A bathroom brainpower hack you'll RESIST...
Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
Recently, I cycled off liquid Nicotine USP solution as my primary smart drug, so I've been taking freezing cold showers in the mornings for a hit of adrenalin to start the day...
Yesterday I thought I'd test my cold tolerance (and shock my neighbors) by taking a 5-minute stroll around the block in freezing, snowy weather wearing nothing but gym shorts (a speedo was considered - but I didn't want to be quite that scandalous), and made this video of it that I think you'll find amusing...
Regular cold shock therapy is a totally underrated mindset hack. A chance to push through your mind's resistance to getting outside your comfort zone. Rationally you know that a little cold isn't going to kill you, but your body is screaming at you to go back to comfort. It's a chance to have a daily victory over irrational fear along with being a consummate biohack with a multitude of longevity-promoting effects - which are explained in Ben Greenfield's 1100-page book, Boundless, to name a few...
restore BBB health by causing increased blood flow and nitric oxide delivery to your brain, which increases BBB integrity and suppresses BBB degeneration
increase cell longevity
support a robust immune system
induce rapid fat loss in the absence of exercise
lower your appetite and strengthen the appetite-regulating vagus nerve connection between the gut and brain
cause internal temperature fluctuations that will send blood and nitric oxide to your brain (p. 64)
You probably shouldn't dive into cold shock therapy by walking around shirtless in the cold (or swimming in a frigid lake in the wintertime), start in your bathroom...
- The first few moments of a cold shower are the worst! If you can only do 30-seconds of cold water to start with - that's fine.
- You should be doing something while cold showering. I usually brush my teeth vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Feel free to whimper, groan, and moan while subjecting yourself to this! If you want to make the cold shower "fun" invite someone who gets to see you naked to watch you cold shower, it's actually quite funny.
- After a few minutes of freezing cold water, I do switch over to hot water to finish off. I want to train my mind that pushing through resistance results in the reward of soothing warm water.
- Up until now, I've been somewhat opposed to daily showering, as I'm generally pleasant-smelling and paranoid of toxins in even the "organic" body wash. I've noticed that daily cold showering without body wash or (God forbid!) shampoo (which I gave up five years ago), my armpits don't stink (my wife has confirmed this), so I've gotten down to using body wash just once a week before our date nights.
This is a great way to wake up and it will give you an uptick in energy, alertness, and mood for an hour or two. Few things will make you feel as alive as shivering your ass off for a few minutes daily.
You're maybe curious about cold shock therapy's effects on testosterone and libido. It's hard for me to make a subjective judgment on that as I've habituated a bunch of male vitality lifehacks, but I will share that I had the most intensely pleasurable sex in recent memory...
Immediately post-cold shower
In the middle of a 24-hour fast
On Horny Goat Weed and Yohimbine (take the Yohimbine AFTER the cold shower as it spikes adrenalin)
Doing Tantric breathing techniques - explained in my book for men
Not everything that "doesn't kill you" ultimately makes you stronger, but cold shock therapy does for sure. Try and let me know what kinds of effects it has for you (you might be surprised!)
You'll note that cold shock therapy fits into the "biohacks that don't require modern civilization" category; it's free, all you need is a shower with running water, and you can do it anywhere that it gets cold. In related decline of civilization news...
Potassium Iodide "Nuke Pills" SOLD OUT
The Limitless Health crypto store is now sold-out of radioprotective Potassium Iodide "Nuke Pills." Apparently, they are sold out everywhere else as well - which is more than just a bit ominous. I'm glad that I bio-prepped and have a few packages for my family here. I hear that normal Iodine supplementation can have a similar radioprotective effect, so maybe pick up some Lugol's Iodine now just in case.
I pray that the world's leaders aren't as rash and reckless as they appear to be.
Science.Bio Closing Sale: Take Advantage of the DEEP-DISCOUNTS
They are already sold out of many things, but I checked just today and they have some interesting lesser-known Nootropics and anti-aging agents still available at significant discounts like...
- Semax and Selank - The BDNF-boosting peptide dream team (my Russian source is temporally blocked from shipping these peptides to western countries)
- Dihexa solution - This is supposed to be a brilliant Nootropic in combination with Semax.
- Glutathione - The master antioxidant in highly bioavailable forms for full spectrum anti-aging and boozing boundlessly with NO hangover.
- NAD+ Optimization Bundle - NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) and NR (Nicotinamide Riboside)
- Powdered Piracetam - Surprisingly they still have some available.
They can ship internationally, they estimate 7 – 21 days, but I suspect it will take a bit longer with everything going on in the world.
I speculate that Science.Bio was given like 90 days by the FDA to cease operations so they are discounting to clear warehouse shelves. Do take advantage and stock up on the purity-verified Nootropics you want before they go the way of... Potassium Iodide!
More Limitless Bathroom hacks
GO TO THE BATHROOM PHONE-LESS - Gives your brain's default network the chance to come up with creative solutions to your problems.
Avoid junk light for 2-3 hours before bed - Go to the bathroom in the dark.
Intermittent Antidepressive Meditation for Seasonal Affective Disorder - My reminder is to just do it every time I go to the bathroom which is about once an hour because I drink a lot of water and tea — there’s a lifehack!
Weird bathroom habits that make you a better lover... - For men.
Shirtless, shivering, and quivering in Sofia,
Jonathan Roseland
Finally...
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Get frequent free edifying content about Biohacking, Lifehacking, and my holistic pragmatic antifragility philosophy. This informative (and often entertaining!) Substack is about how to take advantage of the latest anti-aging and Biohacking science and where I dispense timely mindset nuggets, lifehacking tips, and my own musings.-
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