Cold water therapy.

Innumerable benefits of cold water swimming

OK so there is no avoiding it... winter is upon us and the ocean temperature is also dropping. But do not let that hold your ocean swimming back as it is proven that cold water has its own innumerable benefits.

Personally I never regret being in or around the ocean no matter what the conditions, it has a certain healing power and it may improve your mood.

Among the many benefits of swimming in saltwater, it can help increase your immune system function, improve circulation, promote overall well-being and hydrate your skin. The ocean's water contains multiple minerals including magnesium, calcium, sulphate and chloride, plus a whole heap of vitamins and has both antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties.

The after effects of outdoor swimming are innumerable. The first one is feeling super, super smug and making sure you get on your social media to let everyone know you are an all year round ocean mermaid. Once you have managed to get yourself dried off and into some nice dry clothes, you basically feel revitalised!

So what are some of those benefits...

• 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.
• Spending time in nature is proven to reduce stress levels and reduce your risk of developing depression and mental illness, taking your workout outside is the best way to be kind to both body and mind.
• Pushing yourself to perform in different conditions will force your body to adapt quickly. The cold will make breathing more difficult, forcing you to optimise what little oxygen you can take in, making you adapt to stressful conditions. Going back into the local indoor pool will be a piece of cake in comparison.
• According to research published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, regular cold water immersion helps boost your body’s levels of the antioxidant glutathione, which in turn helps regulate the process of all other antioxidants in the body, helping to reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.
• 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.
• Much how running undulating courses burns more calories and forces your body to adapt to different conditions and surfaces, taking your swim to the outdoors forces your body to work harder. Not only will you be burning calories to keep warm, tides, wind and obstacles naturally make it a harder session.

Some tips...

• Wear two caps - doubling up helps keep your head warm
• Wear a wetsuit - when learning to swim you are taking in new information, don't be shy to wear a full wetsuit and besides it makes you more buoyant in water.
• Do a warm up before your lesson - this will minimise that cold water shock effect and allow you to stabilise your breathing quicker.
• Submerge your yourself in the water - enter the water slowly and keep your face clear until your breathing is under control to help with that shock effect.

Winter can bring these spectacular conditions. Clarity of the water usually improves

Come and join me for an ocean swim and let's get out there and enjoy it.