn fat , and decrease inflammation . We connect deeply to an inner sense of satisfaction and organically generated sustainable good feelings . Yes , self-esteem is created through the application of disciplined , formative action . Yes , we are doing something hard , very difficult , starving ourselves of dopamine , and then re-administering dopamine organically from a self-propagated experience that comes from our ancestral beginnings . If you are familiar with my writing , you ’ ll understand why I have to mention our amount of self-love is directly proportional to our level of self-discipline . Friends , you will feel this if you do it .
Ok , so some of you out there are saying we need inflammation to build and heal muscles . Yes ! It ’ s such an important part of the anabolic process . So that ’ s why in this application , you limit your cold exposure to six days a week and only minutes at a time . You also do not do this after weight training . Research shows that cold exposure after fasted cardio , a hit workout , produces the most beneficial metrics relating to fat burning , anabolic hormone increase , and the top-down effect on your psyche for the rest of the day . Oh , I almost forgot the enhancement to deep sleep . It ’ s also well-documented . Better deep sleep and waking up more refreshed . So , if you limit the exposure to six days a week , minutes per day taking one day off , you maximize the recovery benefits . You do not compromise the growth of your muscles .
Now , how cold right ? I haven ’ t told you how many minutes per day , per week . Yes ! That is correct . It varies depending on the individual . It depends on their goal , age , body composition , environment , and most importantly , the will , discipline , and true grit .