In the eye opening scene of the Matrix, Neo learns from Morpheus that Humans had developed “machines” that possessed an artificial intelligence so advanced, they’d taking over. Humans were farmed in vast systems and spare brain processing power and heat were used to power this advanced, computer-based world.

Energy was a commodity farmed and Humans the crop used to produce this excess energy as heat. Could it be that you are leaving a major contributor to caloric out when you focus only on diet and exercise?

The Matrix is  without doubt, one of my favorite movies. To top it off, I was fortunate enough to get to work on special effects/consulting for the two sequels on the “Burly Brawl” and the scenes when Neo masters gravity. We did a week of weightlessness flights for the directors, so they could “get the science right.”

I distinctly remember working with Master Woo-Ping and the other martial arts stunt artist and being HORRIBLY out of shape. I really loved martial arts in high school and college and to be able to work with such amazing talent and feel like an out of shape blob; well it really sucked. In the end, these guys got their physics correct and for these skilled martial artists it was clear that there is a big difference in ZeroG vs Earths Gravity.

It’s somewhat surprising that such a great effort goes into producing a movie for entertainment and yet we have a medical and fitness industry that seems to discount major variables in the weight loss conundrum.

Until recently, the diet-exercise paradigm was the only game in town. We all marched in lockstep with an industry that hasn’t reevaluated  a dietary “calorie” in over 100 years.  More and more are questioning and see that it all “just doesn’t add up.” Sure, it’s opened the door for all kinds of baseless schemes for losing weight, but at least people are questioning.

In the past, we didn’t look past what wass displayed on a nutrition label and most seem to understand that is just a charade game to hide the numbers and promote sales. There are still others that doubt a “calorie is a calorie,” because of this paradoxical loss of energy. Not only do the Atwater factors need a significant overhaul, we know that other factors will play a role beyond  these crude assessments of energy. We’ve been “sold” all of the therapeutical qualities of heat, from hot tubs to yoga, and yet heat is the one thing our bodies always have in excess.

Cold Stress – The Future

The most exciting boosts in immune and cardiovascular system performance are hidden in mild cold stress.

Should we really be surprise that the caloric balance doesn’t add up when we are not accounting for the largest loss in energy – excess waste heat? Imagine doing your monthly house budget and then simply leave out the heating of your house in the winter.

Think you might get caught short changed?

What I am working to change is the idea that food, exercise and thermal load (environment) are all important. One of the most adaptive evolutionary processes for Human migration beyond the tropical zones was the development clothing and the ability to control the temperature of our environment. This allowed us to move out of the tropical zones and into environments we are biologically ill-prepared.

Not unlike the future Sci-Fi world of The Matrix, in which humans evolved smart machines that eventually destroyed them, our nutritional-based disease and obesity abundance could very well be tied to not only our ability to farm and grow an abundance of food, but our neutral thermal environment provided by nearly ubiquitous conditioned air.  What complicates this excessively caloric dense food could very well be our lack of routine exposure to mild cold stress to keep our circulatory and immune system in tip-top shape.

Thermodynamically speaking, we’ve become extremely lazy.

Routine cold stress can be helpful for exercising these autonomic systems in the same way that weight-resistance strengthens the muscles. After all, we know our body adapts to many forms of stress in a protective and positive way. We don’t heal an injured knee by isolating it until it’s perfectly fixed; we introduce physical therapy early on so that it can heal and strengthen at the same time.

Routine cold stress goes well beyond simple weight loss. It has been shown to be beneficial in depression, immune system, chronic fatigue syndrome, and even life longevity.

The biggest hurdle is really a mental game. YOU have to get over the fear and anxiety associated with mild cold stress. This return to womb mentality, where everything should be not only completely neutral in temperature, but worse, slightly warm.

So many people associate sweating with working out, that they fail to see that sweating is merely the body’s response to the excess heat generated by the activity. When the body experiences a temperature below the thermal neutral point, it has two choices: cool down or generate heat.

The processes, shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis, have been studied extensively, but what is lacking is an aggregation of the side benefits of evolutionary mild cold stress. Make no mistake EVERYONE experienced some form of mild cold stress up until about 100 years ago. In evolution’s eye, the last century is an insignificant blip.

Ok, I’ve admitted that I have never taken an ice bath.  Part of it was because I was exploring other forms of mild stress that were not as well-studied and part was, well, I don’t like cold either. While I have probably dealt with much more COOL exposure than the average person, it really isn’t that bad and anyone can adapt in just a few days.

Cold can be much more challenging. Over the last month I have been working on cold showers. There are some amazing benefits, but I think the classic video from Andrew at Crossfit London, I too was a bit challenged.

Ok, he’s a bit over the top, but I can tell you that while I didn’t  squeal, my mind was really telling me I am a complete nut.  What I have learned from some really incredible sources is that there is an adaptation methodology and that ANYONE can be completely comfortable in just a few weeks.

I’ve collected a lot of really great information on the potential benefits and we’ll be introducing both an ebook and new coaching program  in the weeks ahead.   I believe now that this is definitely worth my full time consideration, but I have self-funded most of the research to date and I need your help pushing it to the next level; I don’t have the unlimited (or limited) government research funding these days. I need to raise funds for equipment, travel and supplies. Many would just slap together a slick marketing campaign and sell nothing.  I just don’t work that way. I have to know something will work and I’ve now spent a half of a year listening, email and reading comments.

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A lot of exciting times and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. It’s fantastic that with the 4 Hour Body out so much new attention is being place on this. There are some fantastic scientists I have met during the last three years following this and offering a lot of great direction and advice.  It seems after a few false starts over the last 40 years, therapeutic cold stress is here to stay.

So what will it be? the Red Pill or the Blue Pill? Really, I’d rather you just push the orange button.