december-2009

ICE SWIMMING | BERLIN
get-together) but also because it is believed
to have health benefi ts.
“You get your body used to heating up
then cooling down; it’s the opposite of a
sauna,” explains Andrej, who has been a
member of the Berlin Seals since 1990.
“You shock your body with a change in
temperature. I haven’t been ill for a couple
of years now. If I ever catch a cold, it’s gone
after a couple of days.”
Across northern Europe, many winter
swimmers believe that plunging your body
into freezing water helps ward off colds.
There is also some evidence that it can
boost your mood and exposure to very cold
temperatures (cryotherapy) has been used
to treat some forms of depression.
But is it really safe to expose the body
to such ridiculously cold temperatures?
80 | TRAVELLER | DECEMBER 09
AFTER FIVE MINUTES IN VERY
COLD CONDITIONS, HYPOTHERMIA
AND FROSTBITE BECOME A THREAT
Claims by enthusiasts such as the Berlin
Seals that weekly baptisms in freezing
water invigorate the body do, in fact, seem
to be backed up by athletes. Professional
sportspeople, such as marathon runner
Paula Radcliffe and rugby star Jonny
Wilkinson, take ice baths as part of their
physiotherapy. Radcliffe, for example,
describes going for a pre-race ice-bath
on her website: “Athletes mix the ice
and water depending on their appetite
for discomfort. Some like it colder than
others. I like it very cold.” Craig Smith,
a professional physiotherapist who has
worked with Lancashire County Cricket
Club explains that “when you get into an
ice bath for fi ve to 10 minutes, the icy cold
water causes your blood vessels to tighten
and drains the blood out of your legs. After
10 minutes your legs feel cold and numb. IMAGES
When Wilko gets out of the bath, his legs
GETTY
fi ll up with ‘new’ blood that invigorates
©
his muscles with oxygen to help the cells
function better.” PHOTOS