During my Wim Hof Method Workshops in Sussex, I’ll ask if anyone has heard of the term ‘Hormetic Stress’ or ‘Hormesis’ and 99% of the time I am presented with a sea of blank faces.

And understandably so, because this isn’t a concept we learn about in school yet it seems to be the founding principle behind, not only all human health and fitness, but is also an essential component in how life on the planet evolves.

So, what exactly is Hormetic stress? 

Well, if I was to put it in as simple terms as possible I would describe it as:
The phenomenon in which a short term stress is applied to an organism which stimulates a longer term positive adaptation. 

The best example of this is going to the gym. We apply stress to our muscles which causes the fibres to break down somewhat and then 2-3 days later our muscles grows back stronger (with thicker fibres and more of them).

The key aspect here is making sure it’s the right amount of stress both in terms of time and intensity. For example, too much stress will increase the chance of injury, as will training for too long. Similarly, if you don’t do any exercise and have no stress, the body gets weaker/less fit. 

Now, what’s fascinating about Hormetic stress is that you can apply it to yourself in so many different ways, including:

• Exercise

  • strength

  • mobility

  • respiratory

  • bone density

  • cardiovascular

• Cold therapy (ice bathing)

• Heat therapy (sauna)

• Fruit & Vegetables (polyphenols)

• Fasting (metabolic)

• Breathwork

• Psychological stress

• Pharmaceuticals

What’s interesting about this list is that they are all things that have been widely shown to positively affect your health and fitness but they are also widely accepted as ‘generally being good for you’. So knowing this gives you the understanding of the WHY. How you then choose to utilise this phenomenon is up to you.

What’s also interesting about this principle is that it ties in perfectly with the ‘seek discomfort’ mindset, each health benefit comes from being uncomfortable for a short period of time.

If you want to find out more about how you can use hormetic stress to improve your strength, fitness and mobility, book a PT taster session with myself (Mat) or Michelle today!