Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 12

SHIVER ME TIMBERS

t h e manual

HOT CROSS TRAINER

s
'
r
e
m
i
T
t
Firsuide to...
G

Next time
someone tells me
to go and jump
in a lake, I'll
leave it until at
least June

by GEMMA CORRELL

winter swimming
T

his is something I've
wanted to do ever since
one snowy January
years ago when a wet-haired
octogenarian volunteered to
everyone within earshot that
she'd just been for her daily dip
in the Women's Ponds on Hampstead
Heath and it was 'marvellous'. From that
moment on I've wanted to go swimming
with the crazies in the icy London
waters, though I told myself I wouldn't
be smug afterwards.

CHILLING OUT
The Serpentine Swimming Club meets
daily in Hyde Park, one of a number of
places people can swim in the elements
with nothing but a bathing costume,
goggles and a swimming cap. Wetsuits
are positively poopoo-ed. It was in late
October when I donned my Speedos and
fulfilled my destiny. Okay, it wasn't quite
winter (there was no ice on the water)
but it was suitably, shrinkingly cold.
Annual membership of the club is
£20 a year but visitors get their first
swim free and you couldn't meet a more
welcoming collection of Londoners.
They were full of advice: 'First time,

eh? You'll love it. Cold
though. Never gets
easy.' I asked around
for something a bit more
practical. 'Straight in,
don't dilly dally,' said
one. 'Nice and slow,'
said another...

PLAYING IT COOL
I was handed a legal waiver I tried hard
to avoid reading in case it stopped me
doing it (especially the bit headed 'heart
attack, drowning or accident') and I
signed it quickly, thinking if today's the
day my heart stops, at least it'll be here
in Hyde Park.
As it turned out, the swim itself
was a doddle. I eased myself in with a
selection of swear words and suddenly
I was swimming. The sun came up over
Whitehall and the local geese saluted
me with a flyby. I wrote in my notebook
afterwards: 'London is amazing. People
are amazing. Life is amazing.'
One final thing, though. Remember
that while cold water swimming can
be beneficial to long term health, it can
also be a shock to your system. Build a
solid tolerance to cold water over time,
in the shower, before hitting any lake.
I may have finally emulated my old
friend, the Hampstead octogenarian.
My bid to avoid smugness, though,
was an abject failure. B

HOW TO SIGN UP
The Serpentine
Swimming Club
(serpentine
swimming
club.com)

12

Where:
The Serpentine,
Hyde Park
Level
Cost
Only for
Try free; then
the healthy
£20 a year

Time
Everyday,
6-9.30am

BA LA N CE January 2018

life coach corner
A YEAR OF
SELF-CARE
by JULIE MONTAGU
Self-care starts with a single habit:
the habit of choosing you. Create a
daily habit that makes you feel good.
1. Pick something small. 
2. Get someone to check in with.
3. Set a specific time to do this
each day.
4. Track each day you do this.
You can track it anywhere: on your
phone, a calendar, in a daily
planner. Whatever you choose, just
track it. 
Each day that you do your activity,
put a checkmark on that day. 
Recharge: A Year of Self-care to
Focus on You by Julie Montagu is
available now (£12.99, Piatkus)
juliemontagu.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: JACK ALEXANDER

Jamie Glassman plays
it cool (let's be honest,
cold) with a bracing dip
http://www.serpentineswimmingclub.com http://www.juliemontagu.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance Jan Issue 2018
