Winter Swimming

  I have lived here since 1988. This is a desert but at 3170 feet (966 m) in elevation, it is not quite high desert; not quite low desert. We had a frost here at the Double Barrel Ranch in October this year. That is early. But something I have always said has been essential to my living here is swimming. First we had an above ground pool, 4 feet (1.2 m) deep. It was fine but not optimal. Then in 2001 I made the major investment in an in-ground pool. It is called a play pool because it is only 5 feet (1.5 m) deep in the center, rising to 3 feet (0.9 m) at the ends.
  Normally I swim from April (sometimes March) to October (once I swam in November). Winter was just too cold for swimming in an un-heated pool here. Even though this is Arizona. After all, we do have a lot of freezing nights and occasionally snow here. This year is different. I have discovered winter swimming!
  It first came to my attention that this was not just a crazy thing people did for charity, such as a "Polar Plunge" for the cameras, when a friend mentioned the name Wim Hof.
  At first I was puzzled. What was a Wim Hof? A quick search showed me pictures of some older man with thinning hair sitting cross-legged on a glacier wearing only swim shorts. What the holy heck was THAT?

.  Fast forward a few weeks and I am a dedicated cold water swimmer. It is the neatest physical thing I have done since I began horseback riding! Now granted my pool doesn't have icebergs floating in it. Yet. The coolest the water has been is 56º F (13ºC). But it is not going to get warmer for a few months and I am swimming for longer and longer periods, daily, up to half an hour.
.  The side effects are stimulating! Cold water swimming releases endorphins. It is also scientifically proven to increase antioxidants in the body. I actually looked up the study that proved that in the Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigations. Also the International Journal of Circumpolar Health studied some winter swimmers and reported those who previously suffered from rheumatism, fibromyalgia, and asthma had all had improvement in their conditions after a four month winter swimming period. People in polar regions are of course more familiar with cold water swimming than my neighbors in Arizona! I had heard of Finns exiting saunas and plunging into holes cut in frozen lakes. Before my admittedly wimpy-in-comparison cold water experience, I would have judged those people slightly off kilter. Now I am an advocate! Plus I get to use my pool all year round!