Reducing Inflammation

Welcome to today's Kwik Brain Challenge. I am your brain coach, Jim Kwik, host of the Kwik Brain Podcast, and you are right now in my shower and you're like, this is going to be an interesting podcast. So what is the point of the Kwik Brain Challenge? It's to take knowledge and turning into power by taking action. Most people will listen to a podcast, they'll read a book, they'll get a coaching session, go to a seminar, and that information will just fade away and nothing changes. The purpose of this challenge is to take little steps every single day to change a habit, because first you create your habits and then your habits create you. So today's challenge is to take a cold shower. And you're like, oh, I was loving this guy until he said cold shower. I hate cold showers. Now why? Let me talk about why, because I don't like cold, period. I don't like cold baths, cold showers, cold environments. Me too. But cold could be your teacher. Many of you listened to great avail to, with great response to our episode with Wim Hof. I met Wim over 6 years ago. Wim Hof is the Iceman. If you haven't listened to that episode, please, where he talks about cold is my teacher, where he climbs the Himalayas in his underwear and he swam underneath the Arctic. Amazing, amazing man, but he talks about the power of cold. And if you listen to also my episode on my morning routine, you know One of the things I do every morning is I take a cold shower or an ice bath here. So there are a number of reasons why you want to take a cold shower, and starting with number one, it lowers inflammation. It lowers inflammation. So one of the challenges to your brain, which also is part of your body, are high inflammation levels. And if you listen to our morning routine, we do things like have turmeric, turmeric tea and such, which sounds really good right after you take a cold shower. By the way, cold reduces inflammation. It's like you, you bang your knee If you hit your knee on a coffee table, what do you do? You put ice on it to reduce swelling and inflammation, but we also have inflammation in our body. So cold is very powerful with that. Again, listen to the episode we did with Wim Hof, the Iceman. He's an expert at that because he lives his talk. He actually does it. The second reason why you want to take a cold shower in the morning— I'll go through specifics on how long and such— the second reason is because it's like a nervous system reset. For me, it's better than coffee. When I go into the cold, I feel like after when I come out of it, it's like I'm brand new. And you can attest to this. Have you ever gone into a cold lake before? Or just like when you go out in the cold, you come in and you're like, you feel refreshed. It helps to reset your nervous system. The third reason why you do it though is because you want to get yourself to do difficult things, especially as part of your morning routine. You get yourself to do difficult things. And that's what's important here. Part of the reason we're doing this Kwik Brain Challenge is we know that challenge leads to real change. When you challenge yourself through struggle, your struggle, by overcoming that struggle, becomes a strength or a, if you will, a superpower. And so what are you doing? You're testing your ability to be able to deal with what's uncomfortable. And as we talk about, if you're just doing the easy things, put things off, procrastinate, then life is difficult. If you do the easy things, life becomes difficult. But if you do the difficult things, you get yourself to do difficult things, you build your grit, muscles, if you will, then it's going to show up in a life that becomes easier. You know what I mean? Like when you're doing difficult things, you have that difficult conversation with somebody, you get yourself to work out, you get all the benefits of having an easier life because life isn't— is not necessarily easier. It's just you are better. And so when you're putting yourself in uncomfortable situations like a cold shower, a cold bath, some of you do cryotherapy where you're in a— what is it? Negative 230 degrees for 2 and a half minutes. Obviously consult with your healthcare practitioner. You're putting yourself in, in a safe way in uncomfortable situations, so you're building that ability, that fitness if you will, to be able to show up and speak in public if you have a fear of public speaking, or to have that meeting, or to ask for that sale if you're an entrepreneur, or to do the thing as a parent that you need to do that you've been putting off. So again, you're building your grit. So again, reasons why you want to take a cold shower: number 1, lowers inflammation; number 2, it's like a big nervous system reset, which is great for your brain; and the 3rd reason, you're training yourself first thing in the morning to do difficult things. So there's a science to momentum, and you get yourself to do difficult things, and then when you get to work doing that difficult thing that you've been putting off— because I do believe that the treasure you seek is found, it's It's hidden in the tasks you are avoiding. So as you're getting yourself in the habit of creating new habits, because that's what we're doing with this challenge, you're going to do it today or tomorrow, the next time you take a shower. Now, what specifically are you doing? You want to build your way up to it. I'm not saying take a 2-minute cold shower because it's cold, it's uncomfortable. So baby steps, right? Every pro was once an amateur. And so every Every expert was once a beginner. So you go in and you just do 10 seconds. Maybe you do 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off. And also there are health benefits going from cold to hot. If you've gone to some of the spas, they have a cold plunge and then like a heated jacuzzi. So it increases your vascularity. And so it's building that pump, if you will. So go maybe 10 seconds cold, 10 seconds hot, warmer, 10 seconds cold, 10 seconds hot. And you can build yourself. I do my box breathing, my alpha breathing, my fire breathing, my Wim Hof breathing. And I push myself in a healthy, safe way. I'm gonna challenge you to take a cold shower. Really, what I wanna hear about is your progress. Are you able to do this difficult thing to get a new result, right? And so post a picture, not of you in the shower, post a picture of this podcast, if you will, take a screenshot of that or this video, post it online, 'cause when you teach something, you get to learn it twice, and share your experience. And if you're willing to do it this week, maybe that week, will become a month or even a year. And then again, gradual changes, little by little, a little becomes a lot. Consistency compounds, and that makes for a great brain. I'll see you in the next episode.