Cool Swimming - MR Jonathan Pd Buckley

Cool Swimming looks at the relationship between cold water swimming and general well-being. It presents the results of research with over 300 participants in the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships 2013. There is also an overview of current academic research, a history of cold water therapy and tips on swimming safely. Members of South London Swimming Club have been swimming year round since soon after Tooting Bec Lido opened in 1906. Because there used to be so many older swimmers, the belief grew that cold water was the key to a longer and healthier life. Then someone pointed out that only survivors live to tell the story and if you swim during winter you probably have a pretty strong constitution. But even in Roman times, they were talking about the health benefits of a cold dip. We reprint the article Cold Cures and Warm Hearts (page 31) from the March 2002 edition of Positive Health Magazine. It sketches out the history of cold water therapy and highlights some of the reported benefits for conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis through to arthritis and the common cold. In recent times, a number of formal academic research reports have also identified positive outcomes from cold water swimming (Academic Studies page 22). A study in Finland found that winter swimming in moderation seems to improve general well-being. Another in Germany suggests it can help create more 'brown fat' which makes it easier for the body to burn of 'body fat deposits' and reduce risk of heart disease. But until recently no-one had really asked the swimmers. As founders and organisers of the biennial UK Cold Water Swimming Championships, South London Swimming Club (SLSC) decided to dive in and poll competitors on the whys and wherefores. Some 300 participants at the 2013 championships took part. Their views provide an interesting addition to the limited body of writing on this subject.