Cold Water Swimming has fast become a popular hobby this Winter, and as the UK faces yet another lockdown we’ve noticed a new wave of open water swimmers taking to our rivers, seas and lakes. Euphoric Threads designer, Laura, dives a little deeper into the health benefits of Cold Water Swimming and shares some useful tips if you are just starting out, or interested in wild swimming …

 

Why should I start Cold Water Swimming?

So… you must have heard of  “The Iceman” Wim Hoff by now? The benefits of cold water swimming are endless!

Wim Hof claims cold-water immersion can help fight modern diseases!!

Cold Water Swimming main health benefits:

• Reduced pain from osteoarthritis
• Improvements in mood
• More self esteem
• Reduction in anxiety
• More positive outlook on life

It’s no wonder cold water swimming has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years! The Outdoor Swimming Society in the UK growing from 300 followers in 2006 to 40,000 members in 2020.

 

“It’s like a tribe,” says the society’s founder, Kate Rew. “It used to be an eccentric thing, people doing it once or twice as a dare, but now it has an entire identity. It gives you such a feeling of mental calmness and physical robustness that it turns people into missionaries. Everyone who tries it tells their friends and they bring another five people.”

 

I am always so inspired by the wild swimmers that I follow on Instagram. After researching some of the benefits of cold water immersion, and following along with people’s cold water swimming experiences on Instagram, I decided to set myself a challenge to go for a cold water dip every week of 2021. Most weeks I’m found in the sea head to toe in neoprene (especially during the UK Winter months), or in Euphoric Threads thermals! … but there is something so mesmerising and liberating about the feeling of the cold water on your bare skin.

At Euphoric Threads we wear our Scuba Surfsuits and Winter rash vests to take the edge off the icey waters!

 

 

Feel the fear and do it anyway!! ❄️ 🏊‍♀️

Face it and embrace it … and in high vibe eco-activewear like Euphoric Threads! 🎉

The number of times I have nearly managed to talk myself out of doing something I know will do me the power of good … I have lost count. I am full of doubts! But I never regret being PROACTIVE … facing the cold. Confronting fears. Tackling those doubts. The negative voices will try and convince you to give up, but do not be beaten by them. This is my message to you to empower yourself in these times of helplessness. Do not give up!

I mean, Cold Water Swimming is not exactly refreshing it’s NUMBING.
I’m not going to pretend I love it or that I’m a regular cold water swimmer .. ( Tropical girl at heart 🌴)

BUT I do believe that if you can get some sunshine, movement, and cold water into your day you will feel EUPHORIC and ALIVE!  🎉 .. and it’s FUN!

 

Before embarking on this challenge I did a lot of research to make sure I was doing it safely, especially since I’m starting in Winter. So I wanted to share some useful DO’s and DONT’s …

I hope this helps you if you’re think of taking that leap into cold water, wild swimming……

 

 

8 Tips for Cold Water Swimming

 

1. Buddy Up!

One of our biggest bits of advice is that you need a partner in crime.  Not only is it much safer with a friend (never swim alone!) it’s also much more fun.

The friend will hold you accountable, if you’ve said you’ll be there at 7am you better well be there.

 

 

2. Bring the right kit

DON’T Forget your kit! I’m talking neoprene boots, neoprene gloves 🧤and a hat !!  We love to wear our Euphoric Threads surfsuits and neoprene boots, OR most recently our latest high neck rash vest made from 100% recycled plastic bottles!! (As pictured below!) Don’t forget alllll the warm layers for afterwards too, those fleecey towel robes are great.

See full checklist below on what to bring cold water swimming!! 😀

TIP – Lay all your gear out on the floor before you go cold water swimming – so you can easily throw it on afterwards. (Note – you won’t want to be fiddling about with zips when your hands are numb!) …

 

3. Wear a hat!

Hats help to preserve body heat. Always bring a warm beanie or use a neoprene hood if you pan to get your head under.

 

 

4. No diving! 

Always enter the water slowly especially when it’s cold, if you aren’t acclimatised to the cold water you could get cold shock by just diving in. You also never know what’s under the surface or how deep it is. I do however think it’s important not to hesitate. Slowly and calmly enter the water and get in control of your breath.

 

5. Warm Up and Acclimatise

If you hit the water when you are already warm the experience is going to be a whole lot more enjoyable. (I have started running to the beach for my warm up!)

Have a jog or jump up and down for 10-15 minutes before your swim and you’ll not only generate heat, you will better prepare your body to deal with the shock of the cold water and exercise to follow.

As the temperature drops, just keep swimming and your body will get used to the cold.

 

 

The best way to acclimatise to colder water is to swim, reducing your times in the water as temperatures drop. Get into the water gently to avoid cold water shock, splashing yourself with water and ensuring your breathing is relaxed before submerging.

Take your time but keep it moving. Don’t faff or dither about when getting in. Get the cold water shock response out of the way by gradually wading in, wetting your face and neck as you go.

Get your head in gear! Yes it’s going to be a shock and yes it’s going to be bloody freezing at first, but don’t keep telling yourself that! Think warm thoughts and focus on how great you’ll feel when you get over the initial cold water shock and how annoyingly cheerful you’ll be over the next 24 hours when you’ve had your triple shot of endorphins…

 

6. Safety first 👊🏼

DON’T go in it unsafe conditions!

Remember – Always be safe! Open water can be dangerous. Know where you are swimming, ask local lifeguards or other water users about the area and conditions and make sure you understand the tides, rips, bottom surface and waves. When we swim in the sea we always stay well within our depth and swim parallel to shore, not out to sea, and when swimming in lakes and reservoirs stay close to the edge so you can get out the water quickly and easily. Do not put yourself in water where you could get swept out to sea, out of your depth or somewhere where you cannot exit easily.

(Trust me – I’ve learnt it the hard way – we have some serious undercurrents in our local Dorset beaches:

 

7. BREATHE!

My most important advice for life.

Focus on long, slow exhales. This will help to trigger your parasympathetic nervous system and keep you calm.

 

Fear Rehearsing Technique

Have you ever heard of the technique of “fear rehearsing” in cold water swimming? It’s a well known technique practised by the likes of Wim Hoff and Sophie Hellyer from Rise Fierce. 

Sarah from Girls Who Scuba explains it well in her recent Instagram post :

“Facing fear in a controlled environment – such as cold water swims/showers is something that is encouraged. Fear of cold water is normal, and naturally our mind tries to protect us from the cold. For example ; when we are about to step into cold water, our mind turns to fight or flight, and we think “it’s going to be so cold” “I’ll stay in for 30 secs then I’m going to get back out”. But if we want to expand and grow past our fears we must learn to work through this resistance and prepare our mind for this fear. This kind of technique is often called “fear rehearsing”. Allowing yourself to confront your fear in a controlled environment in order to better cope and manage your response.”

 

Cold Water Swimmers wearing Euphoric Threads Eco Activewear and Swimwear! 

 

“Instead of trying to avoid thinking about how extremely cold it will be, researchers say that carefully rehearsing each potential fear-inducing moment before it happens can help. That way, when those moments inevitably arrive, they aren’t a surprise or a shock.

Cold water therapy is a common “fear rehearsing” practise, and a very rewarding one as well. Over time, you’ll see your minds fear of the cold disappear the more you mentally prepare it, and you’ll no longer feel that cold like you once did. Your mind has taught itself to not fear that anymore, it is prepared and knows what to expect.

You may not feel like you’ve conquered any fears on your first go, you’ll still feel cold on your second, your third and fourth will still greet you with that initial shock, but eventually your mind and your body will adapt, you’ll realise there’s no need to fear the cold anymore. That it no longer effects you like it did.

Your mind becomes stronger and your fears become smaller. ” —– Sarah – @CoffeeandTravel

 

NOTE – You don’t have to show off and stay in so long you get hypothermia!

We have a little made up rule thats two minutes minimum, and most days in the winter we do just this, 2 minutes.

In the summer we stay longer but the academic studies I’ve read on cold water immersion were based on two minutes and said there’s no real benefits to staying longer. I find the first 30 seconds or a minute is the hardest part, then it gets a little easier. Shivering and teeth chattering are the first symptoms of hypothermia. If that happens, get out of the water and warm up.

 

8. Warm up slowly.

DON’T FORGET warm clothes and a thermos of tea!! ☕️ Get some warm drink and food down your neck to help fuel the inner fire!

Eating and drinking are a great way to generate heat as any mountaineer will tell you, and is often an important part of the fun social scene that always seems to accompany cold water swimmers.

Don’t have a hot shower straight away. Hot water can cool your core and it can be dangerous. Instead, make sure you have plenty of warm clothes, wrap up well and have a hot drink.

Finally, spend the rest of the day on a high – cold water swimming can help combat depression as well as boost the immune system, circulation and even the libido, oi oi!

Just wrap up warm and keep a focus on your breathing.

 

 

Cold Water Swimming Kit Checklist

• Swimsuit or Surfsuit ( or wetsuit if you really hate the cold!)

• Goggles (.. if you are brave enough like to plunge underwater)

• Hats! Bobble hats or beanies are my fav if you aren’t planning to dip your head under. Try get a neoprene hood, or two silicone hats if you are a more serious swimmer!

• Neoprene gloves

• Neoprene booties

• Wetsuit (suit or skins, wear whatever you feel comfortable in)

• Tow float – safety first! Made sure you are seen our in the ocean and lakes.

• Changing robe – We love Dry Robes!

• Towel

• Flip flops (or slippers – YES I do bring mine to the beach)

• Woolly gloves

• Woolly hat

• WARM LAYERS! Layers, Layers, Layers  (the best way to get warm after a cold swim)

• Thermos Flask

• Cake! Always bring some nutritional nibbles.

 

These are just a few of our FAV items to bring Cold Water Swimming:

                          

FAQ – But what about hypothermia !?

The colder the water and the longer you have been in, the more you will experience an afterdrop of your core temperature (the effect of cooled peripheral blood returning to the core and/or the warm core rewarming the periphery) – this brings on deep shivering which is actually a positive response of the body to mild hypothermia. This is a good thing as it means that your body is reacting naturally to warm you up, but it makes putting your undies on a whole lot more difficult… So get some good warm outdoor clothes on before the afterdrop really kicks in.

• Hypothermia can catch you unawares. Not everyone shows the same symptoms. You can often still be able to swim, feed and answer questions despite it, and never complain of being cold or feel excessively cold.
• It’s not that difficult to swim yourself to a point of total exhaustion. There’s no great will-power involved or mind-over-body heroics. When you get close to your limits your ability to judge where that limit is decreases.
• “Giving up” shouldn’t be treated as something negative. It’s better to stop too early and go home safely than try to swim too far or for too long.
• Hypothermia combined with hypoglycaemia is doubly dangerous – and a real risk for swimmers because of the energy you burn while swimming.

 

How do I work out if I’m hypothermic?

Clinical hypothermia is defined as a core body temperature of less than 35 degrees.

While swimming, you may not know that you are hypothermic, but it will be apparent to people you swim with regularly. They will see changes to your swimming style (change in stroke rate, a less efficient stroke, lower legs) and behaviour (slurred speech, errors you wouldn’t normally make).

Try ask/answer simple questions like –

– Who is the Prime minister?

– What day of the week is it? ….

Slurred words and shivering are the first signs of hypothermia – So get out, WARM UP!!

 

 

Cold water swimming is such a fulfilling journey. I hope you find these tips useful and get as much out of your winter swimming as I do.

Remember to let common sense always be your guide and to swim for the sheer love of it.

Are you a regular Winter swimmer, have you taken that leap into cold water, wild swimming??

Let us know if you decide to join Euphoric Threads in our weekly Winter swimming challenge! 💦

 

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