Thank you for making last Sunday the biggest Serotonin Swim so far.
All 104 of you - amazing work!
Join the next Serotonin Swim this Sunday 20th Oct anytime 9am - 11am
Why so soon? 3 reasons;
Forecast is for a warm autumnal Sunday - Let’s seize the day!
Lots of people signed up AFTER it ended which implies many of you felt the benefits and recommended it to friends
Acclimatisation - keeping swims close together makes it much easier to adjust
Remember the aim is to swim 1 length. Then collect your sticker and treat reward. Once you complete 3 swims you will earn the special token of achievement. List of scientifically proven benefits below. First serotonin swim? See below my signature.
Thought I'd invite you with poetry this week;
Red, brown, cinnamon and umber leaves, water about 12 degrees, I look at the lido and think yes please! Wash away the week and bring me back to the now, post swim my mood is wow! All those things I suppressed inside, I realise I don't need to hide, I am enough and always have been, the sauna's hot(ish) and the waters so clean!
Wendy Cope I'm coming for your crown!
Oh yes, breaking news, the sauna has a new door handle!
And Kate Middleton loves cold water swimming - see here
Volunteer for 15 mins this Sunday to hand out the stickers? Just reply to this post, I would love your help.
A cold water swim helps us;
regulate emotions
boost immune system
calm thoughts
get perspective
reduce inflammation
recharge cognitive energy
support sleep
The power of being together
Did you know there is an interesting anomaly with some of the studies into cold water swimming? Researchers can't be sure which benefits are attributed to the cold water and which to humans being together. Just one conversation is enough to release the feel good hormone oxytocin and reduce the stress hormone cortisol. I remember this first hand when a woman I once met on a bus asked me if I was ok (I wasn't) and in that moment I felt someone cared and that meant so much it moved me to tears. I’ll be sharing some simple techniques to strengthen relationships with you over the coming months. In the meantime, this Sunday say ‘hi’ to the person next to you or give someone a warm smile and remember that these tiny actions mean more than we sometimes realise.
You are a good person, doing your best. That’s enough.
P.S - if you can’t make it to the lido, swim where you can. And if you can’t swim, there is always an invigorating cold shower!
First Serotonin Swim?
Please book your swim via the Better site here (they manage the pool). This makes it much quicker to get in on the day.
The below applies if water temperature is below 10 degrees. This Sunday the water temperature will be around 16 degrees.
Click here for Jesus Green Lido community survey data on how to adjust to cool water swimming
BBC Science here - Why an icy dip is good for your mental and physical health
Article here - Neoprene and afterdrop: how to keep swimming outside this winter
BBC Just one thing - benefits of swimming here