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It Was Meant to be Therapeutic, But the Icy Cold Water Nearly Killed Me!

It was one of those days, when madness overcame me; I had woken up this morning feeling kinda lethargic and fatigued. I had a lot of work to get through today so I needed a quick fix solution that would waken my body from its slumber.

I recently read an article about the therapeutic benefits of showering in freezing cold water and this combined with an article about crazy Russians that participate in ice swimming, in the pictures they all looked so alive and healthy.

There is seemingly a wide range of health benefits to be gained by showering or bathing in freezing cold water on a regular basis. Including the following:

• Brings blood to the capillaries, therefore increasing circulation throughout the body.
• Cleans the circulatory system.
• Reduces blood pressure on internal organs.
• Provides flushing for the organs and provides a new supply of blood.
• Strengthens the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.
• Contracts the muscles to eliminate toxins and poisonous wastes.
• Strengthens the mucous membranes, which help resist hay fever, allergies, colds, and coughs.

So today on this warmish and sunny Scottish Tuesday morning, at about 9am I headed down to Balmedie in Aberdeen. It is one of the best beaches the world, miles and miles of huge expanses of sand. The North Sea doesn’t look too inviting though; it looks real cold and uninviting.

I walked along the sands for about a mile or so to enjoy the scenery and healthy fresh sea air, or maybe I was building up the courage for what I was planning to do. It was time for me to take my dip in the North Sea, I thought how bad can it be and think of all those health benefits and all that work have ahead of me today.

The time had come, I made sure there wasn’t anybody around for miles, I changed into my swimming shorts, dam I was looking and feeling real white, I need some sun on my pale skin real bad. I took a few deep breaths and ran like a mad man straight for the North Sea, my adrenalin was pumping like crazy as I reached the waters edge. I ran about 3 steps into the sea then dived forward submerging my whole body into the water. It was freezing, it was the coldest I have ever felt in my life, and that’s saying something living in Scotland.

The freezing cold North Sea had taken my breath away, I could hardly breath and I was shivering like crazy, I felt like I was going to die, I think my heart even stopped beating for a few seconds. I got myself to my feet and thought about running straight out again, but I’m brave and decided to stay in the sea for about another 10 seconds, before I ran out as fast as I could.

I quickly ran to my towel, my body had literally turned blue from the cold water. I luckily had brought a huge bath towel with me; I was dry and dressed again in about 1 minute. My frozen limbs could barely move but, through the power of my mind, I somehow managed to get them to function.

My conclusion is that maybe these crazy Russians and all the other advocates, of the therapeutic benefits of bathing in cold water, maybe have something. I felt like I was about to die when I entered the water, but afterwards when I was dry and warm again, I had never felt so alive and invigorated.

I now feel ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead for me today.

As part of my campaign to get fitter and healthier I have been exploring natual remedies and have found a great site packed full of amazing ideas Beet Juice: Simplest but an effective tool against hypertension!

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