With the cooling of the weather, many Romanians show that they are not afraid of the cold and promote bathing in rivers and lakes where the water temperature reaches a few degrees. The trend has become increasingly popular on social media.
Swimming in cold waters can have health benefits. Photo: Freepik.com
Exposure to the cold and bathing in cold water during winter can improve blood circulation, boost the immune system and help the body adapt to cold temperatures, some scientific studies show.
Ice bath stars include Wim Hof, the endurance athlete who has turned exposure to the cold into a lifestyle.
He became famous for his extreme feats in the cold: he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, ran a half-marathon at the Arctic Circle barefoot, and endured 112 minutes in a container covered with ice cubes.
He is a promoter of cold exposure, claiming that cold temperatures increase happiness and reduce fatigue and stress, while high temperatures contribute to exhaustion and decrease happiness.
“When it’s cold outside, you probably won’t feel like exercising outdoors. But exercising in the cold has many physical and emotional benefits. Plus, lots of research has shown that your body can train harder and run faster in cooler temperatures. Because the cold allows you to growyou know speed and power means you burn more calories. This is another good reason why you should exercise in cold weather,” says Wim Hof on his website.
Wim Hof. Photo: Facebook. The Ice man
Cold bath therapy and exposure to cold have gained serious popularity in recent years because they are associated with numerous health benefits, both mental and physical, he adds.
“Exposing the body to cold reduces inflammation, swelling, blood pressure, and improves symptoms caused by autoimmune diseases. What’s more, cold therapy is associated with better quality sleep, better concentration, and even an improved immune response.” he states.
Cold waters, beneficial for the body
Bathing in open waters, even in cold periods of the year, strengthens the immune system, has an anti-inflammatory effect and improves blood circulation. In addition, it leads to an increase in the production of endorphins, adrenaline and serotonin, hormones with a beneficial role in people’s well-being, says the specialist. He offers some advice for those who want to try this.
“Open water swimming is more exciting and physically demanding than swimming in a pool. If you feel anxious, try doing some anxiety exercises and then just get in the water. When you overcome your fear, your willpower will automatically increase. Open water swimming gives you a great sense of freedom. Even a short dip will help boost your immune system.” states Wim Hof, on his website.
The colder the water, the longer the heating must be. Those who want to swim long distances are advised not to overdo it at first.
“It’s important to gradually increase your distance. If you do this, you’ll feel stronger and less anxious at the end of the day. Pushing your limits will have the opposite effect. Plus, a gradual increase in distance is better for building endurance. That’s because cold water causes a natural stress response in the body that you have to learn to deal with gradually.”
Those who experience such activities must prepare ahead of time. A wetsuit is useful and well-lined clothing is necessary to warm up after swimming.
“Forcing does not bring good, it does not bring development, it can bring destruction”, he says, in a clip on his YouTube channel, with over three million followers.
Cold stimulates the body
Scientists who researched exposure to cold, such as Galina Shatalova (1916–2011) or Andrew Huberman, also recommended such activities.
The doctor Galina Shatalova showed that the cold that acts on the body intensifies the burning of fat deposits and toxins present in it, thus purifying the body.
Dr. Andrew Huberman states that exposure to cold causes a significant release of epinephrine (adrenaline), a hormone with intense effects on blood circulation, and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) in the brain and body. The colder the water, the less time a person needs to be exposed to the cold, he adds.
In addition to cold baths and cold exposure, Wim Hof adds some simple habits to boost immunity. One of the most important things to start with is nutrition. A healthy diet is essential for building a strong immune system.
“Make sure your diet contains plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, lean proteins and legumes. In particular, foods rich in vitamins, such as vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin E, boost the immune system”Wim Hof’s website shows.
Physical exercise, reducing stress levels, proper hydration and a good night’s sleep also bring numerous benefits to the body in supporting immunity.
The millennial story of cold baths
Ancient peoples knew the effects of cold baths on the body, and their scholars spoke of the habits of the Greeks, Spartans, Romans and Egyptians to bathe in cold waters to strengthen their health.
At least 20 spa towns in Romania were inhabited during the time of the Dacians, archaeological evidence shows. The Romanians established the first thermal resorts on the territory of Romania, but the baths have pools reserved for cold water. Some were identified on the territory of Romania, at Sarmizegetusa Regia. The Roman bath discovered in the Dacian capital in 1803–1804 had at least five rooms.
“I saw the ruins of a bath as it used to be anciently constructed. The labrum of this bath, carved out of syenite porphyry, had been carried away several paces from there. The floor of the tepidarium was covered with a water-repellent cement mortar 6 inches thick, which also covered the walls up to the holes through which the water flowed, and which is admirably preserved to this day. They are seen here the remains of the usual rooms of an ancient bath: ephebia, apodyteria, alaeothesia, frigidarium, tepidarium and laconicum”informed, in 1805, the historian Péchy Mihály.
Medieval and modern medical textbooks contained numerous references to the use of cold baths for therapeutic purposes.
“The warm bath opens the pores, but the cold bath strengthens the limbs and clears the mindit,” informed the Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, one of the oldest medieval medical textbooks, from the 12th century.
Bathing in cold waters has become increasingly popular, both as a therapeutic and recovery method, but also as an intensively promoted phenomenon on social networks.
