Hello Dear Friend,

Last week, I made a valiant effort to light a flame inside of you by sharing the 7 biggest benefits of cold therapy.

Before we move forward, I'll make one last attempt to stoke your inner-fire by reminding you of those benefits once more.

Cold therapy is proven to…

• Increase Your Focus & Attention

• Increase Your Motivation & Drive

• Increase Your Self-Discipline

• Burn Excess Body Fat

• Elevate Your Mood

• Strengthen Your Immune System

• Reduce Your Inflammation

Okay, I hope you are feeling nice and warm, because now that we've re-kindled your fire of motivation, we are going to take the plunge into the frigid waters of cold therapy.

But first, let's quickly revisit the metaphor of the blacksmith and the blade that I mentioned last week:

As the red-hot blade is thrust into the cold water, it is hardened and strengthened.

The whole purpose of today's letter is to show you EXACTLY HOW to strengthen yourself using cold therapy.

Here is how today’s letter is structured...

First, I will slash through every single obstacle that you might face - clearing a path, so you can confidently walk into the invigorating water.

Prepare yourself, because these are the biggest obstacles you will face:

• Access To The Cold

• Lack Of Motivation

• Doubting The Effectiveness

• Fear Of The Discomfort

• Can’t Stay In The Cold

• Health & Safety Concerns

• Not Enough Time

• Unsure How To Do It Properly

Once I've cut down each of those obstacles, we will have clear view of the frigid waters. At this stage, I'll share with you the different ways to enter the empowering waters.

And finally, I'll lead you right up to the edge of the waters. I'll share the practical, step-by-step process to easily enter the waters. From here, I'll leave it up to you to take the next step.

You will have a final chance to turn around or take the final plunge into the invigorating waters of cold therapy.

But once you break the surface, there is no turning back.

Are you ready? I think you are.

Let's begin.

The 8 Obstacles Of Cold Therapy and How To Slash Through Each One

Access To The Cold

This is the most significant obstacle that will stand between you and the benefits of cold therapy. As such, it also becomes one of the biggest excuses.

Let me make something crystal clear: if you want to do cold therapy, you will find some cold water. It is as simple as that.

It sounds cliché, but…

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Cold therapy could come in the form of a cold shower, a bathtub full of ice, a frigid river, a neighbor's pool during the winter, or by buying an expensive Cold Plunge. I've even seen people convert a deep freezer into a cold plunge.

There is almost always a way to make cold therapy happen.

Later in this letter, I'll outline ALL of your options in greater detail, but remember, if you genuinely commit to cold therapy, you will always find cold water. Even if you are in a tropical climate like the Philippines.

Fear Of Discomfort

Now, let's jump into EASILY the biggest obstacle you will face in your pursuit of the cold water. As humans, we have a hard-wired resistance to cold water - this is is a survival mechanism to help us survive the harsh, ancient times that we evolved from.

But guess what, we don't live in ancient times anymore! We live comfortable lives and our bodies are rarely challenged. We have to go out of our way to challenge ourselves physically.

The fear of discomfort has ALWAYS been my biggest challenge when faced with discomfort. Even today, after hundreds of successful cold plunges, I still experience deep inner-resistance as I come closer to the water.

This is how I would graph this…

The relationship between cold water proximity and inner-resistance is completely predictable.

It is so predictable that it is almost comical how GOOD your excuses start to become, as you get closer to the water. One thing you will find is that your mind is INCREDIBLE at generating excuses to keep you from being uncomfortable. I covered excuses at length back in letter 2 - read that letter.

Here are the three most effective ways to overcome the fear:

• Close the gap between yourself and the water as FAST as you can, before you can talk yourself out of it.

• Repeat this mantra: "I do not fear the cold, I seek it". I have said this mantra thousands of times at this point and it totally works.

• Reward yourself by audibly saying "YES!" to reward yourself for breaking the surface of the water.

But - you will never overcome the fear unless you are motivated to do so…

Lacking Motivation

Your motivation and the fire you have burning inside of you will determine your strength when facing your fears. Which is why I spent the ENTIRE letter last week diligently stoking your inner-flame.

This is because your DESIRE needs to be GREATER than your FEAR. As soon as your desire is greater than your fear, you will take action.

Read that last line again, because this perspective can change your life in more ways than just cold therapy. I mean, just look at it from a logical perspective:

• IF desire > fear, THEN action

• IF desire < fear, THEN inaction

But now, let's revisit an updated graph from the last section...

Your "why" is the motivation that allows you to overcome your fear.

If you are lacking motivation, then revisit your "why" and the countless benefits that I listed back in letter 14.

Doubting The Effectiveness

Honestly, this is one of the weakest excuses for not trying cold therapy. Aside from the insane quantity of scientific evidence to support the efficacy of cold therapy, the best evidence will come from just taking the plunge yourself.

As you warm up from your first real cold plunge the evidence will become crystal clear to you. Your body instantly becomes flushed with mood and alertness-boosting chemicals, such as: endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals will remain elevated in your body for hours afterwards.

And that is just the immediate effects - the longer term benefits like increased fat burning, improved immunity, and reduced inflammation will make your life better for as long as you maintain consistent with your cold therapy habit.

I have nothing more to add here - if your doubt of the efficacy of cold therapy is keeping you from getting into the water, then you are just making excuses, and to quote my friend Mark Bell:

"Excuses sound best to the person saying them".

Can’t Stay In The Cold

So, this is a legitimate obstacle that you will face - especially early on in your cold therapy journey.

Let’s be real - once you break the surface of the water, your mind will be SCREAMING at you to "GET OUT". This built in survival mechanism to “stay out of cold water” will be performing at its best.

My best advice…

Take long slow breaths through your nose.

Even if you are struggling with staying in the water - know that your fortitude will increase as you teach your mind that the body is going to be okay. It is also proven that your resistance to cold exposure will increase over time (which is one of the reasons why I don't recommend "heroic" cold plunges).

With cold therapy, "a little goes a long way", so just getting in the water AT ALL is a huge victory.

If you find yourself quitting immediately, my best advice is just to KEEP SHOWING UP.

Over time, your inner-strength will increase - guaranteed.

Health & Safety Concerns

Don't forget the purpose of cold therapy: it is a tool for improving your health, not an opportunity to risk your health.

Pre-Existing Health Conditions:

• Health concerns to cold therapy are the most legitimate of all obstacles.

• Cold plunges can be especially hard on your heart and nervous system because they can cause a "shock" to your system which can cause a heart rate spike and rapid breathing. It is a recipe for trouble, if you have heart problems. Which is why I recommend easing into cold therapy by starting with short cold showers (I'll talk about this at the bottom of this letter).

• If you have any health concerns, seek a medical professional's opinion (and be sure to talk to one that has actually researched the topic, not some crusty old doctor that doesn't even know what a cold plunge is).

Safety Concerns

While we are talking about health concerns, let's also talk about safety, as well. Until you have some experience with cold therapy, you should always be doing it with a friend. Not only does this make it easier, but it will keep you safe in the event that something happens.

Outdoor cold plunges (like jumping in an icy river) are inherently dangerous, and I'll admit, I've done things that you should NEVER do. Like walking on thin ice (fell through and cut my knee), cold plunging alone at night (just dangerous), walking in the snow barefoot with wet feet (almost gave myself frostbite and lost feeling in a couple of toes for several hours).

Learn from my mistakes: never walk on thin ice, always have someone with you for a plunge into an icy river, and cover your feet on the way back.

And overall, just trust your gut. If it seems dangerous, you aren't making an excuse if you just turn around.

Not Enough Time

One of my favorite excuses is "oh, I don't have enough time". It is such a weak excuse. The people that use this excuse will ALSO use it for everything else that they don't want to do.

If you care about something, you will make time for it. Enough said.

Perhaps you can “reallocate” 10 minutes of your daily social media use and put it towards something that will improve your health, like taking a cold plunge or just going for a walk

Ask yourself which is more important to you:

Numbing your mind with mindless social media scrolling.

OR

Enduring a few minutes of discomfort to become a more resilient human.

I'll let you answer that question for yourself.

Unsure How To Do It Properly

Okay, so let's say you are ready to take the plunge.

You have a fire of motivation burning inside of you, you are willing to endure the discomfort, and you believe that the cold water can strengthen you.

Now what?

The final obstacle you might face is an understanding of how to do it properly.

Which is why the rest of this letter is dedicated to slashing through this final obstacle. Once you are done reading the next 2 sections, the path forward will be crystal clear.

And from there, you will be able to confidently step into the water - immediately growing strong and resilient.

I'm genuinely excited for you.

Choosing The Right Cold Water For You

In this section, I'll briefly outline the different cold therapy modalities and my experiences with each.

Cold Showers

This is where I recommend everyone begin with cold therapy. It is the most accessible and it is easiest to control your temperature and exposure time.

At the bottom of this letter, I'll offer you access to the "7 day cold shower challenge", which will take you from an 8 second cold shower to a 4 minute cold shower within 7 days with as little discomfort as possible.

If you don’t know where to start - start with cold showers.

Tap Cold Bath

Once you've stacked up a good streak of cold showers, it is great to start experimenting with "tap cold" baths. This has become my preferred way of doing cold therapy because it is ridiculously accessible for me and easy to fit into my daily routine.

Of course, cold baths have a ton of variability. Doing these during the winter is different than in the summer and the water temperature will always vary depending on your location.

For example…

I use a waterproof thermometer to get the temp of my cold baths and given that I live near Buffalo, New York, I have no shortage of cold water.

Given that your water temperature will vary by location, it takes some experimentation to find the right amount of time to shoot for. For me, 5 minutes is more than enough and most days I go for around 2 minutes at 43-45 degrees.

If your water temp is warmer, go for a little bit longer and you will get pretty much the same effect as a shorter plunge in cooler temps.

Cold Plunge

This is a popular way to get into cold therapy and is the most common method you will see on social media. It is great, but not as accessible as you might think.

Because, unless you have access to an uncovered pool during the winter, you will need to go buy a $5000 cold plunge machine, convert a deep freezer to a cold plunge, OR use a giant outdoor trough filled with cold water and bags of ice.

All of these methods are a bit of a pain, or cost-prohibitive but if you want a good ol’ cold plunge, then a good place to start is to find a livestock water tank from Home Depot or Tractor Supply Co. 

Something like this would work great for most people:

Once you have a big basin like the above, you will need to pick up some bags of ice from a gas station or grocery store.

The ice will cost you $2-8 every time you want to take a plunge. This is fine every once in a while but it is a total pain in the butt, if you want to do daily cold plunges. But - it is worth it for the occasional plunge, though!

This is how I was able to cold plunge in the tropical climate of the Philippines:

River Plunge

A cold plunge into a freezing cold river is hands down my FAVORITE type of cold plunge.

There is something primal and ancient about climbing into a cold river. It gives you an indescribable combination of strength, peace and healing.

This type of cold therapy can stimulate your mind, body, and spirit in a profound way.

Some of the most transformative experiences I've had in my entire life have happened in the Animas River in Durango, Colorado.

With all of that said, river plunges also come with some baggage...

Unless you are pretty advanced, you should always do a river plunge with a friend, cover your feet on the way back, and NEVER walk on thin ice. These are hard lessons that I’ve learned first-hand.

Unlike a cold bath, there are a TON of unpredictable variables that come from the cold river. For example: one time I went down for my daily cold river dip and came face to face with a full-grown female mountain lion and her two cubs.

This was a harrowing and incredible experience that I'll go into more detail another time, but needless to say: use the buddy-system when you take your cold therapy into uncharted territory.

Cryotherapy

It is possible to get your cold therapy in the form of cryotherapy. This is popular in some areas, but I've never tried it.

I'm sure it is amazing, but it is also cost-prohibitive ($50-$100/session). I'd bet that the benefits of cryo are similar to an intense cold plunge.

I have nothing more to add here.

Experimental cold therapy

I'll do an entire letter on the experiments that I've done with cold therapy, but to give you a teaser:

• 30 minute cold plunge on my 30th birthday

• “Plunge-Ups”(alternating cold plunges and push ups)

• Taking a cold plunge BEFORE running 8 miles

• Mentation and cold plunge interval sessions

• Contrast therapy alternating 50 degrees and 110 degrees

• Morning walks barefoot during the winter

• and much more!

Standing At The Edge: The Final Steps Into The Cold

Stack The Deck

Memorize this mantra: "I do not fear the cold, I seek it".

Set aside your favorite towel and swim trunks. I have a towel and shorts that I only use for cold plunging.

Find your “power song”. Music is a very powerful tool to get you in the right mindstate before a cold plunge. Honestly, I don't plunge without it. Not joking - I've probably taken 100 cold plunges JUST while listening to Uebok by Apashe & YMIR and I always plunge at 1:19 of the song.

Order a thermometer, so you can understand the temp of the water (this becomes ridiculously handy over time). Later this year, I’ll release my own cold plunge thermometer for $17 (but you can get the same one on amazon for $21).

Break The Surface

You will face a great deal of internal-resistance to getting into the water. Fixate your mind completely on breaking the surface of the water. Don't worry about anything else. Just get in. If you need to jump right out, then fine (you will improve over time).

What is most important is training yourself to do the thing you don't want to do, which, in this case, is getting into the freezing cold water.

On the days when I'm dealing with internal resistance (yes, I still face this every day), I will audibly say "YES!" as soon as I break the surface of the water. This is how I reward myself for following through on my commitment to myself.

Self-talk like this is more powerful than you would imagine.

Stick To The Process

Over time, you will develop a flow for getting into (and staying in) the cold water. I do the exact same things in order, before, during, and after my cold plunge.

You will develop your own process by showing up and following through to the best of your ability. Developing your own process and "mind-hacks" will be invaluable on the days when you are short on time or you just don't want to get in.

In the next section, I'll give you a cold shower routine that I've developed just for you.

Regardless of where your cold therapy routine comes from - you need to commit to it wholeheartedly and keep developing it over time.

Build A Streak

Consistency is what will give you momentum. Keep your cold therapy streak alive! A 1-minute cold shower is still worth your time, even if you are busy.

Of course, things happen. Sometimes you just can't access the cold, and when that happens, dust yourself off and start building another streak.

In the last 94 days, I've done cold therapy 91 times. (I have this data, because I've included cold therapy on my own PPT). And man, oh man, it is very motivating to both see and feel the benefits of this consistency.

Just keep checking the boxes and over time, you will build up an insane amount of momentum.

Will You Take The Final Step?

Last week, I strove to light a fire of motivation inside of you and today, I've SLASHED through every imaginable obstacle that you might face.

As one last effort to help you feel the benefits of cold therapy, I've also created a 7 day cold shower challenge for you…

Click Here To Accept The Challenge

Now, I can rest easy, because I've given you EVERYTHING you could possibly need to start building your cold therapy streak.

You stand at the edge of the cold water and now it is up to YOU to take the final step.

Are you going to step into the water?

- Cliff