The length of time you stay in the water depends on the temperature, which I’ve noticed is something of a national obsession. Bathing piers wouldn’t be complete without a small thermometer bobbing on the end of a string. Some people decide their bathing ‘season’ around these numbers. For example, my parents-in-law, Inger and Bo, begin their season when the mercury rises above 10°C (50°F)! ‘As soon as I hit the water, I feel completely awake and ready for the day ahead,’ enthuses Inger. ‘It’s just you and the great expanse of water. It’s an incredibly humbling experience and so relaxing to feel the warm sun and cool breeze on your body afterwards.’
No excuses!
Nowhere near any sea, river, stream or lake? Try ending your daily shower with a cold-water blast. It may not be as mindful or empowering as a saltwater swim, but you’ll still get many of the physiological benefits and will almost certainly wake up with a jolt!
‘She loved the sea. She liked the sharp, salty smell of the air, and the vastness of the horizons, bounded only by a vault of azure sky above. It made her feel small, but free as well.’
George R. R. Martin A Storm of Swords
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Five great reasons to enjoy a morning dip
Boost your immunity A study by Czech scientists found that immersing your body in cold water daily indicated an increased number of white blood cells in your body.8 These activate your immune system and boost your health.
Get a natural high and relieve pain When you jump into cold water, your body releases endorphins in reaction to the burning sensation on your skin. This rush also acts as an anti-inflammatory, momentarily eliminating aches and pains.
Relieve allergies Hay fever sufferers (of which I am one) will be interested to hear that sea water acts as a natural nasal decongestant, cleansing pollen from nasal passages without irritating the skin.
Boost your sex life As if I haven’t given you reason enough! Immersing yourself in cold water is said to increase testosterone and oestrogen, which boosts the libido.
Get happy A study9 by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine found that submerging yourself in cold water could have antidepressive effects.
See you at the water’s edge!
How to enter cold water – from a year-round bather
‘Instead of thinking how cold it’s going to be, the key is to relax and focus on positive factors, such as the beautiful scenery, the stillness of the ocean, the formation of birds as they swoop across the sky, or the freedom you’ll feel once you’re in the water.’
Maibritt Johnsson, Malmö, Sweden
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SAUNA
Ask people for a word associated with Sweden and ‘sauna’ will likely pop up high on the list. Simply referred to locally as bada bastu, or a casual basta, sauna use varies widely across the country. There are avid users who choose to go alone, arriving at the crack of dawn to enjoy the peace and tranquillity. Others use the session to catch up with a friend, and there are even whole groups who meet as part of a monthly sauna club (my husband being one).
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Either way, the routine is generally the same. The idea of the bada bastu is to perspire au naturel in hot, dry heat in a small wood-lined room until you feel the need to cool off. You then submerge your body in cold water (whether that’s a dip in the sea, a cold shower or a roll in the snow – brrrrrr!) and relax for a while in the great outdoors before repeating the process (usually up to three times).
Although some people enjoy private saunas, most large towns in Sweden have a public sauna – it’s a bit of an institution. A British friend once observed that the public sauna is ‘the closest thing the Swedes have to the local village pub’. It’s an establishment where everyone’s welcome, prejudices are stripped away at the door (along with clothes), and people of all ages and backgrounds sit together in harmony.
The ‘nude’ aspect of the Swedish sauna may leave the more prudish among us positively squirming. But, hygiene factors aside, going in your birthday suit enhances the wonderful, unpretentious nature of the activity. No one is there to flaunt their figures or eye up others. Instead, people of all shapes and sizes sit side by side for the same purpose: to cleanse the body and soul and to relax. Just don’t forget to bring a small towel to sit on!
Reasons to bada bastu
The positive effects of taking a sauna are well documented. While the heat helps to flush away impurities, leaving you with a glowing complexion, the hot–cold treatment helps relieve stress, improve circulation, boost immunity and relieve pain. In fact, a recent study by the University of Eastern Finland even found that frequent sauna use is good for your heart!10
So why not find a sauna in your area? Your mind and body will thank you for it. If the idea of going in the buff makes you feel a little hot under the collar, rest assured that in the UK it’s standard to wear a bathing suit or cover your dangly bits with a strategically placed towel – phew!
Sauna etiquette
+ Take a small towel to sit on.
+ Leave your clothes and bathing suit at the door (unless it’s mixed sex or you’re in the UK).
+ Keep your voice low.
+ Make room for others as they enter.
+ Check with others before throwing water over the coals.
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INTO THE WILD
Mention there’s a forest down the road, and a Swede will be off faster than you can fill your Thermos. Sweden has 29 national parks and more than half of the country is covered in forest, so the countryside is a huge part of life. Allemansrätten, translated as ‘everyman’s right’, gives people the right to roam freely and enjoy activities such as foraging for wild fruit and camping wherever they choose (as long as they’re not disturbing others). As a result, it’s not unusual for Swedes to take a picnic and enjoy an outdoor adventure no matter the weather – with activities ranging from hiking to sailing, kayaking, cross-country skiing and even dog-sledding.
I’m convinced these activities contribute to the Swedes’ inner calm, and there are an increasing number of studies showing nature’s significant positive effects. A 2016 campaign by The Wildlife Trusts found people who regularly engaged in activities connected to nature showed a significant increase in happiness and health.11 Other research has also shown nature to soothe, heal and help restore our minds, as well as boost creativity. The next time you’re feeling the heat, why not pack a picnic and head outdoors?
‘There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is a society where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more.’
Lord Byron, Childe Harold, Canto IV, Verse 178