‘It’s great for the mind and the body’

DONAL LONG

Cold water swimming is something that many people have taken the plunge with over the past year of lockdown.

With many hobbies put on hold due to the pandemic, swimming, and in particular bracing the frigid waters around Ireland is proving a great alternative. FM104 radio host Thomas Crosse from Navan has picked it up and is now a firm believer in all its wonderful benefits.

Thomas, known as 'Crossy' to some, explained it was a spur of the moment decision that would turn into a daily habit. “I just went for a walk one day and it was actually gorgeous weather outside. I was like, I just want to jump into the sea and feel fresh again.” An action that left Thomas with no regret in the slightest. “I felt great, I swear to God. I went to bed that night, I had the best night’s sleep. It was June when I started going every single day.”

At the moment, due to Covid restrictions, Thomas swims at Seapoint beach, within his 5km in Dublin. When free for choice, he tends to mix it up between the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire, Bettystown and Laytown.

“When that five kilometre rule was lifted, I was heading over to Bettystown and Laytown. They have a massive community over there.” He went on to explain how the community around cold water swimming has grown massively over the last few months.

“I couldn’t believe how many people would actually do it on a daily basis. In the last year they’ve turned it into their life.”

The community over at Laytown beach are all very organised and closely connected, according to Thomas.

“There must be about 200 people in a WhatsApp group that go to Laytown. They all have different slots, because everyone can’t go together.” When swimming on Christmas Day, Thomas got talking to some women who explained how every slot is special. “They were like, we do tea runs and coffee and you know, each slot has a different thing to bring.”

When it comes to dealing with the cold, there are a few things Thomas does to help bear it. “You can buy swimsuit socks. I don’t do it but a lot of people, especially around this time, use the gloves and socks. Also mentioning that he sees plenty of use of full swimsuits, which are great to “keep that tiny bit of warmth in.”

Post swim, there are also some physical actions Thomas has tried to restore the heat to his body. “There was a trick Wim Hof did. You’d get out of the water then just like you’re doing a squat, so you get down to a squat level. Then you get your hands and start waving them around, apparently that makes the blood flow all over your body. It has worked a few times, I’ve seen loads of lads and ladies doing it.”

He also gave a fair warning to those looking to start swimming in the coming weeks. “Apparently February’s the worst. If you’re starting out, February and March are probably the coldest.”

Since starting swimming daily, Thomas has noticed a number of benefits to his personal life. “I feel it’s great for the mind and body.”

The sense of freshness and clarity of mind is one of the leading positives Thomas states. It also proved to help him maintain healthy sleeping patterns.

After a two-week period unable to swim due to work commitments, Crossy began experiencing sleeping difficulties. When realising it was due to the lack of cold water swimming, he picked up where he left off.

“I went back swimming the next day and I was back sleeping properly.” The salt water swimming also provided some healthy physical changes for Thomas. “My skin has never felt better, my hair feels great. I feel I’ve an extra pep in my step.”

It’s something everyone should try in Thomas’ opinion, recommending companionship for your first outing.

“Don’t go out on your own the first day. There’s plenty of Facebook, Instagram WhatsApp groups for people who go swimming on a daily basis. Just go onto Instagram and have a look for these pages, just message them. I did that, I’m in two groups, three actually.” The benefits are something everyone can take advantage of as he mentions.

Thomas offers some words of advice for anyone thinking of getting involved in cold water swimming. “Go with somebody, or find somebody who is going. Don’t pressure yourself, like if you go out there on a Monday and you can only dip your feet into it, that’s totally fine. Always know what you're getting into. You know don’t jump off a rock thinking you know what’s underneath. Know it’s cold and don’t push your body to the limit at the very start. Everyone started off somewhere, everyone has built up that resilience of the coldness of the water. If it’s choppy don’t get in. You don’t want the lifeguards and all that to have to be looking after you.”