Taking a dip in the cold waters of the UK has risen in popularity since the pandemic, but the majority of people taking the plunge are middle-aged women. We spoke to avid cold swimmer Ian Wood and popular British cold swimming influencer, Gilly McArthur and asked why men across the country should consider trying cold swimming.
When you have been working all week and 6pm finally hits on a Friday afternoon, for many people, a refreshing pint with friends at ‘the local’ is impossible to beat.
Stripping off into your trunks with the cold wind on your back and plunging into icy waters with strangers; might also be the very last thing that many people associate with a ‘relaxing’ weekend.
However, there is logic behind the madness of cold swimming.
Ian Wood is a photographer from Cumbria. It’s an area with twice the national suicide rate than the rest of the UK and it also happens to be on the doorstep of the lake district and has access to some of the best countryside in the UK.
Yet originally, Ian always disliked the outdoors…
“Having lived next to lakes my whole life, I hated them. They looked cold and miserable. Yet, one day in August after an outdoor photoshoot, everyone got into the water and I just couldn’t.”
“It wasn’t even that cold but I couldn’t do it. I just thought they were crazy… I went up to my balls and couldn’t go further.”
This was four years ago (2020) and was a turning point in Ian’s life.
“That moment set something alive in me. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” he explained.
Ian is ADHD and previously lived a “chaotic lifestyle”. He had a 30-year-long habit of regular weekend drinking.
“I missed the buzz that alcohol gave me but I found that buzz in cold water swimming. You never regret a swim, it’s always great once you get in.”
He decided to swap alcohol with cold swimming for good.
“My chaotic nature normally creates a busy mind so I am doing 1 million things at once. But my mind slows down when I go swimming and it stays calmer for ages after too,” he says.
“I feel that I’ve done something really valuable for myself.”
Ian has never looked back.
The physical health benefits of cold swimming are widely reported. From increased blood circulation, immune system strengthening, muscle and inflammation recovery.
However, the challenge of swimming in the uninviting waters can help people overcome mental challenges too.
Is cold swimming safe?
Cold swimming is an extreme sport and if the rules are not respected, it can become an unpleasant and dangerous experience.
To find out how to do it safely, we spoke with Gilly McArthur, a well-known individual in the UK cold swimming communities. She is an influencer with 18,000 followers, a director of a sustainability festival, and a founder a men’s swim club.
Through documenting her icy swims online, Gilly spearheads encouragement for new people getting involved in cold swimming. She also promotes the fantastic health benefits that cold water therapy can give people.
“The serotonin and dopamine go around the body and, in that moment, everything else almost melts away. It’s a sharp all-encompassing emotion that makes you feel more connected with your body,” she says.
Gilly is officially a ‘cold swim coach’ after completing qualifications in open water swimming, lifesaving and first aid.
“My motto is: that the cold is the destination and there are loads of doors to it (cold showers or plunges). But the safest way to start is ‘contrast therapy’, turn the shower colder and then warmer and keep doing it until you don’t react, this trains the body to allow itself to warm up.”
However, some people react badly to cold water…
Sudden exposure to cold water can result in hypothermia, abnormal heart rhythms, cardiac arrests, cold shock, and after-drops.
The Guardian found that from 2018-2021, there was a reported 79% increase in open water swimming deaths, all associated with cold shock.
This often happens when swimmers do not take their ‘ego’ out of the sport.
Cold swimmers therefore must develop a good understanding of their body and realise that people feel the cold differently depending on a variety of factors like illness, sleep, food consumed.
Instead of competing with previous times, swimmers must realize every swim is unique.
Gilly experienced this during her own cold swimming journey.
“I was swimming with friends who were in for a while and I was already feeling cold but instead of getting out, I stayed in.”
“When I finally got back to the shore I had ‘after drop’ where the cold blood from my extremities rushed back to my core and I felt faint. I nearly passed out and I was cold for the rest of the day,” she explained.
If Gilly passed out on the ice alone, then she would have severe hypothermia. This would have been life threatening. It shows it’s often best to go with someone.
The Outdoor Swimming Society advises that the human body only needs 2 minutes a session (in the water) and 11 minutes total a week to obtain the full benefits from cold water immersion.
Engagement in Men is Low
In 2022 Gilly decided to create a men-only swim club called ‘Blue Mind Men’s Swim Club’ (Blue Mind). This was because she noticed that the majority of her cold swim groups were middle aged women going through menopause.
She wanted to challenge this trend.
That January, Gilly swam with different men every day and shared their mental health stories to raise awareness for men’s health for a charity called ‘Calm’.
“Cold swimming allows men to connect to their bodies and expel toxic masculinity. In turn, this normalises the task of men talking about their mental health” says Gilly.
BBC Future reported that three out of four suicides are by men and that suicide is the biggest killer in men aged under 45 in the UK.
These statistics stem from issues men face in talking about their mental health.
Clubs like Blue Mind focus on building a sense of community and have allowed members to ensure they remove ego and toxic masculinity from cold swims.
Ian joined the club in 2022 and now swims every week with them in local lakes, enjoying their “family community”.
“It’s a safe environment. If you’ve been in the lake you have to remove the ego, the community doesn’t have any alpha males.”
“We are quite an inclusive and diverse group and try to push an ‘anyone is welcome’ mentality.”
But ironically being in the water isn’t the most important aspect of the swim club.
“We are not psychologists, we are just blokes that ask each other ‘are you okay mate’. Men can come along to leave their stress at home. Some just come and swim alone or even just watch,” Ian explained.
“They just need to feel like we’ve given them permission to be there.”
“Men compete all the time in day-to-day life, we’ve often got horrific mental health. There is so much bravado and comparison of things. Yet, none of that stuff means anything when you’re standing in trunks in 5-degree water.”
“There’s no ego or heroes like in the pub.”
Gilly noticed similar feelings when coaching and often speaks to men about how it can benefit all aspects of their lives.
“Many of my clients haven’t done breathing work before which is essential in cold swims.”
“The control of your breath helps you control your body’s response and this can then help people in work life with anxiety in meetings for example” she says.
The Blue Mind club has seen rising interest from men.
15-20 people turn up at 9am every Sunday morning Now, organisers refuse to move the time slot regardless of weather or occasion.
The club won the 2023 ‘Ways to Wellbeing Award’ and have been continuing to grow ever since. With city dwellers travelling from places like Manchester, Liverpool, and London to take part in swims.
Yet, people can still join in closer to home.
Ian said: “Get outdoors, cold swimming is not just a countryside sport as there are always lakes, docks, pools or lidos – if you want it then get out there and do it!”
So, why not try a cold dip with your mates instead of that weekend pint?
Cold swimming used as therapy?
Maggy Blagrove is the director of the ‘Open Minds Active’ social impact organisation which uses cold water swimming as a form of ‘social prescription’ therapy.
Maggy explained: “It’s described as a more holistic form of therapy because it recognises that people’s health is determined by a range of social, economic, and environmental factors.”
“It allows GPs to refer clients to a range of non-clinical practices like us.”
Created in Bristol in 2020. Maggy made the group after both her parents died and she found that the regular ritual of open water swimming allowed her to process grief and improve her mental health long term.
“I had a friend who was dealing with postnatal depression and another who was having nervous breakdowns through stress at work. It was really helping us all.”
In Bristol people are now prescribed ‘wild swimming well-being’ as an effective form of therapy. The organisation works alongside the NHS to tackle waiting lists for depression and anxiety – in both men and women.
“There are other outdoor organisations involved too like walking or running clubs and we all work together. We create a network of outdoor therapy.”
The free six-week program of weekly cold-water swimming in groups has been widely praised. It reflects the effectiveness social swimming can have on improving mental health.
