— It is important not to have anything unsaid with the water
Ice swimming has in a short time become almost a national sport and the growing trend in Norway has made even the worst freeze stick curious.
Text Tina Hage
For speaker and author of the book "Winter Swimming", Cecilie Thunem-Saanum, magic happens when the temperature dips to 10 degrees. She is entering her ninth season as a year-round swimmer and can tell of multiple health benefits with great transfer values to both work and everyday life. Exposure to cold gives her a great sense of mastery and peace:
— For example, I can get nervous before I go on stage and then I can bring out the strength I had from the day before, when I was sitting in an ice hole that was minus two degrees.
She says that if you have a challenge in your everyday life, are dreading something, or are in a fast-paced environment, a cold bath can help you find inner peace and cope with the challenges better.
From the book "Winter Swimming" by Cecilie Thunem-Saanum, Cappelen Damm 2021. Photographer Anne Day.
Thunem-Saanum was challenged by her fitness instructor who thought she wasn't tough enough. Cecilie herself had never thought that year-round swimming was something for her. She believes that what can stop many people is that they associate winter swimming with freezing temperatures in cold weather, or how uncomfortable it can be with cold water in the shower:
— It becomes something completely different and cannot be compared. Along with the feeling of mastery, comes peace and well-being, then the warmth returns and I become grounded, she says, adding:
"I'm also a freezer person. Just today, I asked my husband to turn up the temperature on the heat pump," she laughs.
Don't have anything to do with the water.
To get the full effect, it is crucial to find calm in the water:
– We often see many people who jump into the water quickly and come back up just as quickly. That's fine and up to each individual, but for me it's important to have time where I lie completely still.
Thunem -Saanum tells of an episode she remembers particularly well. After a bath where she had come out of the water and started to get dressed, she didn't feel quite finished:
— I felt that I hadn't bathed enough, and felt restless. I hadn't found focus and calm in the water.
What she calls "having nothing to do with the water" has become an important concept for many year-round swimmers.
"I think it's nice to chat with the others, but I also need time alone with the water," she says.
From the book "Winter Swimming" by Cecilie Thunem-Saanum, Cappelen Damm 2021. Photographer Anne Day.
Are you a beginner?
Thunem-Saanum is often contacted by people from social media who are curious about year-round swimming:
"Many people are inspired by the calm they see others achieve, but are afraid that they won't be able to do it," she says. For beginners, she recommends starting with wading:
— Then you have contact with the seabed and get a greater sense of control. Then go out purposefully, but calmly.
Thunem-Saanum also recommends using social media to connect with other year-round swimmers. — Join swimming groups on social media and search for hashtags related to winter swimming, she advises, adding:
— Life is now! If you want to take a bath, then take that bath, there's nothing to wait for.
