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Original poster

Outside swimming anyone?

80 replies

HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 21:37

Does anyone do outside swimming? I have started having a daily dip. I am working up to actually swimming, at the moment I just slowly inch my way in up to my neck and then stay as long as possible. Then I tread water for a minute or so but I am trying to stop myself hyperventilating as soon as my feet leave the ground. It was 7 degrees today .

Can anyone tell I am not a natural cold water fiend? This is an attempt to improve my mental health/ decrease anxiety. It will also give me a bit of focus in lockdown as I don’t work and the kids are at school, and all the stuff I do normally has just stopped.

It does make you feel great afterwards.

OP posts:
Millie2013 · 06/11/2020 21:43

My friend does open water swimming, she’s in a local group and (pre lockdown) they met regularly at local venues. She’s done an open water swimming course, so is very clued up on safety
She has a pool in her back garden and swims in that too
She says she feels great afterwards, I’m not convinced, as I hate the cold Grin

Millie2013 · 06/11/2020 21:44

Ps she found her local group on Facebook :)

TheChosenTwo · 06/11/2020 21:46

Ooh Lordy lord, no chance of me doing it, but sounds like a great mental challenge along with all the other great physical benefits.
Good luck!

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Perfect28 · 06/11/2020 21:47

Just came here to say how annoying it is that parents who are at home and can have their kids at home choose not to.

Perfect28 · 06/11/2020 21:49

Which I know is irrelevant and you'll all shout at me for 😂

Original poster
HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 21:51

Well take that up with all the stay at home parents on mumsnet Perfect28 and it will certainly keep you busy in lockdown.

It does really help with my mood and I am amazed that I have begun to tolerate the cold to the extent I have. I have never been in the sea in mid summer voluntarily for about five years 😆

OP posts:
timeforanewstart · 06/11/2020 21:53

@perfect28 why would people have kids at home when schools are open

Anordinarymum · 06/11/2020 21:53

I have thought about this also but would need a wetsuit

Original poster
HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 21:56

Give it a go Anordinarymum, honestly If I can do it anyone can. I have wetsuit socks and gloves otherwise my feet just burn and it is horrible. Plus I am going in a lake and the mud is gooey and horrible between my toes.

OP posts:
ameliameerkat · 06/11/2020 21:59

Lots of folk near me do it and they seem very happy when they come out! I can often hear their screams when they go in though!!

CherryPavlova · 06/11/2020 22:00

I do. I love the sea. I don’t use a wetsuit but my husband has neoprene gloves and socks. I quite like rivers too but prefer places without a bank to climb up afterwards.
Going tomorrow.

IliveonCoffee · 06/11/2020 22:01

@Perfect28 I find it really annoying when replies focus on an irrelevant detail in the OP rather than answering the question posed.

Anyway. I'd love to get into outdoor swimming. Where on earth do you start? I can't even say where the nearest body of water is, let alone whether it would be safe to take a plunge in.

I was always the first in the outdoor pool as a child, and pop up and under the water, saying 'it's not that cold, while everyone else tentatively froze off toes.

I'm a warm person though, so that might help...

CherryPavlova · 06/11/2020 22:04

Water temperature is about 15 degrees at moment. It’s only usually around 17-18 degrees in summer, so not too chilly yet. Warmer in than out.

Original poster
HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 22:04

CherryPavlova I would love to go in the sea now I have built up some resistance!

OP posts:
Ragwort · 06/11/2020 22:04

Perfect what an odd comment to make Confused - why should parents have their children at home if they are meant to be in school ... or do you not approve of SAHMs?

I love swimming outdoors, not wild swimming, but in pools but I don't know of any locally that are open now. I did swim in Penzance lido a few weeks ago on a very cold day, it was a lovely experience.

Screwcorona · 06/11/2020 22:05

I go a lot, in the sea or an estuary near me. Due to being pregnant I'm in a wetsuit now but otherwise would be in a swimsuit.

I find you need to take it slow, once your full body is in the water do your head under and allow your body to completely be acclimatised to the cold, then swim. You dont want cold water shock.

You can get neoprene bathing suits to just keep core temp but there is no shane in suiting up. Stay safe especially if alone.

Open water swimming completely transforms how I feel

Original poster
HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 22:06

IliveonCoffee I am lucky enough to have a suitable body of water near my house , but maybe there are groups on Facebook? I might have a look, it would be good to have company

OP posts:
edwinbear · 06/11/2020 22:07

I did a cross Channel relay swim a couple of years ago which meant a lot of training in Dover Harbour. I used to feel fantastic after training, although I too, hate cold water. I’ve not been since we did our swim but seriously thinking about getting back into it. There’s a swimming lake just opened near me where I was planning to go until it was closed for lockdown. The euphoria when you get out is amazing!

CherryPavlova · 06/11/2020 22:08

I never really started. I’ve always swum outside. It used to just be called swimming not wild or cold water swimming. It’s best to acclimatise rather than leap in during January. Not too long - roughly two minutes per degree is a good starting point but everyone is different. Hats keep some core heat in.

Perfect28 · 06/11/2020 22:09

Not at all against SAHP it's just that we are in a pandemic, schools are not safe and the more children that are in the greater the risk to everyone. Schools are not open because they are safe, they are open because parents need to work and wouldn't accept another closure. If you can support learning from home in this time perhaps you should. But yes it's a total hijack and I'm sorry.

Original poster
HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 22:09

Screwcorona - me too! The last two weeks I have been generally so upbeat despite having an awful lot of stress going on.

I just need to actually start swimming but to be honest I am a poor swimmer and I really need to manage my breathing better.

OP posts:
ouchmyfeet · 06/11/2020 22:11

@Perfect28

Not at all against SAHP it's just that we are in a pandemic, schools are not safe and the more children that are in the greater the risk to everyone. Schools are not open because they are safe, they are open because parents need to work and wouldn't accept another closure. If you can support learning from home in this time perhaps you should. But yes it's a total hijack and I'm sorry.
Oh piss off!
CherryPavlova · 06/11/2020 22:12

If you’re worried about safety, a good few lidos have sessions over the winter and tidal sea pools make for calmer water. Facebook is a good place to start with an outdoor swimming page and a Did you swim today page.

Original poster
HumphreyCobblers · 06/11/2020 22:13

Oh perfect28 could you start your own thread perhaps? I have a child with SN and cannot support my child with their education at home actually. Which is the cause of much of my stress, which the cold water swimming is helping with. It really isn’t on to barge onto a thread like this with your views.

OP posts:
Lindy2 · 06/11/2020 22:14

I love the idea of outdoor wild swimming but I'm really not good at getting in to cold water.

OP I think you're doing really well to go in up to your neck at this time of year.

I went to the lido at Penzance this summer. The sessions were 1 hour long and it took me 35 minutes to manage to get far enough into the water to swim (and that was in August Blush).

Perfect - children are supposed to be in school. To keep them home they would need to be deregistered from state education and the vast majority of parents would not want that. What a bizarre comment you made.