Snow, ice, cold water - "no pain, no gain"
Extreme, yes but also exciting and exhilarating. The feeling of anticipation and not a little apprehension before entering the water, combined with the feeling of joy and contentment on leaving the water is quite amazing.
It is difficult to comprehend the feelings associated with this extreme sport but next time you are outside on a cold day, say the air temperature is about 5c, think about what winter swimming could be like, bearing in mind that water robs the body of heat about 30 times faster than air.
I have an SAS survival book and it says WARNING COLD WATER IS A KILLER ! This is undoubtedly true which is why great care must be taken if you intend to pursue the sport of winter swimming.
Winter swimmers are not crazy, in fact their bodies are tempered or hardened somewhat against cold water by training and they know their limits as well as the power of mother nature.
The first thing to remember is that strange as it might seem, winter swimming does not begin in the winter. Hardening takes place all year round and its not simply a case of diving into extremely cold water in midwinter.
If you want to take up this extreme sport, you must first be examined by a doctor to ensure your heart is in good condition as this is the organ that is placed under the most strain when swimming in cold water.
The next step is to begin training – this means hardening the body. You can start by taking cold showers and swimming in open water during the summer. As the temperature of the water decreases so should the length of time you are swimming for. In mid winter when the water temperature is constantly below 4c you should spend an absolute maximum of 22 minutes swimming. This length of time is only reccommended for strong swimmers, athletes and the very experienced – remember COLD WATER IS A KILLER !
The most important qualities in a winter swimmer are to respect your own body and its limits and to respect the power of mother nature. Whilst toughness, endurance and stamina are vital qualities for this extreme sport, winter swimmers are not primadonnas trying to outdo each other. Modesty is welcomed and respected.
Hardened swimmers don’t only swim in special events at Christmas or New Year. It becomes something that is part of healthy everyday life. It can guard against colds and sickness and also against allergies and diseases and even mental illnesses. On coming down with an illness the hardened person has a bigger chance of fighting it and of having a speedy recovery. Hardened people are able to adapt to different temperatures better and this increases with age.
But you must abide by several principles :-
- Respect your age and health, now and in the long term. Any healthy person can harden themselves by following these basic principles, but let the doctor make the decision as to whether you are ok to pursue this practice. Children and old people must harden themselves mildly. Research has already been carried out on children in schools. It was found that those who had been hardened had a faster recovery rate from illness than those who were not hardened.
- Hardening carefully and gradually is very important and with older people it is well known that they are effected by the cold more. They are unable to properly regulate the temperature of their bodies properly, particularly when under stress. Therefore they don’t feel the pain in their extremites as quickly and this leads to them being chilled very quickly and then suffering frostbite.
- Training should take place in the long term and ideally should start in childhood and continue for the whole life. It is possible to train daily, though at first 2 or up to 4 times a week is best. If you stop training your body will deharden 5 times faster than it hardened, so it is very important to be systematic with the training. After continual or ongoing disruptions in training it will be like starting from scratch again.
- Step by step training is the best way, taking it easy and slowly increasing the intensity of the training over a period of time. And the question of how we train ? – well we can use air water and natural light. Hardening in the air is the most accessible. The best way to start is in the summer, enjoying the good weather and wear clothes that allow air to flow through the body. Going outside before and after bathing is good. Of course water is the most effective tool for hardening as it robs the body of warmth around 25 times faster than air. Therefore it is especially important to start gradually with this kind of training. A good way to start is by bathing yourself with a face flannel or towel soaked in cold water. Then once accustomed to this it is possible to start with showering or taking a bath. The most effective is swimming or bathing in a river, stream, lake or sea. However it certainly impossible to recommend simply filling the bath tub with cold water and getting in. Lack of space means you can’t exercise or move the body and the blood cannot flow. Now the question of time – how long can we spend in cold water ? 3 or 4 minutes of washing yourself or 1 -2 minutes in the shower is sufficient. Ouside in open water the length of time you can spend in the water is dependant on temperature which you can sometimes gauge by air temperature and time of year but it is always best to have a thermometer close at hand. The body can adapt biologically to the effects of the sun’s rays, the air and water temperature, but it is necessary to progress gradually with hardening.
- A further environment for hardening can be a sauna. Visiting once a week is beneficial and it is possible to repeat the sauna cycle several times in that one session.
- Hardening can start from the moment you wake up and open your curtains to allow the sunlight in. Take a short walk outside in minimal clothes and also maybe try rolling in the grass after the morning dew. In winter it is also beneficial to roll yourself in fresh snow. You can of course have a cold shower but older people should stick with the previously explained technique of bathing oneself with a wettened flannel or towel. Continue by walking to work or school wearing minimal clothes and of course going at a pace that suits you. At the end of the day you can continue with more hardening, for example swimming or bathing in cold water.
- Be careful, do not over do it. Otherwise you may fall ill and even deharden. The body must be properly rewarmed gradually. Don’t go straight into a warm shower for a long period after swimming or bathing in cold water as this puts excessive strain on the heart. Try some gentle movement or exercise such as jogging, take a hot drink, put clothes on and if shivering rub yourself or use the body heat of someone else to rewarm your own body. It is also best to avoid drinking alcohol.
- Of course the most important prerequisite for this kind of training is good health to start with. Get examined by a doctor who should also carry out a load test on you to determine how your heart functions when under pressure.
- It is best to start with swimming in the summer months when the water is warmer . Swim twice per week for 5 up to a maximum of 20 minutes, depending on hardiness and ability. Remember to perform stretching exercises first and follow the previous advice after swimming.
- By following these principles it is possible to be swimming for 20 minutes in water close to 0c in your first year.
