NEW TO WINTER SWIMMING? HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED
WHEN SHOULD I START AS A WINTER BATHER?
Warm outdoor robes for winter bathing
Among winter bathers, Vikings and other good folk there is broad agreement that the cold (and official) season for winter bathing runs from October to April, but we actually think it starts already in September, when the water temperature begins to drop day by day.
So if you've always dreamed of trying out winter bathing ;) and becoming a real winter bather — now is the time to start.
For most people it's 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 yet give the full cold shock to the body.
If you start now, we strongly recommend getting in the water a few times a week — or maybe every day, if possible. Once you have a good routine, it's just a matter of sticking with it 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 keep at it for a few weeks, 5–8 swims, before you can really tell 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 dip in 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 adapt to temperatures below 5 degrees at first, as is common in December and January.
One of the most important pieces of advice we want to share is to go swimming with a good friend or family member who is a winter bather. That way you'll definitely get plenty of support and good tips when you take the cold plunge — especially the very first times.
It can feel daunting to expose your body to an initially "unpleasant" experience, but try to hang on, breathe, and decide only after a few weeks whether it's for you or not. Your body will almost certainly want more once you get going.
Get started now — your body will thank you for it. September is the best time to begin. Here are a few good tips for those who want to start winter bathing this season.
But first we'd like to highlight all the healthy processes that winter bathing kickstarts in your body. Maybe that's the final argument that convinces you to become a winter bather :)
HEALTHY PROCESSES IN THE BODY
The cold plunge is essentially a healthy shock to your body that sets in motion a number of important and beneficial processes in your body:
In recent years, many researchers around the world have shown in various ways that it's healthy for the body to expose it to the stress triggered by cold water. The body enters a healthy kind of alert state, as if it believes there's "danger" underway.
Researchers believe it's beneficial for us to introduce more hardship and "stress on the body" into our lives. Our ancestors were built to withstand adversity to survive. Today our society is structured around comfort, so we no longer expend as much energy in everyday life.
Cold water subjects the body to a short and fairly intense stress, which releases substances into the brain and body. These include defense chemicals like adrenaline and adrenal hormones, mood chemicals like serotonin, as well as beta-endorphins that reduce pain and stress, and not least plenty of endorphins that make us feel happy.
In other words: winter bathing can make you happier and increase your sense of well‑being, as well as strengthen your health, because your body begins to activate the important processes our ancestors actually relied on to survive.
When you get out of the water, you feel an energy boost as the circulating blood quickly pumps to the skin cells, into the muscles and, not least, to the brain. This creates a lovely warming sensation throughout the body that can last for hours, so you feel good and comfortable after your cold dip.
To retain the heat production that is kicked off in your body, just remember to dress in something warm and windproof, so the warmth your body automatically produces stays in your body and doesn't rush out into the air around you.
Enjoy :) and remember the windproof clothing.
