Meet the party animal who changed her ways using cold water therapy - and was taught by Wim Hof himself.<br /><br />Nina Finlay, 41, once described her lifestyle as "worked hard, played harder" but found herself burning out through her boozy lifestyle.<br /><br />She was partying all weekend from Friday evening until Sunday, putting away up to 24 pints and surviving on four hours sleep and late-night McDonalds.<br /><br />In February 2016 she felt "sluggish and drained'' and realised something needed to change.<br /><br />She joined a gym but found her party lifestyle was hard to kick.<br /><br />But things turned around for her when she discovered the Wim Hof method, a technique, developed by the famous Dutchman, which uses breathing exercises and ice baths to reduce stress levels by increasing the amount of oxygen in your body.<br /><br />Nina, an engineer and cold therapy instructor from Aigburth, Liverpool, hadn't even had as much of a cold shower before she went on a five-day wellness retreat in 2019, in the Pyrenees, Spain.<br /><br />During her £2k stay, she and other guests were taught breathing techniques and cold immersion by Wim Hof himself.<br /><br />After returning from the retreat, she continued to practice the methods she'd learnt and even used chest freezer for ice baths before upgrading to an old whiskey barrel.<br /><br />Nina found the holistic methods allowed her to cope with the stresses of the job as she felt "more connected" with herself.<br /><br />Nina qualified as an instructor in March 2022 and now offers one-on-one sessions at her home-studio.<br /><br />She said: "Going out was a way to release the pressures of my job but also to mask the other things going on in my life.<br /><br />"When my mate invited me to go with her on the retreat, I decided to go for it.<br /><br />"It was intense, and I was out of my comfort zone, but that first ice bath was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.<br /><br />"Wim Hof was so charismatic and engaging- it was an honour to learn from the best.<br /><br />"I knew I had to continue to practice when I returned and it only went from there.<br /><br />"I've connected with people from all over the world through the Wim Hof community and I regularly speak to Wim himself!<br /><br />"Above all, I've healed my body from the inside out and that's why I trained to become an instructor, to help others."<br /><br />Back in her heyday, Nina was the "life and soul of the party" after clocking off from her job as an engineer that saw her travel across the county. <br /><br />This all caught up with Nina in February 2016 when she found herself physically exhausted and emotionally drained.<br /><br />In June 2019, Nina's friend, Simon Loftus, 47, recommended the five-day wellness retreat in the Pyrenees.<br /><br />"I did a little research before I went but nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to experience,'' Nina continued.<br /><br />"On the first day we started off with breathing exercises, I felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders and a release of so many emotions I had been holding on to for years.<br /><br />"On the same day, I tried ice-bathing for the first time which was nerve-wracking but an incredible experience.<br /><br />"Some of the sessions were taught by Wim Hof himself, he was incredible, very personable and encouraging. <br /><br />"When I returned home, I knew that I wanted to carry on practicing the Wim Hof method.<br /><br />"I started off with a paddling pool but that was too shallow to ice bath, so I got chest freezer which worked for a while- I even got personalised it with 'Frozen Finlay's Box'."<br /><br />In September 2021, Nina registered to become an official instructor and completed a six-month online course.<br /><br />By February 2022 she moved on to her masters module that saw her travel to Przesieka, Poland where she ensured frozen rivers and hiked up the Karkonosze Mountains in shorts.<br /><br />In March 2022 Nina became a fully qualified instructor and set up her own at-home studio where she offers personal sessions centred around the Wim Hof method, as well as fully guided breathing classes.<br /><br />Nina said: "It's crazy to think back at the life I used to lead of chaos and booze.<br /><br />"Now I'm able to manage the stresses of my job and everyday life through a positive outlet.<br /><br />"I feel like I've got my mojo back and it's all thanks to the holistic method.<br /><br />"I do three rounds of breathing and a cold shower in the morning and one ice bath a week, it's embedded in my routine.<br /><br />"Having my own clients is so rewarding because some of them are coming from the same place I was when I found the method.<br /><br />"I can relate to what they're going through and it's rewarding to see their progress.<br /><br />"I still have the cheeky drink every now and then but the ice in my life is mainly found in my tub, not a gin and tonic.''
