Earlier this year, I woke up feeling an overwhelming sense of stress—the kind that sits heavy on your chest before the day even begins. My first instinct, like many mornings before, was to grab my phone, check messages, and dive headfirst into work. But something inside me stopped. I knew this pattern wasn’t serving me anymore. Instead of running toward my anxiety, I decided to take a step back and try something different.

For years, I’ve experimented with cold therapy. I’ve stood inside cryotherapy chambers chilled to nearly negative 200 degrees Fahrenheit. I’ve submerged myself in freezing cold plunges for minutes at a time and soaked my feet in ice baths after long runs. But despite all that, I never made cold exposure a consistent part of my routine. That morning, though, something changed. It was what Tony Robbins calls an “I’ve had enough” moment—the breaking point where you stop negotiating with yourself and make a true decision. In this post (and in the YouTube video linked here and podcast episode linked here), I am going to share with you the seven benefits I have gotten from integrating a cold shower into my routine every single day.

The 30-Day Cold Shower Commitment

I set a simple but powerful goal: take a cold shower every morning for the next 30 days. No excuses. No warm water. Just me, the cold, and my breath. I remember setting the timer on my phone for ten minutes and stepping into the shower that first morning. The shock was immediate, but within moments, my focus shifted. I began breathing deeply, staying present in the moment, and feeling my body come alive.

By the time I stepped out, it felt like a switch had flipped in my brain. My mood lifted instantly, and I had energy rushing through my body like a current. I didn’t just feel awake—I felt powerful. That was the moment I knew this wasn’t just a short-term challenge. This was a new way of starting my day.

1. The On Switch for My Mind and Body

One of the most profound changes I experienced was discovering what I now call my “on switch.” Before cold therapy, I often woke up groggy, anxious, or mentally foggy. But within minutes of stepping under cold water, everything shifted. My energy surged, my focus sharpened, and my entire outlook on the day transformed.

The beauty of it is that this on switch doesn’t just work in the morning. Whenever I feel tired, stressed, or emotionally drained, I can hop into a cold shower for three to five minutes and completely reset my mood. It’s like flipping a circuit breaker in your nervous system. Of course, before starting this journey, I consulted with a healthcare professional, which I recommend for anyone interested in trying cold exposure. You can start with 30 seconds to a minute and build up as your body adapts. For me, five minutes became the sweet spot—a balance of challenge and reward that left me energized and centered.

2. Feeling Unstoppable: The Power of Cold Showers

Something remarkable happens about three minutes into a cold shower. The shock fades, and what replaces it is a feeling of unstoppable determination. I start pumping my fists, breathing deeply, and shouting words of encouragement to myself. “Let’s go!” becomes my mantra. The energy that builds in those moments is unmatched by anything else I’ve tried.

As an ultra runner, I know what it feels like to push beyond limits. When I won my 100K race in 2024, I tapped into that same sense of inner fire. But that required 12 hours of running through exhaustion. In contrast, a few minutes of cold exposure brings me to that same mental state almost instantly. It’s pure, raw motivation distilled into minutes of icy clarity.

3. Deep Breathing and Asthma Benefits

As someone who has lived with asthma my entire life, breathing has always been both a challenge and a tool. The cold shower routine taught me to breathe more deeply and deliberately than ever before. When you’re under cold water, your body’s natural reaction is to gasp or tense up. To overcome that, you have to breathe intentionally and fully, anchoring yourself in rhythm and presence.

Over time, I started using my breath to guide the length of my showers. Instead of watching the timer, I’d count 120 to 150 breaths—depending on their depth. This practice strengthened my lungs, improved my endurance, and gave me a deeper sense of control over my asthma. Cold exposure has become not just a mental tool, but a physical one that reinforces everything I’ve learned about breathwork and body awareness.

4. Energy That Throughout the Day

There’s a rush of immediate energy that hits after every cold shower, but the benefits last far longer than those first few minutes. I find myself naturally energized throughout the day. It’s not a jittery kind of energy—it’s clean, grounded, and focused.

I feel abundance coursing through my body, fueling not just my workouts but my creativity and productivity. The cold shower became more than a morning habit; it became my daily foundation for high performance.

5. Endurance and Confidence

The cold has a way of teaching you endurance. When you step into that shower, every instinct tells you to step back out. But when you stay, breathe, and embrace the discomfort, you begin to build resilience on a cellular level. I’ve brought that same mindset into my runs, my strength training, and even my business.

When I’m lifting weights, I can hold the bar overhead for an extra few seconds because I’ve learned to breathe through discomfort. When I’m pushing through the final mile of a trail run, I remind myself that I’ve already conquered the cold. That experience translates directly into confidence. The kind that says, “If I can do this, I can handle anything.”

6. Increased Mental Capacity

Cold showers didn’t just make me more resilient physically—they rewired the way I process emotions and stress. Each time I step under cold water, I’m forced into the present moment. There’s no room for distraction or worry. It’s just me, my breath, and the cold. That daily reset gives me greater mental capacity to handle life’s challenges.

When stressful moments arise, I’m calmer. When difficult conversations come up, I’m more centered. This newfound clarity has improved my relationships, my focus, and my ability to stay grounded throughout the day. It’s like decluttering my mind before I even leave the bathroom.

7. The Cold Doesn’t Bother Me Anymore

A few weeks into my 30-day challenge, I noticed something unexpected: the cold outside no longer felt unbearable. I was at a haunted house with my fiancée, and she mentioned how chilly it was. That’s when it hit me—I wasn’t nearly as affected by the temperature as before.

Now, when I run in the early morning cold, I embrace it. Instead of resisting the chill, I see it as an opportunity to connect with my environment and my breath. Even my dog, Sniktau, seems to prefer our cold-weather runs. The cold has become a teacher, not an obstacle.

Conclusion: Building Habits That Transform

Cold therapy has given me more than just physical resilience. It’s taught me how to regulate my emotions, sharpen my focus, and unlock consistent energy without relying on external substances. The process wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. Every cold shower became a reminder that growth happens in discomfort.

If you’re looking to take your health and wellness to the next level, I invite you to try it for yourself. Start small, be safe, and listen to your body. And if you want more tools to help you live healthier and stronger, download my free Healthy Living Guide. It covers the same three pillars—movement, tracking, and accountability—that helped me lose 40 pounds, transform my breathing, and become an elite ultra runner with asthma.