Skip to main content

Cold water immersion with Ms Humdrum and Mrs H

Week 1 - just learning
Some three weeks ago, during a chat about boredom or exercise or some other rubbish, I said we should make an effort to swim more. I meant after June! She challenged me to start the next day! In April! What? Of course, I couldn't say no and of course, we have wet suits. Shorties.
We are frequent sea swimmers; luckily our boys all love the sea and can spend hours messing around there. Park Wednesday, or Thursday or whatever day it was that term, moves into Beach Wednesday when it's warm enough. This year though, with all of them being a secondary school, suddenly life is different. There sadly is no park day. No frequent catch up for us mums either.
Week 2 - sun!
Yesterday was swim week 3 and we must miss this weekend coming as Mrs H is away. What have we learned? We have learned that you need to boil the kettle before setting off to swim. You need a hat afterwards, Ms Humdrum needs to remember! You need gloves as it's FREEZING and your hands hurt like HELL. You also need to remember, from yesterday's swim, not to gossip too much on the way and have to make a triangular reroute on the way back because you didn't realise you were drifting. And don't forget the tide comes in quickly so may wet your towels. We also learned that whilst we felt impressed with what we were doing, we saw the old ladies who were dipping in just swimsuits! 
Week 3 - I still forgot my hat
My new favourite magazine, Breathe, had an article on Cold Water Immersion (or just swimming as we call it). It references Dr Mike Tipton, who is professor of human and applied physiology, at our own University of Porstmouth. He is a world expert on how cold water affects humans. Inconclusive as yet, evidence seems to show that there is a whole raft of benefits claimed by wild water swimmers - exercise is good for you, being outdoors and sharing a passion with like-minded people does you good emotionally, exposure to cold water seems to encourage resistance to colds, and triggers a surge of hormones improving your mood (paraphrased from Breathe). I have a friend who swims with her mermaids on a Sunday morning just down the beach from where I swim, and I know that apart from the physical benefits, she just loves the connection she has with her mermaids, only posting today of their beautiful souls she is glad to have found. 

 I have posted before about feeling a bit lost since my son started secondary school, but catching up more regularly with Mrs H, as well as my exercise fun with Ms B, has started to fill those gaps for me and I'm not feeling as low as I was before Easter. I have had some success in becoming more resilient to work-related pressure - can I put this down to the cold water immersion? Who knows, but I'm sure it all helps. I'm not as tired anymore and have more energy in the afternoons after school, instead of hunkering down on the sofa, trying to keep my eyes open. I think we should've contacted this Dr Tipton and offered our services as guinea pigs. Maybe we still can? 

 There's just one comment I have to make about Breathe's otherwise fabulous and informative article - there's a section at the end entitled Where to try cold-water swimming. Lovely places are mentioned, including Brighton beach. Ummm. Your main expert is based in Portsmouth. How about Southsea beach? I know I'm biased, but I'd say it's far better than Brighton beach! Six miles of stunning Solent views, from Hayling Island to the Isle of Wight, two piers, hundreds of yachts, access to historic fortifications and dockyard including The Mary Rose Museum, all flanked by a huge common. Come try it!
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Would I Lie To You board family game review

Would I Lie To You? "The game of believable lies and unbelievable lies ", linked into the TV show of the same name. Purchased:  December 2017 in Waterstones, for around £20 In a nutshell: These TV show-affiliated games usually show themselves up (Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Top Gear) but this game is fun and easy to play (if a little modified) as a family. You don't really need specialist knowledge to play, just the ability to lie! Every year for Christmas, I like to buy a board game to play, even though no games better either Ludo (in which my dad is the reigning cheater-champion, and argues to high heaven over the rules about doubling up or how to place your counters in "Home") or Rummikub (which we can now play with two packs of cards lest we forget the game). This year, Would I Lie To You caught my eye in Waterstones (other emporiums - emporia? - for book lovers are [locally] unavailable). It's a game, it says, for 2-8 players; however we dec...
5 comments
Read more

Ms Humdrum reviews: The Taken escape room from Escape London

YES we found Bob! Escape rooms seem to be the new thing. You pay to be locked into a room, with your goal being to escape! But it’s a little more than that. Teamwork aids the solving of puzzles and challenges, with clues around you, be it icons or codes. There is not always just one room; often a second room is there for the finding. Based around a theme, this immersive style of game has really taken off, with even my mum completing one! I was imagining a quiz based on general or specific knowledge, but no, it’s not necessary to have any prior information. Anyone can take part. Last week, on a family day out, I “Escaped” with my mum, cousin and her daughter. The rules were explained to us before we entered and we were told that while there was a camera, there was no audio. If we required help (yes you can ask for help!), we needed to dance in front of the camera and help would come via the TV screen in the room. Our theme was “Taken” - our good friend Bob had gone missing and we we...
1 comment
Read more

Ms Humdrum reviews: B Afternoon Tea Bus Tour around London

Family and friends, tasty tea, cute cakes, succulent sarnies, scrumptious scones… what more could you ask for? Some sightseeing around Central London please. Oh, and on a vintage red double decker bus, if you don’t mind. What I’ve described is exactly what you get from the B Afternoon Tea Bus Tour. Priced at around what I paid for the Ritz afternoon tea some five years ago, you rock up at Victoria bus station and check-in to board the bus. The waiting staff guide you on and you find your booth. I manged to get a photo before anyone arrived.  The tea is set up for you and is sort of stuck down on the table with a little bit of material! Note the nice touches of the flowers adorning the sides of the bus and the tables with natty bus and shopper images. You settle in and order your first (of many) drinks. I had in my head that I’d be supping loose tea using a strainer out of a bone china cup and saucer. However that just isn’t going to work on a bus, I realise. So you are gi...
2 comments
Read more