We enjoy countless creature comforts. For example, air conditioning, heated car seats, fast food, drive-up windows, and Amazon delivery of anything and everything right to your doorstep. Indeed, we love our climate-controlled comfort.
However, would you enjoy more willpower, less stress, reduced chronic inflammation, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and less depression? Pursue discomfort.
David Goggins knows a great deal about pursuing discomfort. Called “The Fittest (Real) Man in America,” Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL. In addition, he is the only member of the U.S. Armed Forces to complete SEAL training, the U.S. Army Ranger School and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training.
Furthermore, David Goggins wrote in his book that most of us only tap into 40% of our capabilities because of our love of being comfortable.
Goggins wrote, “Our whole life is set up in the path of least resistance. We don’t want to suffer. We don’t want to feel discomfort. So the whole time, we’re living our lives in a very comfortable area. There’s no growth in that. ” 1
So, what are some ways to pursue discomfort on our journey to wellness?
Cold therapy
Get chilly. Take a cold shower.
Wim Hof, known as “the Iceman” climbs mountains wearing shorts and runs half-marathons barefoot in ice and snow. But you don’t have to be Wim Hof to experience benefits of cold therapy. Even pursuing discomfort by taking a cold shower has rewards.
Start with a regular shower and end with 30 seconds of cold water. Then gradually increase the duration of cold water. Soon, you will tolerate increasingly more time under the cold water, even up to 2-3 minutes. Benefits of cold showers include reduced stress, a higher level of alertness, more robust immune response, increased willpower and increased weight loss by increasing metabolism. 2
Also, cold showers increase endorphins, the “happiness hormone.” Therefore, symptoms of depression diminish. Also, cold showers improve circulation to enhance the appearance of the skin. 3
Heat therapy
Go sauna bathing. Work up a sweat.
Use of a sauna, called sauna bathing, produces rewards of increased lifespan and improved overall health. A study in Finland showed that men who used the sauna two to three times a week were 27 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than men who didn’t use the sauna. 4
These results were dose dependent, and typically involved sauna use for 20 minutes with a temperature of at least 174 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other health benefits of sauna bathing include lower blood pressure, reduced risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, reduced chronic inflammation, reduced symptoms of depression, and lower fasting glucose levels. In addition, sweating during sauna bathing has similar physiological responses to moderate to vigorous physical exercise. Last, sweating facilitates the excretion of toxins from the body. For more information on the science behind this, see many excellent articles and podcasts by Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. an expert on longevity, health and disease prevention. 5
Conclusion
In conclusion, what is the reward for pursuing discomfort?
Resilience.
Resilience is the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, misfortune, or change.
Of course, we enjoy all our creature comforts. But often our bodies are not challenged by heat or cold. Therefore, cold showers and sauna bathing are two practices to pursue discomfort, improve wellness, and gain resilience.
Look for subsequent posts in the future on additional means to pursue discomfort on our journey to wellness.
References
- https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/david_goggins_962677
- https://www.wimhofmethod.com/benefits-of-cold-showers
- https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-shower-benefits
- Laukkanen, Tanjaniina, Hassan Khan, Francesco Zaccardi, and Jari A. Laukkanen. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events JAMA Internal Medicine 175, no. 4 (April 2015): 542. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187.
- https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/sauna
