No Frickin Freezin Way!
Another Article from Reuters Oddly Enough prompted this thought. What the hell are they thinking? There is absolutely no way I would take a swim in a 36 degree lake for 1 second, let alone 1, 10 or 15 minutes! How is it possible that these people do not have their joints lock up, muscles tighten and their genitals not crawl well into the lungs?
I realize that there are some mentally unstable people out there who think that this is fun. When I get in the shower after the hot water is used up, first I scream like a girl, then I curl into the fetal position, and promptly crawl out. I can wait for the water to warm back up. It is much better than having my voice go from baritone to soprano.
So, how many of you have done the polar bear swim? How many of you still do the polar bear swim?
Naked in a freezing lake for good health
Mon Dec 26, 9:22 AM ET
Saying ice cold water is good for their health, a group of about 30 naked Germans jumped together into a Berlin lake for their annual Christmas swim Sunday.
Wearing nothing but red Santa Claus caps, the naked men and women aged between 25 and 73 went cheerfully en masse into the Oranke Lake in northern Berlin, which had temperatures of 2 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit).
"It feels great even if it's not quite as cold this year as in the past," said Kathrin Hornack after her five-minute swim. Last year the lake was colder and in previous years it was sometimes filled with chunks of ice.
"What more could we ask for?" she said. "The sun is shining and it's a lovely day in the lake."
Some stayed in the water just a minute or so while others swam for 10 to 15 minutes.
The traditional Christmas swim goes back many years, at least to 1980, even though no one knows for sure when it began. The swimmers, outnumbered by news photographers drawn to the event, first warmed up by singing Christmas carols together.
"It's a wonderful feeling," said stark naked Dieter Korinke, neither shivering nor showing any signs of being cold after swimming a few laps in the freezing water. "The only thing that could make this even better would be snow and ice in the lake."
But Gerd Godau said he was happy about this year's slightly warmer water temperature.
"A crust of ice starts forming on the surface if the water gets much colder than this," he said. "This was just right."
In London, 57 swimmers -- though not naked -- braved the cold waters of Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake for a traditional 100-yard race dating back to 1864.
I realize that there are some mentally unstable people out there who think that this is fun. When I get in the shower after the hot water is used up, first I scream like a girl, then I curl into the fetal position, and promptly crawl out. I can wait for the water to warm back up. It is much better than having my voice go from baritone to soprano.
So, how many of you have done the polar bear swim? How many of you still do the polar bear swim?
Naked in a freezing lake for good health
Mon Dec 26, 9:22 AM ET
Saying ice cold water is good for their health, a group of about 30 naked Germans jumped together into a Berlin lake for their annual Christmas swim Sunday.
Wearing nothing but red Santa Claus caps, the naked men and women aged between 25 and 73 went cheerfully en masse into the Oranke Lake in northern Berlin, which had temperatures of 2 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit).
"It feels great even if it's not quite as cold this year as in the past," said Kathrin Hornack after her five-minute swim. Last year the lake was colder and in previous years it was sometimes filled with chunks of ice.
"What more could we ask for?" she said. "The sun is shining and it's a lovely day in the lake."
Some stayed in the water just a minute or so while others swam for 10 to 15 minutes.
The traditional Christmas swim goes back many years, at least to 1980, even though no one knows for sure when it began. The swimmers, outnumbered by news photographers drawn to the event, first warmed up by singing Christmas carols together.
"It's a wonderful feeling," said stark naked Dieter Korinke, neither shivering nor showing any signs of being cold after swimming a few laps in the freezing water. "The only thing that could make this even better would be snow and ice in the lake."
But Gerd Godau said he was happy about this year's slightly warmer water temperature.
"A crust of ice starts forming on the surface if the water gets much colder than this," he said. "This was just right."
In London, 57 swimmers -- though not naked -- braved the cold waters of Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake for a traditional 100-yard race dating back to 1864.
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