Embrace Cold Water Swimming
Posted on April 13 2019
Taking an icy plunge has many physical and mental benefits - this is why your missing out:
1. Build mental fortitude
Mental clarity afforded by shocking the system into action. You needn’t fill your tub with ice cubes – try turning your shower to the coldest setting for 30 seconds each morning. By the end of the week you’ll be able to stand it, and diving into a freezing outdoor pool, lake or pond will be a doddle.
2. Supercharge your metabolism
3. Break the boredom cycle
Turning up to a new outdoor swimming spot is much more stimulating than simply sliding into the local indoor pool for another monotonous 60 laps. By searching for new and unexplored places, you’ll add a sense of adventure and reward to your workout that might otherwise be lacking.
4. Gain mental calm
5. Get fitter
Much like training in an altitude chamber, pushing yourself to perform in harsh conditions will force your body to adapt quickly. The cold will make breathing more difficult, forcing you to optimize what little oxygen you can take in, making you more adept at adapting to stressful conditions. Going back into the local indoor pool will be a piece of cake in comparison.
6. Train smarter
7. Boost your immune system
8. Men increase their libido
9. You’ll feel less pain
Not because you’re too cold to feel anything. According to Rude Health’s Outdoor Swimming Society, swimming in cold water increases blood flow throughout the body, which in turn helps improve circulation, allowing inflamed areas to heal more quickly, thereby reducing pain. The same principal can be applied by alternatively bathing an injured area in hot and cold water, the difference is, not only is this method more fun, you’ll hopefully avoid injury in the first place altogether.
10. You’ll become a better swimmer