Advanced Embodied Fitness
What is Advanced Embodied Fitness?
Advanced Embodied Fitness (or AEF) combines workouts, breath work, and cold plunging to give your body the exercise and reset that it needs. AEF is a stepping stone to integrating fitness, embodiment, and mindfulness, all while supporting your nervous system.
We start with a workout, which increases the beneficial elements of stress and overall strength and cardiovascular fitness. We then move to breathwork to decrease cortisol, the stress hormone, then we seal the deal with a cold plunge.
To learn more about the benefits of breathwork and cold plunging, please continue reading below!
These sessions can be done one on one, in pairs, in small groups, and even in corporate group settings if desired (please contact me so we can tailor to your group’s needs).
Is AEF Right For Me?
Who is this for? Why Breathwork? Why Cold Plunging?
There are many benefits to cold plunging (which is why you are seeing it all over the place right now!) There is some excellent science to support it (I highly recommend Dr. Susanna Søeberg’s work, as well as episodes of the Huberman Lab Podcast to learn more)
I’ll share why I started, and what I have noticed in my own personal experiment of one, then I’ll share more of the other (backed by science) benefits!
As an entrepreneur, the first draw was the mindset piece. No counting down from 30 to stretch the time before jumping in. For me, I needed to 3-2-1 GO! That has strengthened my resolve to take leaps at times I have felt nervous to do so.
The second major draw for me was nervous system management, especially as a person with ADHD. Again, there is great science to support this, in addition to observing my own experience and those of others! In ADHD, dopamine and norepinephrine are often present at lower levels, and cold exposure has been shown to increase levels of both of those. Cold exposure also supports healthy functioning of the vagus nerve, which is a key player in managing the nervous system.
And finally, cold plunging feels like an adventure! Whether you are solo or with friends, cold plunging releases endorphins and emotions that your body has been holding in.
Other science-backed benefits of cold exposure include increased immunity and an increased amount of brown fat which is more metabolically active and where endurance athletes get energy.
“We have become alienated from nature. But the cold is capable of bringing us back to what we once had lost.”
- Wim Hof
AEF Logistics
What Can I Expect at an AEF Session?
AEF sessions can be set up for you or a small group or you can join one of our private sessions.
We will be in nature in a public space in the Boulder-Denver Metro area, so you can expect to hear the ambient sounds of animals and other people. If we want to have a particular playlist, we will do our best to accommodate.
If you’d prefer to set up a session in your home, that can be arranged.
Please wear workout clothes that can double as cold plunging gear, a yoga mat for breath work (you can also bring a blanket as well to maximize coziness), and a towel and a water bottle.
Workouts include strength training, cardio, bodyweight exercises, and mobility.
And of course, bring an attitude of desire for self-improvement, curiosity, and exploration!
Aftercare
I recommend bringing a thermos of hot water for tea after the plunge!
It is totally normal to experience shivering after a cold plunge as the cold blood from your extremities and limbs combines with the warmer blood in your core! In fact, we welcome the shivering as that is what gets your body to reset.
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Advanced Embodied Fitness