LIVE WELL FOR LONGER
You have to wonder why anyone of sound mind would want to jump into a freezing cold lake or make year-round runs into the icy ocean, but there’s increasing evidence that cold water swimming can add years to our life, as well as life to our years. Regulars of cold water dips report fewer colds, aches or pains, as well as improved immunity, mood and more joie de vivre with age. As 83-year-old Monique Thomas, one of a group of intrepid swimmers who meet daily at dawn at Battery Rocks in the coastal town of Penzance, says: ‘I don’t tend to get colds and I always feel full of energy.’ So what is this chilly secret of the sea?
Firstly, on a physical level, being immersed in very cold water increases our white blood cell count as the body is forced to react to its
