Learning Resources
For those curious about learning more about cold water swimming and immersion. Not an exhaustive list, but a good place to start.
The Cold Fix
Having been a keen runner and cyclist all her life, in 2017 Sara Barnes was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis and found herself facing major surgery and a future of limited mobility. Rather than obsessing about what she could no longer do, she decided to focus on what she could do and took to the water of the tarns, river pools and lakes in her home county of Cumbria.
A new appreciation of being in nature and love of cold-water swimming and immersion was born. In The Cold Fix, Sara takes the reader on an enthralling journey, from her first tentative steps into the water, to meeting other swimmers from around the world who share her passion and who can help her answer the question: what is it about cold water that proves irresistible to an increasing number of people?
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Cold Water Articles from The Outdoor Swimming Society (UK)
From their website: "The Outdoor Swimming Society was established in 2006 to pioneer outdoor swimming in rivers, lakes, lido and seas. It started with a simple mission, to give permission to swim wild. This is a permission which was never withdrawn, merely forgotten. The team behind the OSS is a small family of creators, adventurers, explorers, writers, thinkers and photographers, driven by a shared interest in outdoor swimming."
This is list of articles related to cold water swimming, acclimatization, and safety.
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Winter Swimming: The Nordic Way Towards a Happier and Healthier Life
Whether in lake, lido, river or sea, we know the benefits of swimming outdoors and in nature - environmentally friendly and accessible, it can influence our happiness, our energy and our inner tranquility, and give us that winter glow.
Danish scientist Dr Susanna Søberg leads us step by step into the icy water and explains the cold-shock response, the massive endorphin rush as our body reacts and adapts to very cold temperatures through the winter season. Not only do our circulation, heart, lungs and skin respond positively, but our immune system, metabolism and mental health too. In particular she explains how our brown fat is activated to benefit multiple health conditions.
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The Wim Hof Method
Wim Hof has a message for each of us: “You can literally do the impossible. You can overcome disease, improve your mental health and physical performance, and even control your physiology so you can thrive in any stressful situation.” With The Wim Hof Method, this trailblazer of human potential shares a method that anyone can use―young or old, sick or healthy―to supercharge their capacity for strength, vitality, and happiness.
Wim has become known as “The Iceman” for his astounding physical feats, such as spending hours in freezing water and running barefoot marathons over deserts and ice fields. Yet his most remarkable achievement is not any record-breaking performance―it is the creation of a method that thousands of people have used to transform their lives. In his gripping and passionate style, Wim shares his method and his story.
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