Endurance athlete Wim Meems decided three years ago to take the plunge and set up his own company: OutdoorWim. In addition to his 38-hour working week at Expert in Veendam, he devotes almost all of his free time to his – as he calls it – hobby: survival, organizing children’s parties in nature and cold water training. “I didn’t expect it to catch on like this three years ago.”
Meems (52) likes extremes. “I have already run several marathons and participated in 50 and 100 kilometer races.” At the urging of friends, the Wildervank resident decided to realize his dreams of setting up his own business. I had several ideas in my head that I wanted to put into action. Various people told me: ‘You have to do something with that’. At one point I thought why not?”
Fit Factory Borgerswold/Borgerswold Experience gave him the opportunity to teach various groups. For example, parent-child bivouacs, survival clinics and cold water training are held. “The first cold water training of this year is over. Five or six more will follow during the year,” says Wim.
Breathing exercises
First, the participants receive an explanation of what exactly will happen, then the group goes to the Borgerswold nature reserve where they start with stretching exercises. “Then we do breathing exercises, the aim of which is to get breathing under control. Then we go into the water.”
“Of the group of ten people, nine managed to stay in the water – at a maximum of four degrees Celsius – for two minutes. We then return to the Fit Factory Borgerswold where we will evaluate while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea.”
As a rule, between seven and twelve people participate in such sessions. A number of people participate two or three times. “On my runs along Borgerswold in the morning, I sometimes see people who have once followed a few training sessions with me entering the cold water. That is of course nice to see.”
Wim advises against braving the cold water without proper training. He also advises his students to always take on this challenge in pairs.
De Wildervanker discovered long ago that cold water training is good for the body. “I was already working on it long before Wim Hof made it a hype. Just knocking, but during my sporting career I have never been injured.”
Parent-child bivouac
What he also thinks is a nice part is the so-called parent-child bivouac. “I hold it on Saturdays from 5:45 p.m. On Saturdays I have to work until 5 p.m., after which I rush to Borgerswold. During the parent-child bivouac, and you have to think about that in a broad sense; an uncle or aunt with their nephew or cousins can also participate, the group will camp in nature in tents for a night. A campfire is made with a firesteel (a magnesium rod, ed.) and wood, after which the tents are set up. When that is done, soup is made and there are sandwiches with sausage.”
The participants then take a night walk, after which marshmallows are roasted upon their return. The next morning, breakfast is ready and a number of activities are done, such as archery or in the climbing forest. “A group regularly comes and holds a birthday party in this way. Children love it and afterwards return home tired but satisfied where they can tell a cool story to their friends.”
Good balance
A full-time job and the time he puts into OutdoorWim; Is there still time left for the family? “Yes, certainly,” Wim concludes, “Tuesday evening is for my wife and children and I also keep Sunday free. And of course the holidays. You have to find a good balance in that. Fortunately, my wife supports me through and through; she even comes up with ideas every now and then.”
More information and contact
If you want more information about OutdoorWim, please visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/outdoorwim . For contact: [email protected] .