Dear Students - If I remember correctly, you went winter swimming this week.
Here are some comments shared by earlier years' students. Feel free to add
your own comments if you feel like it!
your own comments if you feel like it!
Winter
Swimming Experiences (Physiotherapy students)
Miscellaneous:
♣ Winter swimming –how mad is
that?
♣ Winter swimming has a solid foothold in
Finnish traditions. There are over 100 000 active winter swimmers in Finland.
♣ Ice swimming relieves stress, stimulates body and mind, improves the
quality of sleep, improves circulation and tolerance of cold.
♣ When you go into the freezing
cold water from the sauna or without the sauna, it will promote your health in
many ways.
♣ People are suffering from stress
and then they go and cause it themselves.
♣ I can guarantee you that work is
not what you are thinking of when you stand outdoors wearing a swimsuit when
it’s -3C
and windy.
♣ The hardest part in ice-swimming
is when you stand on the shore and think how cold the water is. That’s the part
where it’s easy to get cold feet (also literally).
♣ Winter swimming can also improve
one’s self-esteem.
Before:
♣ When we got to the lake and
I’d paid 5 euros for the experience, I decided “That’s it, I’m going in!”
♣ Winter swimming can also
cause you stress if you are afraid of the cold water.
♣ First when we got there we
needed to pay almost 5 euros for our visit. Five euros for freezing ourselves!
I couldn’t realize how someone wants to pay five euros for that. Instead you
could buy yourself a nice, hot cup of coffee in a café, for example.
♣ When you’re walking from the locker room into the lake, don’t hesitate.
Just go and be determined to do it.
♣ When I went to the shore where the swimming spot was, my heart rate
went even higher. I was scared to death.
♣ I sat in the sauna for almost half an hour building up my courage and
finally got out feeling very confident.
♣ I had prepared myself to stay strong and avoid crying. Fear tried to
engulf me, but I had decided that if something happened, I would die as a hero
(heroine).
♣ I tried to come up with some excuses that I can’t go into the water, but
I guess the group pressure has a really strong effect on me, and finally I gave
up.
♣ Just when we arrived at the sauna, there were a couple of our classmates
who went into the cold , freezing water. “They are crazy”, I thought. But still
I knew that there was no other option than going into the dressing room and
putting your bikinis on.
During:
♣ I felt blood rushing through my veins, my body was pumped with adrenaline
and the feeling was amazing!
♣ My dip in the water was very quick, but still long enough to take my breath
away for a few seconds.
♣ In the water I felt nothing
because the cold water paralyzed me for a second, but then I felt extremely
cold and my legs hurt.
♣ I forced myself to swim a little circle so that I could make more
observations about my own reactions, but at the first time I couldn’t do more
of them, because there was a voice yelling in my head “Get out of the water!”
♣ Everything seemed to happen so fast that I hadn’t really time to panic.
♣ I could feel a tingling sensation on my skin. My skin tingled a little.
My skin looked red.
♣ We actually got so addicted to the swimming part that
we repeated it four times, of course warming up in the sauna in between the
dips.
♣ First I dipped my other foot into the water and it felt like Leonardo
DiCaprio describes ice-cold water in Titanic when it hits you: “It’s like a
thousand knives stabbing all over your body”.
♣ In the sauna there was an
old lady, who was very furious. She didn’t like it when all the heat went out
as we were coming into the sauna. Excuse me, but it’s impossible for us to know
behind the door when exactly she has thrown water on the rocks.
♣ The third time felt much easier and I have to admit that I enjoyed it.
♣ Winter swimming can cause you a hyperactive state or a state of
harmony.
♣ When I was talking with the other girls in the sauna I heard that all
of them had dipped their whole body into the water (except the head). I was so
unhappy with myself and I decided to try it as well. But while I succeeded in
dipping my whole body into the cold water, the others went already for a small
swim. As a competitive person I had to do it myself as well.
♣ When I was sitting in the sauna
I thought that I’ll dip myself only once. However, after my first dip I felt so
good that I wanted to do it again. So I dipped three times.
♣ Actually the water was warmer (+3C) than the air (+1C).
♣ The experienced winter swimmers look like they were going into a
jacuzzi when they are going into the freezing lake.
♣ After I had convinced myself
that this is good for my health, I raised my butt off the bench and exited the
sauna.
♣ The physical effects I noticed were the sensation of not being able to
breathe and the changes in the muscle tension.
♣ I think we were screaming that time. But there was something
fascinating about it.
After:
♣ It was a refreshing experience
and I felt like a Superman for a moment.
♣ I always think after winter
swimming that you have overcome yourself.
♣ After winter swimming you
will be proud of yourself.
♣ You may even have the
feeling of achievement.
♣ I felt how I was able to think
clearly and my decision-making got better.
♣ This euphoric feeling after such a great adrenaline rush felt really
good.
♣ People say they get a sensational feeling after winter swimming.
♣ Winter swimming makes people happier and perkier.
♣ My mind was open and I was glad. I felt like the lake had taken my
sorrows.
♣ I hate cold water.
But after winter swimming I felt so calm and relaxed. I also felt “bubbly” and
not so tired anymore.
♣ I think that group pressure was the word of the day.
♣ You should trust what your body and mind
says. If it feels good, the odds are large that you end up hooked on winter
swimming.
♣ After winter swimming I felt very relaxed and
good. It was easy to believe the studies on hormones, endorphines and better
health. Maybe I could join the maniacs as well?
♣ Winter swimming is definitely a positive experience and I’m really glad
I dared to try it.
♣ When I got home after the winter
swimming, I was a total couch potato
the rest of the evening.
♣ I like the very relaxed feeling
that follows after you have been in the cold lake and in the sauna, and I also
like the excitement which is still part of it all.
♣ Every time I’ve swum, I’ve got
hooked up to the feeling of adrenaline rush and one dip in the water has never
been enough.
♣ Winter swimming gives you an energetic and
fresh feeling!
♣ Now I’ve been into winter
swimming for two years and I just love it!
