Cold baths and tempering

Winter is snowy and gray, the sun rarely shines through the clouds, and cold showers are a great way to brighten up your day. Cold water swimming, diving or winter swimming is a good way to improve your mood and also a great exercise for developing willpower, because nothing happens in life without willpower. Willpower is like a muscle - it needs to be exercised regularly to become stronger. In the beginning, 30 seconds of cold bathing per day will be enough. Cold thermogenesis (Thermogenesis regulates body temperature and promotes its production) is one of the best ways to toughen up.

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What do cold baths do?

When you start and later practice cold baths, you will definitely find friends and like-minded people, this will help to promote this process and hardening together is much more interesting. In order to inspire people to go cold swimming, which for some seems like a new world, underwater diving instructor Valters Preimanis has prepared this summary - Advantages of cold swimming, why should you do it?

Benefits of cold water for human health

The immune system improves - the human body will become stronger, less likely to get sick with runny noses and colds;
The level of endorphins increases - reduces anxiety and stress, and creates a feeling of pleasure;
Improves blood circulation and improved the appearance of the skin - the skin looks firm and shiny;
Libido increases - better self-confidence and cooler mood;
Causes weak cell death or autophagy;
Converts white fat to brown, which are more efficient energy producers / providers in the body;
Helps relieve excess weight, improves metabolism;
Improves sleep quality;
Reduces appetite;
A hardened body promotes longevity.

Collected beginner questions and answers about cold swimming 🤩🐧🤸‍♂️

How regularly do you practice winter swimming?
Walter: In winter, I go for a cold bath once a week, I listen to my body.
Ever wanted to ask if your body can't cool down much in the beginning?
Walters: In the first lessons, you should not exceed 1-2 minutes in the water, even 30 seconds is good for a beginner. The body gradually gets used to it and the comfortable time increases.
I'm not particularly hardened, I don't really like cold showers, I think better in a body of water.
Walter: If a person is morally prepared and committed, then the conditions of an outdoor water body will probably be more suitable for him.
What is the cold bath technique?
We take 10 deep breaths on the shore.
We undress and go into the water.
We make long exhalations in the water.
We look at the time of being in the water according to our feelings, at the beginning - 30 sec, 45 sec or 1 min.
After about one minute we feel a small wave of heat, focus on it.
We wait for the first chills, or "goosebumps", and then we come outside, dry off and dress warmly.
What to take to a cold bath?
Valters: For all water lessons, we take a winter hat, which we wear after the water, rubber slippers, swimming trunks and a towel. Cold swimming will end in the month of April, or when the water is above +5 degrees. We go in the water in a bathing suit, if the bottom is sharp, you can put on swimming shoes or boots, wear a winter hat, or gloves in the water are optional.
How to apply for a cold bath?
Valters: Look near where you live, there are many groups of winter swimmers in Latvia, where you can find like-minded people, for example, Roņi - or winter swimmers, where people meet and share their experiences.