Modern Rituals by Exhale 'Ice Viking’ Reveals How Just 2 Mins Of Cold Water Transforms Your Mind & Body – Fenwick Ridley
What really happens to your mind and body in just two minutes of cold water?
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In this episode of Modern Rituals, Alex sits down with Fenwick Ridley, AKA the 'Ice Viking', to separate cold water facts from fiction. Fenwick shares what cold exposure actually does for stress, focus and resilience – why longer isn’t better, how to avoid common mistakes, and how anyone can safely build cold tolerance at home.This is cold therapy without the macho nonsense.
🎙️ About the guest:
Fenwick Ridley is the captain of Team GB Ice Swimming and an extreme cold exposure coach. Known as the “Ice Viking”, he competes in sub-zero waters and helps people use cold and heat to build resilience, recovery and mental strength — safely.
✍️ Fenwick's modern rituals:
• pool and open water swimming
• Ice bath & gym
• Sauna
• Burst training
• 30 sec - 2 min of cold water exposure
• Wearing shorts and T-shirts all year round
• Cold shower on shoulders first
• Conscious breathing
• Music & mantras
• Elite Hydrate
• Sugary drink
• Cocooning to warm up
• 10 min sauna at 100 degrees
• 3-4 reps of hot and cold
🤝 Stay up to date with Modern Rituals podcast on:
Instagram: @yourexhale
TikTok: @yourexhale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourexhale/
Follow Fenwick Ridley:
Instagram: @fenwickridley
TikTok: @gbiceviking
YouTube: @fenwickridley
Saunas with Fenwick: https://www.northumbriansauna.co.uk/about-5
☕️ Brought to you by Exhale Coffee: https://exhalecoffee.com/
00:00 Ice swimming in sub-zero temperatures (cold open)
02:32 Is there a temperature that’s too cold for the human body?
05:51 The mindset needed for cold water swimming
08:08 What competitive ice swimming actually involves
10:36 How ice swimmers train week to week
13:02 Chopping ice and training safely in frozen lakes
14:59 Listening to your body vs pushing through discomfort
17:16 Becoming friends with discomfort and pain
19:30 How sauna training improves cold tolerance
21:36 Why longer ice baths don’t mean more benefits
23:04 Brown fat explained and how to build it
26:01 Daily habits that increase cold tolerance
27:42 How beginners should start cold exposure
30:22 How long you actually need in cold water
32:22 Using cold exposure as a daily ritual
34:48 Breathing and mental preparation before cold exposure
36:40 Is cold exposure safe if you have Raynaud’s?
40:27 Understanding cold shock and afterdrop
44:17 The safest way to rewarm after cold water
48:03 Why jumping around after cold exposure can be dangerous
52:12 How to use sauna and cold for contrast therapy
55:01 Beginner guide to sauna and cold cycles
57:34 How often to do contrast therapy
1:00:43 Why hydration matters for cold and heat exposure
1:03:27 Swimming in the Arctic and extreme cold adventures
1:05:13 Habits to stop for better resilience
1:07:25 The daily habit everyone should build: discomfort
#icewater #coldwater #iceswimming