Cold water therapy: benefits, context, and limits

How do you actually build resilience and reduce stress in today's world?

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In this episode of Modern Rituals, functional medicine practitioner Alex Manos breaks down the science of resilience and how to build it through simple daily habits. We cover HRV and stress, gut health and fibre, breathwork, strength training, cold water therapy, and why most people are overcomplicating health. This is a practical, evidence-led conversation on how to improve your nervous system, immune resilience and long-term health – without chasing endless biohacks.

🎙️ About the guest:

Alex Manos is a functional medicine certified practitioner with a master’s in personalised nutrition. He’s the founder of Healthpath and creator of the Resilience Programme, specialising in gut health, breathwork and nervous system regulation.

✍️ Alex's modern rituals:

• Track your HRV

• Fermented foods

• Fruit, veg, wholegrains, lentils, chickpeas

• Psyllium Husk, PHGG

• Strength training

• Resistance training

• Values list

• Breath work and therapy

• Calm or Headspace app

• 5 mins of breathwork in the morning

• Cold water on your face daily

• Journal straight from the mind

Stay up to date with Modern Rituals podcast on:

Instagram: @yourexhale

TikTok: @yourexhale

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

Follow Alex Manos on:

Instagram: @alexandermanos

YouTube: @healthpath

Alex's resiliency program: https://www.alexmanos.co.uk/the-resiliency-program/

Gut microbiome testing: https://healthpath.com/gut-health-test/?referral=15

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

00:00 – Quick-fire health questions: Sleep trackers, supplements and gut myths

01:50 – What resilience really means (and why it’s hard to define)

04:30 – Hormesis explained: Why small stress builds long-term resilience

07:50 – How to know when stress becomes harmful (and where people go wrong)

08:55 – HRV explained: What heart rate variability actually tells you

11:20 – Low vs high HRV: Stress, burnout and nervous system states

14:40 – Using HRV to guide training, recovery and illness

17:45 – Why health tracking can increase anxiety for some people

18:55 – Physical resilience explained: Returning to baseline vs burnout

21:20 – Gut health and microbiome resilience

24:05 – Fibre intake explained: The most underrated longevity tool

26:25 – Supplements vs foundations: Why fibre beats biohacks

27:50 – Exercise and resilience: Strength, muscle and ageing

30:15 – Do you really need the gym to stay strong?

32:00 – Movement, strength and everyday resilience

34:35 – Mental resilience: Values, focus and decision-making

37:10 – How to identify your values and long-term direction

39:45 – Emotional resilience and managing stress responses

42:35 – Social connection and community as a health pillar

45:15 – Breathwork for nervous system regulation

47:10 – Why most people add too many habits (and should subtract instead)

49:10 – Cold water therapy explained: Benefits, risks and myths

51:20 – Cold exposure for immunity, recovery and mental resilience

54:00 – How often to do cold water therapy (and who should avoid it)

56:00 – Face dunking, vagus nerve stimulation and cold showers

58:40 – Building mental resilience through discomfort

01:01:00 – Simple daily breathwork practices anyone can start

01:03:40 – Spiritual resilience and staying grounded during stress

01:06:55 – Preparing for adversity before it happens

01:09:40 – The most overrated health advice

01:11:00 – One daily habit everyone should add

01:14:00 – Where to find Alex + current projects

#longevity #chronicstress #exhalecoffee