The Joy of Cold Water Swimming

Last post
webguy's picture
webguy
Online
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13828
The Joy of Cold Water Swimming

A pertinent topic this time of year

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/27/the-subversive-joy-of-cold-water-swimming

The Subversive Joy of Cold-Water Swimming
Britons are skipping the heated pool and rediscovering the pleasures of lakes, rivers, and seas—even in winter.

Excerpt:

Quote:
The cold was searing. I could feel the muscles of my upper back constricting; my clavicle and upper ribs seemed ready to shatter, and my toes and fingers started to numb, despite my high-tech gear. I swam a few lengths, trying to appreciate Deakin’s frog’s-eye view, though, to the extent that I could identify with a frog, it was with one placed—in the reverse of the fable—in a slowly chilling pot of water, to see if it notices when it starts to freeze to death.

Despite the cold—and despite the two hours it took me to warm up afterward, stoking the wood-burning stove and drinking as much tea as I could handle—my brief swim in the moat was a starkly beautiful experience. I felt fantastic. Deakin swam in the moat nearly every day, except when it froze over, and it was easy to see how he’d got hooked.

0 Like
Randy's picture
Randy
Offline
Joined: 05/05/2002 - 10:38
Posts: 4663
Re: The Joy of Cold Water Swimming

I see no need to verify that myself. I will take the authors word for it.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

1 Like
webguy
arrogantj's picture
arrogantj
Offline
Joined: 01/24/2012 - 14:11
Posts: 1053
Re: The Joy of Cold Water Swimming
Randy wrote:

I see no need to verify that myself. I will take the authors word for it.

Good

Like the people who ask you: Does this milk taste spoiled to you?

--- The Arrogant Jerk: Crabby and irritable since 1998.

0 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Online
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13828
Re: The Joy of Cold Water Swimming

Now the Danes are at it: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200228-the-danish-trick-to-shock-your-body-into-happiness

Quote:
A growing number of Danes choose cold water swimming as a way to invigorate the senses and combat their winter blues. Now, some companies are using it to create workplace bonds. ...Many Scandinavians swear by winter swimming, saying that it serves as a mood booster during the long, dark winters. Though science is scarce, enthusiasts say cold water swimming not only heightens happiness but it fosters a sense of community.

There are some 90 official winter swimming clubs across Denmark with more than 20,000 registered members. Mikkel Falk Møller, 43, has been a club member for more than 10 years. At least once a week he swims in the sea near his home in Copenhagen or at his winter swimming club.

“Denmark can be really miserable from November to April. There is hardly any daylight and we often have weeks without seeing the sun. A lot of people (myself included) suffer from mild winter depression,” says Møller, who believes a winter swim can help alleviate winter blues.

“When you throw yourself into the cold water and then into a boiling sauna, it gives you energy and an enormous endorphin kick.”

Maybe if we had a boiling sauna at Van Pugh, my mood would improve?

0 Like
Randy's picture
Randy
Offline
Joined: 05/05/2002 - 10:38
Posts: 4663
Re: The Joy of Cold Water Swimming

Now that is sort of the opposite use of the sauna I learned about when I lived in Northern Minnesota. There they would sit in the sauna and after they were done they would run out and roll in snow. Saunas were quite common there. My apartment complex had one and I used it regularly. I later had one installed in my house when I lived in Roswell. Only problem there never any snow for me to roll around in. Later sold the house and sauna....

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

0 Like