And especially outside
Aafke Jochems (59) always hated swimming. Now she swims outside a few times a week. Sometimes in an outdoor pool, usually in canals, lakes, puddles and rivers. All year round and for fun. It feels very healthy. According to scientists, it is.
Childhood trauma is too strong a word. But I will never forget. There I was every week at 7 o’clock in the morning, a chattering toddler in the unheated outdoor pool. On the edge of the bath a screaming lifeguard with a hook to keep me above water. Swimming did not work, panic to go under. I hated swimming lessons, the cold. Years later I obtained swimming diploma A with difficulty. For decades I hated swimming. And now? Now I can’t live without it. Preferably outside in open water.
The turnaround started after running injuries. How could I keep moving without injury? Swimming turned out to be the answer. It is moving without a lot of pressure on your joints. “As far as injuries are concerned, swimming is a very safe sport,” says sports doctor and professor of Clinical Sports Medicine UMC Utrecht Frank Backx in the book Zwemmersgeluk. The makers of this book set out to explore the science behind swimming. As a doctor, Backx sees many people who suffer from joint wear and/or obesity. Swimming is ideal for them.
I started in the indoor pool. The fun only came in the open air bath by being outside. I went from swimming laps in the outdoor pool once a week to sometimes up to five times a week early in the morning. I noticed that I lasted longer, felt fitter. My body became more muscular. I always came out of the bath more excited than when I went in.
“The great thing about swimming is that you target large muscle groups,” says Maria Hopman, professor of Integrative Physiology at Radboud University in Nijmegen, in Zwemmersgeluk. “Not just the leg and arm muscles, but your entire torso. When you’re swimming, a lot of muscles demand oxygen. Your blood vessels, heart and lungs must deliver optimally; they are therefore very well stimulated.”
Whoever is interested, joins
It wasn’t until I was 50 that I discovered open water swimming. With swimming buddies I was frustrated that the outdoor pool was already closing, while the weather was still nice. Then in the nearby lake, we thought, and what a discovery. For years we have been making agreements in the group app about time and swimming spot, and those who feel like it join in.
Anyone who can swim can swim in open water. Of course, you should not enter the water haphazardly, especially if the water temperature is fresh to cold. Or if there is a strong current or if there is a thunderstorm. Mid-summer is a good time to start. Get in the water weekly so your body gets used to it. And build your routine. Prefer to swim with others. Not only fun and motivating, but good to have swimming buddies who keep an eye on you. And vice versa.
The most important thing is that you swim with a buoy. These are brightly colored floating ‘pillows’ that swimmers with a rope around their waist take with them. This way you are clearly visible and you can embrace the buoy in case of cramp or if you are out of breath. Or if you just want to take in the surroundings without having to tread water. You will never sink with a swim buoy. In addition, you can store valuables in it. Because what do you do with keys and telephone? It won’t leave you to the side with your clothes. A brightly colored bathing cap is also recommended. For your visibility, and your body heat can escape less through your head. I would not recommend a wetsuit. They are quite pricey and a hassle to put on and take off. It is only recommended if people take swimming very seriously and want to cover a longer distance in colder water. But if the water is 20 degrees or warmer, a wetsuit is too warm.
Afraid the water is dirty? on www.zwemwater.nl you see where the water is safe and clean.
The advantage of breaststroke
You don’t have to be a front crawling top swimmer to swim in open water. I can’t even master the front crawl. The advantage of breaststroke is that you can see where you are swimming. I often stand face to face with coots, see the sunrise. When I switch to backstroke, I marvel at clouds and geese flying overhead, and I feel sunbeams or rain on my face. Swimming in the rain is fun, you’re already wet anyway. When it’s windy, you have waves. Swimming outside simply does something to your mood. It almost feels like meditation. You are not distracted by phone calls, apps, screens. Just you and the sloshing water.
I grew up with the rule that you shouldn’t eat before swimming. Jaap Seidell, professor of Nutrition and Health at the Free University in Amsterdam, refutes this in the book Zwemmersgeluk: “You have two moments when you have to eat. You need to have enough fuel for a while before the swim and afterwards.” When training hard or swimming long distances, Seidell recommends a protein-rich diet.
Create happiness hormones
I would have laughed at anyone who had told me five years ago that I would also go into the open water in the middle of winter, wearing only a swimsuit, swimming cap and buoy. Now I just do it because since swimming in cold water I feel stronger and healthier. Heart patients should also consult their cardiologist first. The following applies to everyone: never just jump into the cold water. Hypothermia or – even worse – cold shock is lurking. But get to know your limits by following ice swimming training from, for example, the International Ice Swimming Association (www.iisa.nl†
Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, professor of Ecological Energetics and Health at Maastricht University, summarizes it in Zwemmersgeluk: “Whoever regularly swims in open water in winter is lyrical about the consequences. Not only does it make you happy, you also build a strong immune system, happiness hormones are produced and you feel more comfortable due to better blood circulation.”
That’s exactly how it is! If that chattering toddler had known then…
The science behind a fresh dive
In Zwemmersgeluk (published by Fontaine, €24.99), scientists provide answers to questions about outdoor swimming in terms of fitness, depression, cold, reward and nutrition. Enith Brigitha, Huub van der Lubbe and Jacco Verhaeren talk about their love for this sport. The authors Jim Jansen and Kjeld de Ruyter themselves are avid outdoor swimmers and share their favorite open water swimming spots, from Den Helder to Maastricht and from Groningen to Zeeland.
This article previously appeared in Plus Magazine July/August 2022. Want to subscribe to the magazine? You can do that in an instant!
Have you ever worn a knitted bathing suit? Read 14 funny memories of a day at the beach or pool here: www.plusonline.nl/gebreidbadpak
Sources):
- Plus Magazine
