What really happens to your mind and body in just two minutes of cold water?

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In this episode of Modern Rituals, Alex sits down with Fenwick Ridley, AKA the 'Ice Viking', to separate cold water facts from fiction. Fenwick shares what cold exposure actually does for stress, focus and resilience – why longer isn’t better, how to avoid common mistakes, and how anyone can safely build cold tolerance at home.This is cold therapy without the macho nonsense.

🎙️ About the guest:

Fenwick Ridley is the captain of Team GB Ice Swimming and an extreme cold exposure coach. Known as the “Ice Viking”, he competes in sub-zero waters and helps people use cold and heat to build resilience, recovery and mental strength — safely.

✍️ Fenwick's modern rituals:

• pool and open water swimming

• Ice bath & gym

• Sauna

• Burst training

• 30 sec - 2 min of cold water exposure

• Wearing shorts and T-shirts all year round

• Cold shower on shoulders first

• Conscious breathing

• Music & mantras

• Elite Hydrate

• Sugary drink

• Cocooning to warm up

• 10 min sauna at 100 degrees

• 3-4 reps of hot and cold

🤝 Stay up to date with Modern Rituals podcast on:

Instagram: @yourexhale

TikTok: @yourexhale

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourexhale/

Follow Fenwick Ridley:

Instagram: @fenwickridley

TikTok: @gbiceviking

YouTube: @fenwickridley

Saunas with Fenwick: https://www.northumbriansauna.co.uk/about-5

☕️ Brought to you by Exhale Coffee: https://exhalecoffee.com/

00:00 Ice swimming in sub-zero temperatures (cold open)

02:32 Is there a temperature that’s too cold for the human body?

05:51 The mindset needed for cold water swimming

08:08 What competitive ice swimming actually involves

10:36 How ice swimmers train week to week

13:02 Chopping ice and training safely in frozen lakes

14:59 Listening to your body vs pushing through discomfort

17:16 Becoming friends with discomfort and pain

19:30 How sauna training improves cold tolerance

21:36 Why longer ice baths don’t mean more benefits

23:04 Brown fat explained and how to build it

26:01 Daily habits that increase cold tolerance

27:42 How beginners should start cold exposure

30:22 How long you actually need in cold water

32:22 Using cold exposure as a daily ritual

34:48 Breathing and mental preparation before cold exposure

36:40 Is cold exposure safe if you have Raynaud’s?

40:27 Understanding cold shock and afterdrop

44:17 The safest way to rewarm after cold water

48:03 Why jumping around after cold exposure can be dangerous

52:12 How to use sauna and cold for contrast therapy

55:01 Beginner guide to sauna and cold cycles

57:34 How often to do contrast therapy

1:00:43 Why hydration matters for cold and heat exposure

1:03:27 Swimming in the Arctic and extreme cold adventures

1:05:13 Habits to stop for better resilience

1:07:25 The daily habit everyone should build: discomfort

#icewater #coldwater #iceswimming