Ice, Ice, Baby

Winter bathing is the ideal way to recharge your batteries with energy and strength at the start of the new year.

If you do it right, you can also enjoy many health benefits. Try something new and fight the winter blues - it's good for  your body and soul!

Who dares to take the step to more well-being and dips into the cool water?

Even if it costs a lot of overcoming at the beginning - the ability to overcome ourselves makes us experience new feelings of happiness and the unique feeling after the cold bath makes us feel the pure vitality.

The cold stimulus in the ice-cold water strengthens the immune system, which in turn provides good protection against inflammation. Thus, winter bathing can provide an overall increased sense of well-being. Allegedly, it even helps to reduce anxiety and panic attacks and also ensures better night sleep.

For competitive athletes, going into the cool water can also be used for therapeutic purposes, as it is said to have a preventive effect against sore muscles, and overall the performance can also be increased.

... is probably the first thought when going into the ice-cold water. But with a few tips and tricks, the magic of ice bathing will unfold step by step.

Untrained people can go for regular outdoor baths as a preparation already in summer and autumn. But also regular alternating showers with cold and warm water are suitable for training.

The head and hair should not be submerged when going into cold water. For beginners, it is also advisable to keep the hands above the water, as hands and feet are the parts of the body that cool down most quickly. So it's best to keep your hands in the air and wear a warm hat! It is also recommended to wear thin protective shoes on your feet.

Proper breathing also plays a major role in winter bathing. The preparation starts already out of the water. Our tip: try out the breathing technique of extreme athlete and cold expert Wim Hof to prepare yourself perfectly for the ice-cold bathing pleasure.

Important: Safety always comes first! It is best to always listen to your own body and slowly test what works well. If you are unsure how your body will react to the cold water, simply bring a friend along as a companion. If you are unsure because of possible circulatory problems or if you have any pre-existing conditions, please be sure to talk to a doctor about the project beforehand!

For winter swimming it is best to choose a place where you can quickly get into deep water. For example, a jetty with a ladder is suitable. You can climb in and out quickly. The shallower the entrance to the water, the greater the risk of losing the feeling in your toes.

By the way, hypothermia cannot occur during winter swimming, since the body reflexively converts its energy reserves into body heat during the current cold stimulus.

Whoever has made it completely into the water - congratulations! But please don't go too far from the shore - so you can leave the lake at any time if it gets too cold.

A towel or a blanket, as well as the warm clothes should be ready for you to be able to slip in immediately after the bath.

Source:

TVB Fuschlsee, TVB Attersee-Attergau, wikipedia.org