NEW TO WINTER SWIMMING? HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED

WHEN SHOULD I START AS A WINTER BATHER?

Among winter bathers, Vikings and other good folk there is broad agreement that the cold (and official) season for winter bathers runs from October to April, but we actually think it starts already in September, when the water temperature begins to fall day by day.

So if you've always dreamed of trying that winter bathing ;) and becoming a real winter bather - now is the time to get started.

For most people it is much easier to get into the water in September or October than in the middle of winter, since the water still feels fairly temperate and doesn't give the full cold shock to the body yet.

If you start now, we would definitely recommend that you get in the water a few times a week - or maybe every day, if possible. Once you have a good routine, it's then "just a matter of keeping it up" as the water gets colder and colder week by week.

At first the water will feel very cold - even now - and you may not feel like continuing, but you should stick with it for a few weeks, 5-8 bathing sessions, before you can really say whether it's for you or not.

As the water gets colder and colder, the body will get used to the cooler temperatures - day by day - and week by week. When the body can still "remember" the last trip into the cold water, it will be less shocked the next time you jump in. It's easier to keep up winter bathing when your body doesn't have to acclimatize to temperatures below 5 degrees to begin with, as it is in December and January.

One of the most important pieces of advice we'd like to share with you is to go and bathe with a good friend or family member who is a winter bather. That way you will definitely get lots of support and good advice when you jump into the cold shock - the very first times.

It can feel daunting to expose your body to an immediately "uncomfortable" experience, but try to persevere, breathe and decide only after a few weeks whether it's for you or not. Your body will most likely ask for more once you get started.

Get started now - your body will love you for it. September is the best time to begin. Here are a few good tips for those who want to start as a winter bather this winter.

But first we'd like to highlight all the healthy processes that winter bathing sets in motion in your body. Maybe that's exactly the final argument that will convince you to become a winter bather :)

HEALTHY PROCESSES IN THE BODY

The cold shock is in fact a healthy shock to your body, which sets off a range of important and healthy processes in your body:

In recent years, many researchers around the world have in their own ways shown that it is healthy for the body to expose it to the stress that cold water triggers. The body goes into a healthy state of alert, as it believes there is "danger" at hand.

Researchers think that it is healthy for us to introduce more adversity and "stress on the body" into our lives. Our ancestors were built to withstand hardship in order to survive. Today our society is built around comfort, so we no longer expend energy just to survive.

Cold water exposes the body to a short and quite intense stress that releases substances into the brain and body. Among them are defense substances such as adrenaline and adrenal cortex hormones, mood chemicals like serotonin, as well as beta-endorphins that reduce pain and stress, and not least lots of endorphins that make us happy.

In other words; winter bathing can make you happier and increase your well-being, as well as strengthen your health, because your body begins to activate the important processes that our ancestors actually relied on to survive.

When you get out of the water, you feel a boost of energy as the warm blood is pumped quickly out to the skin cells, to the muscles and not least to the brain. This creates a lovely warming sensation throughout the body that lasts for several hours, so you feel good and experience well-being after your cold dip.

To retain the heat production that is kicked off in the body, simply remember to put on something warm and windproof, so the heat your body automatically produces stays in the body and doesn't dissipate into the air around you.

You can also read our article about cryo-sauna, where many of the cold's healthy effects are also described: here.

Have fun :) and remember the windproof clothes.

FLEECE or TERRY?:

What should I choose for my windproof winter bathrobe?

Best bathing wishes,

Ida & Barbara