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本帖最后由 小露维尼 于 2012-1-18 23:06 编辑
Global Times | January 12, 2012 16:03
By Zhang Zihan
For most people the idea of leaving the house when it is freezing outside is not that appealing, let alone stripping down to barely anything and plunging into glacial water. However, some have a different attitude towards this. From Houhai to Yuyuantan and Yiheyuan to Kunyu He, a handful of people don swimsuits and plunge into water outside without any fear or apprehension, either for pleasure or for health and fitness purposes. Indeed, of the latter, even the government approves. For years now the General Administration of Sport of China has listed winter swimming on its nationwide health program, while from 1995 the Chinese Swimming Association named New Year’s Day as "National Winter Swimming Day." Suddenly all those winter swimmers don’t seem quite so mad after all.
So with a nod from government and certain health officials, Lifestyle decided it was time to dip its toes into winter swimming. Just how good is it for the health? And what advise can experts give for those who want to the take the plunge?
Immune from the cold
Zhang Hongmei, a 38-year-old who works in the video business department of Sina Technology, has been swimming outdoors for five years during the winter. She claims it has significantly improved her health. According to her, she used to suffer from muscle strain caused by the nature of her office job, but the symptoms were significantly relieved after she started swimming in cold water. "Now when I feel unwell I seem to recover faster than I used to," Zhang told Lifestyle.
Many people said similar things, adding weight to the regular stories of people who live to a ripe old age and attribute it to their passion for cold water exercise. After all, swimming in cold water can be beneficial for the health in several ways. It can boost the immune system, get your blood pumping, which is good for circulation, and induce the production of endorphins, which are the hormones that make you feel high. Not to forget it is great for weight loss, since your body is made to work overtime.
Getting goose bumps
However, not all health professionals advocate swimming in freezing conditions. Dr. Li Jian of Beijing Emergency Medical Center argues that in certain situations winter swimming can damage the health as opposed to strengthen it. "For those patients that have a chronic disease, winter swimming can be fatal," cautioned Li. "Getting into cold water leads to the sudden narrowing of blood vessels in the body, which limits the blood supply to organs and can cause heart disease, heart attacks or a stroke," Li said.
Li also pointed out that swimming requires a clean environment, which is not always that easy to find in public places outdoors. Particularly in Beijing, the quality of most open pools is fairly polluted. People can easily get infected with a disease after swimming in polluted water, especially since the body temperature drops sharply during winter swimming, which can make the immune system strong, but equally can also make it weak. "Moreover, people need to inhale oxygen when swimming," added Li. "But nowadays Beijing’s air quality isn’t suitable for this kind of activity. Any strenuous exercise under these circumstances could lead to diseases affecting the heart and brain." For Li, people certainly should only swim on clear days, never on smoggy ones.
Best stroke
Li suggested a few measures that can be taken to lessen the negatives side effects. First, people should acclimatize thier body to colder conditions. If they plan to swim in the winter, they should start early in the autumn to allow the body to adjust to the water temperature. Taking a cold shower before swimming is also helpful and doing some exercises before stepping into water is a must, in order to warm the body joints so that they do not spasm.
Secondly, people should tailor how long they swim to how cold the water is. For example, if the water is only one or two degrees, they should only swim for one or two minutes. People should also always remember to keep themselves warm after swimming. Measures should be taken to help the body temperature recover, such as thoroughly toweling themselves dry, having a warm shower and doing some gentle exercises.
What is more, people should never swim immediately after eating or drinking. Blood flows to the stomach after each meal and so the rest of the body can experience cramps due to uneven circulation, which is dangerous. Water can also place pressure on the stomach when swimming, which may lead to shortness of breath.
For all these reasons, Li advises people to never swim alone. There is protection in numbers and company can be an added motivation factor.
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