WHY COLD WATER? (special appearance from a heron at end 💕) Reduced stress levels. Regularly immersion in cold water imposes a small amount of stress on your body, which leads to a process called hardening. This means that your nervous system gradually gets used to handling moderate levels of stress. The hardening process helps you to keep a cool head, the next time you find yourself in a stressful situation. Higher level of alertness. Cold wakes your body up, inducing a higher state of alertness. The cold also stimulates you to take deeper breaths, decreasing the level of CO2 throughout the body, helping you concentrate. Cold water may keep you ready and focused throughout the day. More robust immune response. Scientific studies have found that taking a cold water immersion increases the number of white blood cells in your body. These blood cells protect your body against diseases. Researchers believe that this process is related to an increased metabolic rate, which stimulates the immune response. Increased willpower. It takes a strong mind to endure the cold for extended periods of time. By incorporating cold water into your routine, you are strengthening your willpower, which benefits many aspects of (your) daily life. Weight loss. Research has shown that cold water (and exposure to cold in general), in addition to increasing metabolic rate directly, stimulate the generation of brown fat. Brown fat is a specific type of fat tissue that in turn generates energy by burning calories. (Taken from @iceman_hof ) “The real benefits from swimming in menopause and post-menopause are not only to do with our muscles and joints, but all to do with our blood pressure and lymphatic system....Swimming decreases the vascular stiffness that arrives as we lose oestrogen in menopause. Open water offers a chance to enjoy physical activity, to be part of a community, and to embrace the immersion in nature that open water offers – all of which are crucial to wellbeing during the menopause” @thejogifford #coldwaterswimming #menopause #coldwatertherapy #mentalhealthawareness