50 Reasons To Swim Wild
I'VE BEEN ASKED a few times recently why cold water swimming is good for you. Each time I offered a short list of the various health benefits I could remember. Then afterwards I found myself at a computer, digging through reams of written research, discovering countless other ways I’d totally forgotten...
Once I read that stuff I’m always disappointed I didn’t give a better answer. So, if you’re like me, and you have limited faculties for remembering the information you need, but a seemingly limitless ability to download and store pointless information, here’s a list of: 50 Reasons You Should Start Swimming Wild…
Let’s see if some of these will stick in our minds:
What it does for your head…
It puts you at water level and allows you to experience the natural world on nature’s terms.
It helps the imagination and intellect – in the past many famous intellectuals and philanthropists used a cold water cure to counteract slumps in creativity. George Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale all advocated cold baths and showers to fortify their mental constitution.
It causes a decrease in cortisol and other stress hormones.
It produces a subsequent endorphin high that naturally improves your mood.
It allows you to order and slow your thoughts by getting you away from bustling crowds.
It removes the headache of swimming lanes and bumping into devil may care sprint swimmers.
It improves attention span. Your head gains the gift of simplicity as you focus on a simple process of stroke, stroke, breathe – or whatever you prefer.
It makes your next YouTube spiral more creative. After a while you’ll start to wander through channels of swimming videos (check out Lewis Pugh’s Five Swims For One Reason series with Ben Brown) you never knew existed. In hindsight, this often proves much more stimulating and worthwhile than hours spent watching animal attacks or people stumbling over.
It serves as a form of meditation, introducing you to the rhythm of your breathing and providing a watery silence wherein you can simply be… for a while.
It gives you a launching point to start reading the wild swimming bible: Waterlog by Roger Deakin.
It brings you closer to the delights of being an amateur underwater photographer.
It changes the way you holiday. Suddenly you’ll find yourself searching maps for far-flung spots and lines of blue.
It changes the way you see your species. Through wild swimming I discovered we’re an animal that’s biologically suited to spending lots of time in the water. Unlike most land mammals we have a layer of subcutaneous fat, like whale blubber, that we can use for buoyancy and warmth. We’re also hairless, making us more streamlined and dexterous when we swim.
It breaks up your routine and gives you time to clear your head of humdrum, everyday business.
It creates an addictive and healthy urge you’ll keep coming back to.
It makes cake taste better.
It makes those warm showers a whole lot sweeter.
And, after a long, cold swim, it makes your bed feel like the greatest place on Earth.
What it does for your body…
As you know, your body works hard to keep you moving and warm when you swim in cold water. This allows you to burn more calories because fat is your primary energy source. Over time this will also improve your metabolism.
It increases the libido of both women and men.
It improves fertility rates.
It flushes and improves your circulation, pushing blood through capillaries, veins and arteries. In time, this can shorten the time it takes your blood to reach your extremities.
It exfoliates your skin.
It teaches you to control your body temperature and improves your ability to manage the cold.
It reduces blood pressure.
It also reduces cholesterol.
It boosts the immune system, increasing your white blood cell counts. The cold water acts a mild antagonist, activating and training your immune system.
It gets you out of heated, chlorinated pools, which aren’t as good for your body.
It gives you space, time and freedom to work on your swimming technique.
It improves muscle growth and development, particularly strengthening your triceps, back and shoulders.
It immerses you in cold and allows less strained movement, soothing any vestigial muscular aches.
It might help you to stop smoking. If you spend more time relying on your lungs you might be encouraged to stop sending smoke there.
It shuffles your exercise regime. Physically, the act of wild swimming puts you in an environment you’re not used to. This adds an element of fun and exploration that can encourage you to do more exercise.
“...many famous intellectuals and philanthropists used a cold water cure to counteract slumps in creativity. George Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale all advocated cold baths and showers to fortify their mental constitution.”
What it does for your heart…
It boosts vitality and even improves your sex life. There are a few tales about men having to bathe their testicles in cold water to improve their ardour and fertility. Then again, those might just be excuses for a cooling ol’ testicle bath.
It makes you feel liberated
It instils a sense of adventure in you.
It enhances your knowledge of biodiversity – travelling down waterways you’re much more likely to encounter rare flora and fauna.
After swimming in rivers, ponds, tarns and lakes, it eventually brings you to the ocean. It’s hard not to fall further in love with our Blue Planet when you start dipping your toes in these colossal expanses.
It’s a good laugh.
It takes you back to your primal roots. There’s evidence that Neanderthals used to pull huge catfish from the shallows and filleted them on the shores. Further back, there’s more evidence suggesting that our ape descendants foraged and learnt to walk upright in waist-deep water.
Following on from the last one, Sir Alistair Hardy suggested that swimming outdoors is about more than pleasure – it’s an experience that goes to the very core of the human condition.
It takes you down the road less travelled and gives you a taster of the pioneer spirit.
It increases your chances of one-day swimming wild with intelligent and colossal cetaceans. Who doesn’t want to swim with whales and dolphins?
You discover a new kind of bravery in wild swimming legends like Lynne Cox, Lewis Pugh and Martin Strell.
It’s a gateway to other aquatic sports you might grow to love – free diving, scuba diving, tombstoning…
You earn respect from hardy locals. Head for a swim in a cold body of water and you usually earn some points from the local country folk.
It introduces you to parts of cities you never knew existed – I had no idea how many lidos, ponds and green spaces there were in London!
It doesn’t discriminate – anyone can swim, regardless of race, physique, gender, age, etc…
It introduces you to a friendly, inclusive community of like-minded enthusiasts (check out the Outdoor Swimming Society if you’re in the UK).
You learn to love the Speedo. I used to be embarrassed in anything other than baggy board shorts – now I rock my Speedos with pride. This is the skimpy, unflattering uniform of all swimmers and you should enjoy being part of the tribe!
In the ened, wild swimming is versatile and easy to align with your personal motivations and fitness levels. This is one of its major attractions. Whether you decide to embark on a two-minute dip in a local lake, an ice mile or an epic sea crossing between continents, it is always up to you to decide how fast or slow you're going to take it.
You Can Go Your Own Way
As with anything, it’s best to start and learn through doing. If you have never tried it before, do some research on your local area, scout out rivers and lakes and think about places you have seen before that looked intriguing. Try to find an idyllic place with calm water for your first few swims, to let your body acclimatize to the temperature in safe and relaxed conditions. Once you have researched the area and found a perfect spot, it’s simply a case of getting in!
It sounds obvious, but it’s paramount that you do have basic swimming skills. Swimming in rivers, lakes and seas is different from the pool. There is no straight line to follow beneath you on the riverbed, and the feeling of depth below you is something that you must rationalize and learn to control. These are all aspects of the mental side of wild swimming and how it helps to strengthen the way you think.
“Once you have researched the area and found a perfect spot, it’s simply a case of getting in!”
You'll Build Physical and Mental Toughness and Confidence
Once you have experienced the enjoyable shock of the water, it is amazing how quickly your confidence will grow through swimming. Whatever your current level, the distances that you cover will gradually increase, and so will the way that you think about them. If your first swim is only a 30 second dip where you swim 10 metres, that’s perfectly fine! After no time at all you will be gearing up for your first km, and before you know it, you might even be signing up for a much longer swim or planning your own adventure!
When swimming in deep water, it is always worth having a support boat or trusted friend in a kayak. Water needs to be respected, and overcoming the feelings of fear that it can sometimes induce is a great psychological way to build confidence and resilience in your abilities. As well as keeping you safe, this gives you the knowledge that if something does go wrong, you can simply hold onto the boat, and this insurance measure makes it possible to push yourself and expand your limits even further.
It Has Great Physiological and Psychological Benefits
Wild swimming has a huge list of positive physiological and psychological benefits. Immersion in cold water, even for a very limited period of time, lowers blood pressure, burns cellulite and fat, strengthens the immune system and reduces cholesterol levels. Once you progress and start swimming for longer, in more regular patterns, you will significantly improve your cardio and strengthen your heart and lungs in the process. Swimming has the additional benefit of not stressing your joints and ligaments in the way that running or cycling can sometimes do. As you are (hopefully) buoyant in the water, you can work on your stroke and breathing techniques without any risk of shin splints or similar afflictions. And that’s only the physical side.
Wild swimming has also been shown to significantly combat mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. The body releases huge amounts of endorphins, adrenalin and dopamine both during and after a swim, to help you adapt to and overcome the conditions of the water. There is a refreshing and undeniable high that follows each session, accompanied perfectly with a hot drink or cup of warm soup.
It's A New Way to Experience the Natural World
Wild swimming allows you to see beautiful places from unique perspectives. Swimming down a river shows you the riverbanks, the animals, the sky, the landscape and even the water in a completely new way. You follow shorelines, watch sunsets and dive into a world of intense colour and sensation. It is a simple way to enjoy and experience the wonders of the world in an incredibly natural and ancient way.
It’s Free!
The final reason speaks for itself. No gym memberships or fees apply. Technically, you don’t need anything at all to go wild swimming. At the very least, trunks or a swim costume, but even they aren’t compulsory if you are feeling brave! Goggles, wetsuit, swim hat and ear plugs are all great additions to experiment with, but don’t let the lack of any of those hinder you. In 1926, Gertrude Ederle swam from England to France in 14 hours and 39 minutes. She became the first woman ever to accomplish the feat - all she wore was a swimming costume and a pair of home made goggles.
So, there you have it ladies and gents… that’s fifty reasons (and a few more) to throw on your suit and make a dash for the nearest source of cold water. Leap into a still tarn, sprint into the ruffled ocean or dive over your neighbour’s sprinkler system – just get out there, be happy and keep swimming wild!