In Morillon and Samoëns, these Savoyardes who benefit from the benefits of the baths in ice water

Six degrees Celsius barely. This is the temperature of the blue lake, this January morning in Morillon (Haute-Savoie). However, the frosty, as they are nicknamed, seem enthusiastic about the idea of ​​immersing them. ” How are you ! It’s a little hotter than usual, ”laughs Françoise who, all winter, comes to swim there two to three times a week.

With Florence and Laure, they have been swimming in cold water for a few years already. Concretely, it is a question of being active in water between 5 and 15 ° C. Nothing to do with a static immersion in an ice cream bathtub or the traditional barbotage of January 1 in the Mediterranean…

The sauna to warm up

The most courageous, like Carrie and Sylvie, also swim in icy water this time, that is to say between 0 and 5 ° C, a little higher in the mountains, in lake with ladies, in Samoëns. They were even medalists in 50 m freestyle at the last French championships in category 55-59 years!

And, to warm up between two lengths, these ladies take refuge in a sauna: “From October to April, I install it by the lake. It allows the most chilly to more easily try the experience of swimming in cold water! Explains ASA, a Swedish who has lived in Samoëns for twenty years, also followers lengths in the lake.

Natural painkiller

“Cold swimming is accessible to any healthy person,” says Dr. Alexandre Fuzeau, nicknamed Ice Doc because of his records within 5 ° C. She does not carefully speak, but allows to maintain her physical condition. In those who practice it regularly, there is an improvement in blood pressure and heart rate.

Scientific studies have also shown better protection against excess cholesterol or insulin resistance (the first stage of type 2 diabetes). And a beneficial effect on the joints: movement, especially in the cold and in water, where the body weight is reduced, are strongly advised when one suffers from rheumatism. Another interesting result is stimulating the immune system: “Some studies have shown that fans of winter swimming have much less colds than the rest of the population,” said Dr. Fuzeau.

Recommended medical advice

The risks are rare but they exist (blood circulation disorders, discomfort, hypothermia, etc.). It is therefore strongly advised to practice with several. There are dozens of structures in France, clubs or associations. The ideal is to start after summer, simply by continuing to bathe. Gradually, the body will get used to increasingly cool water.

It is also better to talk to his attending physician in order to dismiss any contraindication. As for the frosty, four in number seven years ago, they are now more than eighty to swim regularly in winter at Lake Bleu or that of the ladies.

And Samoëns has carved out a great reputation by organizing national and international competitions of cold or icy water on several occasions. If the adventure seduces you, why not try the challenge of Lac Bleu on March 15 and 16, swimming alone or with others over distances ranging from 50 to 1,000 m?

A good activity for the mind

But the benefits are also manifested at the mental level. “This type of swim helped me pass the Cape of menopause,” says Carrie. He also did a lot of good during my father’s death. ”

For Sylvie, stinging a head every day in the lake was part of her therapy to treat professional exhaustion syndrome. “Move while having cold triggers a particular stress in the body which then secretes endorphins. In the short term, it is euphoric. In the long term, the body is better protected against stress and probably against depression, ”explains Dr. Fuzeau.

In addition, this activity, in the vast majority of cases, is practiced in groups and in the great outdoors, and that too, is good for the mind. You just have to see the smile displayed by each swimmer when you get out of the water that morning! Or when they all find themselves together in the sauna, for conversations of which they alone have the secret …

“What is said in the sauna remains in the sauna … In addition, you can’t bring your phone to it!” Confides with a smile asa. And then, this alternation of cold and hot on short sequences is also very good for health. ”