Above is a story from Reuters about a group of people who choose to swim in frozen lakes in Beijing, China. The swimmers believe that the cold water brings them health and youth, and swim in the frozen lakes daily. The water is so cold, in fact, that the club members must break a lane in the ice every morning to be able to swim in it.
Now, I'm all for the cold tub, and the occasional ice bath for athletes who are in training. This, however, I cannot approve of for many reasons; among them the temperature of the water, distance of the swim lane, and doing this kind of thing everyday. What, you thought I was just going to call them crazy? Keep in mind these people all seem to be old! There are legitimate medical concerns!
One lady interviewed says she thinks swimming every day in the ice water has helped cure her illnesses, including cancer. That's just crazy talk, because otherwise the Mr. Freeze storyline in "Batman and Robin" could be classified as a work of non-fiction. But, mental confusion is a symptom of hypothermia, so we'll go easy on her. Still, people of Beijing: Swimming in a frozen lake every day is a very bad idea, indeed!
Previous Post
