When your body is exposed to cold water, it triggers a shock response; your heart rate rises, breathing quickens, and blood is directed towards your core. Over time, this repeated exposure trains your body to handle stress better, improving circulation and resilience. Many regular cold-water swimmers also report feeling calmer and more positive afterwards, a result of the endorphin rush that follows the initial shock. I’ve certainly found this after my regular swims at Lyme Regis.

Assuming you have no underlying health conditions that would prevent you, then I highly recommend giving it a go. You don’t need to start with a lake or the sea, instead begin at home with cold showers. The best way is to start gradually; at the end of your usual warm shower, make the water a little colder for 15 to 30 seconds. Focus on steady breathing and staying calm. Each day, make it a touch colder or stay in a bit longer. Within a couple of weeks, you’ll be surprised how your body adapts.  It will always feel a shock going into cold water, if it doesn’t then it is not cold enough.

Once you’ve built some tolerance, you could move outdoors. Choose a safe, supervised spot,  never do this alone.  Always enter the water slowly, keep your head above the surface, and don’t stay in for long, one or two minutes is enough to start and there is no additional benefit for staying in longer than 5-10 minutes. 

Warming up afterwards is most important, you need to get dry and warm quickly with plenty of layers and a hot drink.  Your body will continue to cool after you have got out.

So next time you see the frost on the car, maybe you’ll be tempted to try your own chilly challenge.