Cold water therapy, sea-swimming, dipping. What’s the attraction and why is it something to consider getting into?
You’ll know from our name that we’re just a little bit hooked on the sea and getting that cold water hit here at Sealieve. About 4 years ago we started our cold water journey with a cool shot for a few seconds at the end of showers and gradually built up to cold water for longer durations. We’d come across Wim Hof and thought this lad may well be half cracked but he must be on to something given his infectious joy for life. He’s either going to live forever or go out in a blaze of glory, either way this man knows what it means to enjoy every inch of what life has to offer. So we looked into it in more detail, started using his app (which is really good, particularly the breathing techniques) and began slowly building a habit. It wasn’t until this summer that the sea also became part of that habit. Being relative newbies to all this we’ll share what we love about sea swimming and cold water therapy and maybe it’ll help someone else who’s always wanted to give it a go.
The benefits are all scientifically proven at this stage but for more detailed info check out Wim Hof’s page if you haven’t already.
Here are a few highlights:
- Improved sleep quality
- Greater immune response
- Increased focus
- Faster metabolism
- More energy
It gives so much more than just physical benefits. It’s as much for your mind as it is for your body and in our case is something we use for our mental health. It can also be a really social activity. At our swim this week there was such a great mix of people getting in the water from the early hours. The friendliest group of people you will meet, whether you are on your own or with a crew, it must be down to all those endorphins. And now with the highlight on men’s health for Movember we’re seeing even more people joining the daily dippers. There are any number of sea swimming/dipping groups you can join in Ireland. We have the most stunning places to discover on our doorstep. We’ve tagged some awesome groups on instagram that we’ve come across and are part of and we know there are so many more.
From a safety perspective be sure to follow all the guidelines, Water Safety Ireland have an enormous amount of info on their site and it’s fantastic to see the PAWS initiative now in Primary Schools. We have a lifestyle highlight on our insta page for sea swims etc with a list of gear we use at the moment. Some fabulous Irish brands we love supporting.
Hope this was helpful and if you want any more info give us a shout!