Fitness Hacks to Avoid Getting Fit

One fascinating aspect of gym behavior is the effort people make to avoid doing the work. The cold plunge particularly seems to draw out the best (worst) in people.

For example, at one recent plunge session, the weirdo in the tub next to mine demonstrated an impressive feat of strength and balance. She hooked her arms and legs around the outside of the tub so that only her groin area would get wet.

Biohacker Dave Asprey is the most famous face for another kind of plunge cheat. He sits ramrod straight in the tub so that the cold water reaches up to only the middle of his rib cage. During some plunges, Asprey strays even further by sipping a steaming cup of his own coffee brand.

At the very top (bottom) of the slacker stack are the folks who pay for their cold plunge membership, but don’t actually go — especially when winter arrives.

In every season, one mistake cold plungers make is finishing their plunge and then heading straight into the sauna or hot shower. The benefits of a cold plunge come not only from the cold stress itself, but also the body’s internally driven re-warming response. Adding external heat too soon bypasses key metabolic, vascular, and nervous-system adaptations.

Here in Miami, it’s easy to rewarm naturally: just step outside. I’ve never thought about how cold plunging works in the 99% of the country that experiences winter, and it wasn’t my problem — until now. During the recent cold spell in South Florida, with mornings of 36°, 39°, and 42°, plus wind, it wasn’t only the iguanas who couldn’t get warm. The best you can do post-plunge (besides toweling off like your life depends on it) is to pull on your heavy jacket from an ancient ski vacation, and hope for the best.

Yesterday I was talking to the receptionist at my plunge studio about the record chill. She said member traffic was way down, and that she gives me a lot of credit for still showing up. I smiled and thought, I’m not here for the credit. What I want are the results.