Hormesis: The Key To Building Your Cellular Engine

Big Cell Engine = MORE ENERGY! So first of all, what the heck is the “cellular engine”? What does that really mean?

Well, in simple terms, it’s the mitochondria of our cells, which are the ENERGY GENERATORS in our

cells—the actual part of the cell that “burns” carbohydrates and fats and turns them into energy in

our cells.

Naturally, if your cellular engine is weak and doesn’t produce energy very well, you are going to

FEEL weak and low in energy!

So first of all, how do you know if you have weak mitochondria and a weak cellular engine?

Here are some common symptoms of low mitochondrial function. If you answer yes to these, then

that may indicate low mitochondrial function:

• Do you get tired often?

• Do you have a low metabolism?

• Do you lack energy in the day?

• Do you have a disturbed circadian rhythm? (sleepy during the day and/or have trouble

sleeping at night)

• Do you have chronic inflammation?

• Do you get sleepy or fatigued after eating carbohydrates?

So do you have some of that stuff going on? If so, then you probably need to build up your

mitochondrial strength (a.k.a. your CELLULAR ENGINE).

Mitochondria are the part of the cell that “burn” the calories (carbs and fats) and turn them into energy for the cell. We have 500-2,000 per cell!

What are Mitochondria? The Cellular Energy Generator!

Now, here’s the really incredible part that most people don’t know… Depending on your lifestyle

habits and environment, you have the ability to dramatically increase the SIZE and POWER of the

mitochondria in your cells. And you even have the ability to CREATE and BUILD NEW

MITOCHONDRIA FROM SCRATCH, and dramatically increase the amount of these power plants in

your cells.

• Mitochondria are the cellular energy generators!

• We have over between 500-2,000 per cell

Why is Mitochondrial Biogenesis so Important to Increasing Energy Levels?

Bigger mitochondria

and MORE mitochondria

Bigger Cellular Engine

Higher capacity to PRODUCE ENERGY!

So think about that for moment…in most areas of life, we can only get 10 or 20% improvement,

but with energy levels, you can double or TRIPLE your energy levels.

Now you might start to see how this is possible.

If you are looking at the cellular engine in our cells, and you have the ability to DOUBLE the SIZE

and POWER of the mitochondria of your cells (the place where energy is being produced), then it

makes logical sense that you can DOUBLE your energy levels.

But it actually goes beyond that… remember, you also have the ability to literally create MORE

mitochondria from scratch.

So not only are you building bigger and more powerful cellular power generators, but at the same

time, you can actually go from having say 500 little cellular engines in your cell to 1,000. Think

about that… you can go from 500 SMALL little energy generators in each cell to 750 or 1,000 BIG

POWERFUL ENERGY GENERATORS!

More Mitochondria = Bigger Cell Engine!

With well designed strategies, you can go from 500 mitochondria in your cells to 750 or 1,000 or more!

When you increase the amount of mitochondria in your cells and the SIZE and POWER of those mitochondria, you can DOUBLE the energy producing capacity of your cells!

The bottom line here is that if you can DOUBLE or TRIPLE the SIZE and POWER of your cellular

energy generators …which is like taking out your car’s engine and replacing it with a bigger, far

more powerful engine… Basically, you can DOUBLE or TRIPLE the amount of energy your body is

capable of producing, and you can massively increase your energy levels.

THE PROBLEM

The only problem is they are very sensitive to damage…from uncontrolled oxidative stress, which

results from toxic insults, infections, allergens, stress, and just eating too much poor quality food.

But even more importantly than that (and left out by most people)… the biggest factor is that,

much like a MUSCLE, mitochondria will SHRINK (atrophy) and become WEAK when not

stimulated through HORMETIC STRESSORS!

What the heck is HORMESIS? Hormesis is the process by which a mild or acute stressor promotes ADAPTATIONS in the

organism that increase the health, resilience, and vitality of the organism. And although you’ve

probably never heard of the concept of hormesis, more and more scientific research now points to

it as being one of the most—if not the most—important factor in human health!

HORMESIS: Major Key to Enhanced Health, Longevity, and ENERGY

One of the most important—if not

the most important—

strategy for health and energy

enhancement.

It might sound like a foreign concept, but you're more familiar with it than you think. Exercise is a

form of hormesis! It's a stress placed upon the body that increases resistance to a number of

other stressors: physical exertion, cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, age-related

cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disease, etc.

Hormesis is basically introducing an acute stress (lower dose stressor) to the body that stimulates

the body to adapt and grow more fit to be prepared for greater loads of that stressor. By being

prepped, the body can be shifted into a state of higher performance as it makes adaptations that

benefit whole organism health.

The mechanism of hormesis appears to be overcompensation to re-establish homeostasis - which

is a technical way of saying that an organism responds to small stresses by becoming more

robust to adapt to a challenging environment.

What is Hormesis?

Hormesis is the process by which a mild or acute stressor increases resistance to other stressors and increases the health, resilience, and vitality of the organism.

• It can increase resistance to a variety of stresses, not only the one to which you are exposed.

This is EXACTLY how exercise works!

Exercise is not intrinsically healthy. This may be a shock to you, but exercise is actually a physical

STRESSOR to your body. Exercise becomes healthy to us because it stimulates adaptations (like

increase heart strength, or blood vessel formation to deliver blood more efficiently, or stronger

muscles, or stronger mitochondria in our cells) and these ADAPTATIONS in our bodies are what

confer the health benefits and disease prevention benefits of exercise.

More and more research is pointing to hormesis as being the key to longer life, disease

prevention, and the key to higher energy levels!

Candle vs. Fire (a metaphor for understanding how hormesis works)

“Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire.

Likewise with randomness, uncertainty, chaos: you want to use them, not hide from them. You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.”

-- Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Importantly, you need to understand that not all “stress” is “bad.” The

AVOIDANCE of stressors (like exercise, for example) can be just as harmful as

chronic stress! So while most people associate the word “stress” with bad things,

the reality is that humans NEED certain kinds of stressors in our lives to be healthy.

And if we are lacking those stressors in our life, we become weak, fragile, prone to

disease, and FATIGUED!

Here you can see the reality of hormetic stressors. Too little stress (e.g. being sedentary instead of

doing exercise) is just as unhealthy as chronic stress.

The Paradigm Shift: There are both “good” and “bad stressors.” We NEED ample exposure to

hormetic stressors to be optimally healthy and energetic! (But BRIEF exposures, not chronic

exposure!)

Now, here’s an important point to understand: It’s not just exercise that does this—lots of things

do!

And by exposing your body to these forms of hormesis, your body makes adaptations that make

it more energetic, more resilient, and healthier. (Just like with exercise!)

Humans are biologically WIRED to need certain amounts of exposure to hormetic stressors (e.g.

exercise) to be healthy. When we are deprived of those stressors, we become weak, diseased and

fatigued.

We now live in an age of, we might call it, anti-hormesis. Exercise is no longer a requirement, food

is available whenever we want it, and a junk food diet excluding dietary phytochemicals is the

norm for many.

As a result, we have the obesity epidemic, rampant diabetes and heart disease, and all the rest.

The Age of Hormesis

Our human ancestors lived and survived in ages when food may have often been hard to come by, when exercise in the form of walking, hunting, building, gathering, and so on were daily required activities, and in which they ate plants that contained toxins. It stands to reason that we’re adapted to these conditions, and any deviation from them is potentially HARMFUL to health.

The Age of ANTI-Hormesis (Fragility)

We now live in an age of, we might call it, anti-hormesis. Exercise is no longer a requirement, food is available whenever we want it, and a junk food diet excluding dietary phytochemicals is the norm for many.

As a result, we have the obesity epidemic, rampant diabetes and heart disease, and all the rest.

So other than exercise, what other things act through hormesis? Here are some examples of

hormesis:

1. Exercise (all subtypes) 2. Intermittent fasting 3. Intermittent nutrient cycling (i.e. carbs/fats/proteins) 4. Cold 5. Heat

6. Red and near-infrared light 7. Hypoxia 8. Oxygen bankruptcy 9. UV light 10. Xenobiotics (caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, many drugs) 11. Dietary phytochemicals (xenohormetins)

All of these have between dozens and THOUSANDS of studies showing proven health benefits.

Question for you to think about: How many of these do you think most people use? If you think about it,

most people living in the modern world are lacking almost ALL of these forms of hormesis from their lives!

Hopefully it’s starting to make sense to you why we have become so weak, fragile, diseased, and fatigued…

Having MULTIPLE layers of hormesis in your life is a major KEY to optimal health and energy.

How Does Hormesis Relate to Energy Levels?

Simple: The body responds to hormetic stressors by BUILDING UP the CELLULAR ENGINE!

It builds bigger, more powerful mitochondria, and more of them!

More mitochondria and more powerful mitochondria = bigger cell engine = more energy!

Here’s the KEY POINT:

The more your body has been exposed to hormetic stressors and had the chance to adapt to

them, the more resilient your body becomes.

…which means the more optimal your metabolic health is, the more resistant to disease your

body is, and the more cellular energy your cells produce and the more energy you feel.

The Fragile-Bulletproof Spectrum

BULLETPROOF

Avoidance of all

stressorsRegular systematic exposure to a wide variety of hormetic

stressors

This is a radically new paradigm of what makes us healthy. Think about it: Most people think of a “health

spa” as relaxation and massage (certainly PART of good health), but what is perhaps even more important

is adequate exposure to hormetic stressors.

This is most people’s idea of a

“health spa”

The Stress Spas

But is health about doing things that are

intrinsically “healthy” or STRESSFUL?

Understanding that hormesis is such a massive part of metabolic

health, what if we created a hormetic STRESS SPA…

A place where people could go to strengthen and rejuvenate their

bodies, and make them bulletproof against stressors…

What would that look like?

The Hormetic Stress Spa

Let’s take a look at what types of treatments

would be available in the “Stress spa”…

The Oxygen Bankruptcy Spa

The benefits of various types of exercise are too numerous to mention here. One of the most

powerful ways to exercise for improving mitochondrial health (building your cellular engine) is to

induce oxygen bankruptcy temporarily.

How to Bring The Oxygen Bankruptcy Spa Into Your Home:

1. Five 4-minute efforts done with full recovery (several minutes) in between each effort. Can

do this 1-2x/week.

2. Seven or 8 rounds of 20 seconds all-out exercise, followed by 10 seconds rest. Can do this

1-2 per week.

3. Four to six 30-second all out sprints (real sprints or on bike). Can do this 1-3 times per

week.

WARNING! ARE YOU SEDENTARY AND STRUGGLING WITH

FATIGUE? THEN YOU WILL HAVE TO TONE THESE

EXERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS WAY BACK AND START

WITH MUCH LESS OVERALL AMOUNT OF EXERCISE AND

MUCH LESS INTENSE EXERCISE. START SLOW AND

GENTLE! DO NOT OVERDO IT!

The Strength Spa

Hormetic stress response

Muscle size and strength

Brain enhancement

Fat loss

Lowers risk of disease and

increases longevity

How to Bring The Strength Spa Into Your Home

Regular resistance exercise of your preferred types (weight training, bodyweight resistance

exercise, weight sleds, rock climbing, etc.) done at least 3 times a week.

This spa is one of our two “shock spas”. Both produce “shock proteins” which can help you survive any “shock and awe”. This “shock bar” makes a type of protein called “heat shock factor”, or HSF. There are 4 HSFs, named HSF1, HSF2, HSF3, and HSF4.

The Desert Spa

JAMA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events"Conclusions and Relevance Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of SCD, CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality. Further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanism that links sauna bathing and cardiovascular health."

If there was a drug that showed an association like this with mortality, it would be hailed as a miracle drug...

Sauna = Miracle Drug?

Infrared Can Change Your Body The following effects occur through regular infrared sauna use:

The production of heat shock proteins is induced. Heat shock proteins repair muscle damage,

convert amino acids into muscle tissue, and increase muscle density.

Growth hormone levels are boosted. Growth hormone is responsible for cell growth and

regeneration, and increasing muscle and bone density.

Insulin sensitivity is improved. Insulin is a protein critical to muscle building.

Muscle Mass Gains Through Sauna Use It was found that two back-to-back sauna sessions at 80

degrees Celsius for 20 minutes boosts growth hormone levels two-fold.

Two sauna sessions for one hour per day for a week cause a 16-fold increase in growth hormone

levels. That's huge!

Sauna Therapy Decreases Pain and Increases Energy in Fibromyalgia

Sufferers

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Aug;17(3):162-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.08.004. Epub 2010 Sep 25. Effects of thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise in patients with fibromyalgia. Matsumoto S1, Shimodozono M, Etoh S, Miyata R, Kawahira K. Abstract Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder that is characterized by widespread pain with localized tenderness. We aimed to investigate whether thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved pain, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in FMS patients. Forty-four female FMS patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria received 12-week thermal therapy program comprising sauna therapy once daily for 3 days/week and underwater exercise once daily for 2 days/week. Pain, symptoms, and QOL were assessed using a pain visual analog scale (VAS), a fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), and a short form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36), respectively. All of the patients reported significant reductions in pain and symptoms of 31-77% after the 12-week thermal therapy program, which remained relatively stable (28-68%) during the 6-month follow-up period (that is, the thermal therapy program improved both the short-term and the long-term VAS and FIQ scores). Improvements were also observed in the SF-36 score. Thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved the QOL as well as the pain and symptoms of FMS patients.

Some of the effects of sauna use:

Dramatically decreases cardiovascular disease and mortality from CVD

Increase blood flow and stroke volume of the heart (and lower heart rate)

Increase athletic performance

Reduced usage of glycogen (i.e. food energy)

Increased RBCs and O2 delivery to cells

Increased muscle growth/recovery

Decreased body weight and body fat in obese subjects

Increased BDNF and improved brain function

Increased energy levels (decreased pain and increased energy + QOL in fibromyalgia and chronic

fatigue)

Increased lifespan (in animals, some studies shown a whopping 15% increase in lifespan)

How to Bring the Desert Spa Into Your Home:

Far-infrared saunas: If you spend most of your day indoors, I would strongly suggest getting an infrared

sauna (or using one at your local gym or health spa). Even if you get sun, still a good idea. (If you have the

option, regularly exposing yourself to hot outdoor temperatures is also a good idea.)

Saunas can be used with benefits from 2x/week to daily or even twice daily.

Start SLOW if you are sensitive to heat and poorly adapted to it. You have to build up

your fitness, just like with exercise.

Sessions can last from between 5 minutes (when starting) to over an hour.

The Famine/Fasting Spa

This spa is very inexpensive to operate since it serves no food. ;)

Intermittent fasting is now associated with countless health benefits, and is a form of hormesis that

helps optimize mitochondrial function.

Be aware that CHRONICALLY doing very long intermittent fasting as a DAILY practice may be

counterproductive. All forms of hormesis (including exercise and intermittent fasting) can be

problematic when done too much.

Why Intermittent Fasting Works

1. Autophagy: A cellular “recycling” process turned on by reduced intracellular insulin, insulin, IGF-1

and growth hormone

2. Mitohormesis: A defense response initiated in the mitochondria. Calorie restriction turns on sirtuin

genes that code for endogenous antioxidant enzymes and neurotropic factors like BDNF,

neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS).

3. Receptor upregulation.

Glycogen Depletion (Carb Cycling) is A Universal Health Promoting Mechanism

(Hormesis)

There is also evidence that cycling between days where carbohydrate intake is lower and higher is a form of

hormesis with ample health benefits.

How to Bring the Famine Spa Into Your Home

Occasional intermittent fasts (16-24 hours)

Can do a 24 hour fast up to 2 days per week (no more than that)

Keep fasts no longer than 24 hours on most occasions to minimize drawbacks

Can also use calorie shifting (days of higher calories and lower calories, in addition to overt fasts)

Can also use time restricted (4 or 6 hours) feeding windows on some days (pairs wells with lower

cal days)

Amplify autophagy at night with water (occasionally, not every day).

Experimenting with occasional cycling of dietary fat, carbs, and protein also likely very useful—

some days with higher protein or lower protein, some days with virtually no fat and lots of carbs,

and some days with virtually no carbs and lots of healthy fats. (Always eating the SAME way is likely

not smart!)

The Xenobiotic Spa

A xenobiotic is a substance which is a stranger in an organism into which it is introduced; it is not

normally produced or expected to be or present there and is not part of a normal diet. Most drugs

are xenobiotics. So are many food additives.

A. Alcohol – alcohol is the most well studied poison and the most well-used poison in all cultures.

In 2012, UCLA researchers showed that 0.005% of ethanol doubled the lifespan of C. elegans. This

is the equivalent of 1mM blood alcohol levels. Doses of higher than 0.4% provided no longevity

benefit. Since the legal limit for driving is 0.08 or 8%, this means that you can drive your car with

the hormetic dose of alcohol on board. This means that we need no designated drivers at the

Xenobiotic bar. In humans, low dose alcohol has shown to have a protective effect against

heart disease, stroke, and possibly some types of cancer. The “low dose” is probably less than 1/2

glasses per day. No one will get drunk or pregnant at this dose. The mechanisms by which this is

beneficial are thought to be largely due to adaptive responses to the stress of alcohol (i.e.

hormetic effect)

B. UV light – UV light has been demonized to be the cause of skin cancer. To the contrary, low

doses of UV light have been shown to have several benefits. The most well known is the positive

effects of UV light on the synthesis of Vitamin D. What has not been publicized well is the recent

study in 2005 that showed that low doses of sunlight can actually reduce the risk of skin cancer.

We intend to “serve UV light” up at the Xenobiotic Bar, but in controlled doses for limited windows

of time.

reference: Sensible sunlight exposure prevents skin cancer; findings baffle old school doctors

C. Methyl mercury -This was a popular menu item 2,300 years ago when Emperor Quin was in

power in China). In fact mercury has gone out of style since the Chinese emperors all died off.

Nevertheless, a 2010 study in Mallard ducks showed that low doses of Methyl mercury actually

improved the hatching rate of Mallard eggs. You can get it through heaping portions of tuna fish

and swordfish.

D. Dioxin – The compound that is related to the Vietnam era poison, Agent Orange, is one of the

most vilified toxins in the field of toxicology. In rats, low dose dioxin has actually been shown to

reduce the incidence of tumors, rather than increasing the incidence of cancer. This one requires

signing a special release form.

E. Allergy antigen exposure – Most people try to avoid hay fever allergens. At the Xenobiotic

Bar, small doses of hay fever allergens are constantly being blown all over the bar stools and

counters and onto patrons there. There is good scientific evidence that “Allergen immunotherapy”,

which is the practice of introducing low doses of an allergen to a patient and gradually increasing

the dose to build up tolerance. This form of allergy medicine is practiced clinically today with good

results. According to Dr. Linda Cox, chair of the Immunotherapy and Diagnostics Committee of the

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), studies in Germany and the

U.S. showed significantly improved cost effectiveness of allergen immunotherapy compared with

conventional anti-allergy drugs in treating allergic rhinitis and asthma.

F. ROS – Contrary to what most people are trying to do, we here at the Xenobiotic Bar believe that

free radicals are not really “xenobiotic compounds”, but since they are viewed as “toxins” by much

of the scientific establishment, we intend to put “ROS” on our list of xenobiotic compounds.

However, instead of trying to “get rid of ROS”, we “promote ROS” as a positive signaling molecule

with wonderful health benefits. We intend to serve hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a “smokeless

aerosolized cigarette,” a “peroxide on the rocks” drink, and even a H2O2 intravenous drip. The key

is “getting the dose right”.

Methylene Blue – Most promising xenobiotic for energy enhancement

Caffeine and Nicotine are also wonderful compounds when used in moderation

sporadically/intermittently

How to Bring the Xenobiotic Spa into Your Home

Occasional SMALL consumption of alcoholic beverages (wine is probably best)

Consider using methylene blue at very small doses occasionally

Occasional aspirin use

Consider using nicotine gum (NOT smoking tobacco!) occasionally for cognitive enhancement

Occasional caffeine use (avoid using everyday and becoming dependent, or developing a tolerance)

Getting sick (for normal immune development)

Probiotics

This is the other “shock spa.” It consists of refrigerated rooms and lockers, icy water tubs, actual igloos and powerful air-conditioners that can blow on you.

The Igloo Spa

Hydrotherapy has actually been in use since ancient times as a way to balance the body and mind.

According to Hippocrates, water therapy ‘allays lassitude’ (physical or mental weakness).

Three profound effects of COLD on our physiology…

Induction of mitochondrial biogenesis.

Upregulation of hormones involved in energy production and increased leptin sensitivity.

Makes mitochondria produce heat and infrared, which acts like sunlight on the water battery of the cell–i.e. it increases the EZ layer, so it directly increases the energy of the cell.

COLD – Essential to Optimal Energy and Health

Vast Array of Metabolic Benefits From Cold Exposure

1. Cold Exposure Relieves Depression and Anxiety – Numerous studies have confirmed that cold water

immersion can impact areas of the brain critical for regulating mood and emotional state.

Only recently, though, has modern medical science had anything positive to say about it. Researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine reported that depressed patients experienced a significant mood improvement because of cold water exposure. They simply took a 2-3 minute shower at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, once or twice daily for two months.[1]Other research has also demonstrated that hydrotherapy is remarkably effective at relieving depression’s symptoms and related conditions. One study found the practice to be more effective at ameliorating anxiety and mood instability than Paxil (a leading pharmaceutical),[2] and another found that cold water exposure works wonder for both depression and chronic fatigue.[3]

Cold As Effective as Anti-Anxiety Drugs

or…

2. They Wake You Up and energize your body – It’s not a coincidence that countless successful people

in the world credit cold showers in the morning with waking them up and energizing them.

3. Cold Reduces Stress and Oxidation in Your Body - Along with increasing your adaptation to stressful

situations, they will build up the antioxidant defense system in your mitochondria – making you

less stressed in general.

4. Cold Increases Alertness - works to increase your oxygen intake & heart rate, resulting in more

energy throughout the day.

5. Cold Improves Immunity - One of the most important benefits of cold showers is the fact that they

increase your immunity. A study from England showed that taking regular cold showers increases

the amount of disease fighting white blood cells, compared to that of those who take regular hot

showers. The hypothesis was that the boys attempted to warm it’s self during the cold shower,

resulting in an increase in the metabolic speed rate and activation of the immune system. This then

leads to the release of more white blood cells.

6. Cold Exposure Improves Emotional Resilience - Do you get flustered, anxious or irritable easily?

Cold showers can help. Seriously, cold showers train your nervous system to be more resilient to

stress.

7. Cold Exposure Speeds Up Muscle Recovery - Numerous studies have confirmed that cold water

immersion significantly speeds physical recovery and rejuvenation from intense exercise.

It's all about the attitude you take into this. If you're thinking "ah man...this sucks... it's so uncomfortable... I hate this" the whole time, you're promoting a stress reaction in your body.

You want to EMBRACE it! Think about all the positive physiological effects its having as you're doing it and SMILE! Enjoy the invigorating effects of it. Then the invigorating, energizing, and mood lifting effects will naturally get you hooked on it!

It’s all about the ATTITUDE you have towards the cold

Start the shower at a comfortable warm temperature and slowly cool the water over a five-minute period down to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (mildly uncomfortable), and stay at that temperature for two to three minutes. You can use a thermometer to check the temperature as you go. This can be performed once or twice a day for a couple weeks.

Each week, progressively go a little colder and colder.When first starting out, use a 3-5 minute pre-adaptation warm shower and slowly turn it colder and colder to get to the desired temp.Note: extreme cold may actually worsen mood. No need to go extreme with the temps! Don’t put yourself in pain or shock, but you should be uncomfortable.

Dosage—START SLOW!

Ready to Get Cold?

It’s really not so bad. In fact, nearly everyone that adopts cold showers or cold plunges as a daily

practice learns to love it much more quickly than you’d expect.

If you’re still apprehensive, here’s some good news: there are even studies that demonstrate

that just 30 seconds per day of cold water exposure can have a significant effect on your

emotional state on overall well-being.

All studies on the subject showed that 68 degrees Fahrenheit is cold enough to confer great

benefit, and the study with the most structured protocol suggested a 5-minute pre-adaptation

period—meaning that participants gradually turned the water from hot to 68 degrees over the

course of 5 minutes. A lot of people prefer the “all-at-once” method because there seems to be

some energy boosting magic in sudden immersion in cold water.

It’s intimidating now, but give this practice a try for at least a few weeks. As you notice the mood and

energy lifting benefits, you might just get hooked sooner than you expect.

Hot to Bring the Igloo Spa Into Your Home:

Daily morning exposure to cold, ideally first thing after waking up. (You can do a cold bath or

shower or use an ice vest or do cold exposure outdoors if that is possible where you live).

Start slow! Ease into it with a warm shower prior to cold one, if necessary for you at first.

Take advantage of cold outdoor temps rather than avoiding them.

Don’t always protect your body with clothes and heaters in your home and car. Let your body get

COLD every so often—at least for a short time.

If cold is unpleasant or uncomfortable, CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE! Focus on the benefits rather than

the pain, as with exercise.

Hormetic Stressors Build The Cellular Engine

Hormesis may be the single most important strategy to increase

your metabolic health and boost energy levels.

Now, remember, building the cellular engine is just one HALF of the equation for high energy

levels. Too much hormesis without adequate cell regeneration is not going to result in great

energy levels. (Picture running a marathon every single day—you’re just going to end up sore,

inflamed, and exhausted.) Likewise, cell regeneration isn’t enough—it’s also just half the overall

equation for optimal energy. (Picture sleeping 12 hours a day and sitting around on the couch all

day eating—not exactly a recipe for high energy levels!).

So what we need is the alternation of BOTH of these two key factors. We need a solid foundation

of optimal cell regeneration habits (like sleep, good nutrition, etc.) AND we need to build our

cellular engine through frequent short exposures to hormetic stressors. THAT is the key to high

energy levels!

Cellular Regeneration

The magic key to high energy levels in the pulsation and cycling between these states.

Building the Cellular Engine

It’s when we lose ONE or BOTH of these two factors that we become fatigued…

Cellular Regeneration

The magic key to high energy levels in the pulsation and cycling between these states.

Building the Cellular Engine

What creates fatigue is the loss of one or both of these two states.

Finally, to put this all in big picture form, basically lack of hormesis makes you weak, diseased,

and fatigued. And layering in hormesis into your life builds your cellular engine to make you

bulletproof, disease-proof, powerful, and super energetic!

Minimal

exposure

to

hormetic

stressors

AMPLE

exposure

to

hormetic

stressors

Increased energy

levels

Increased fitness

Resistance to disease

Increased longevity

Poor energy levels

Low fitness

Increased

susceptibility to

disease

Decreased longevity

In Module 8, we’re going to cover even more strategies to build your cellular engine through hormesis. Lots more good stuff to come! Plus the bonus on the Mitochondrial Biogenesis Protocol!