Jumping into a freezing cold Lake Michigan may seem crazy, but there are health benefits to cold water swimming.
GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - Doesn't this winter weather just make you want to take a dip in the lake? No, you say?
They've been cold water swimming in eastern Europe and the Netherlands for a thousand years. What could they possibly find so alluring about ice cold water in the middle of winter?
Teri Harmon knows. "When I go in, literally the next day and the day after I don't have pain," she says. "It's amazing."
Teri uses the cold water plunge at the MAC in Grand Rapids where she is a group fitness instructor. She's also well informed on the research behind cold water plunging.
"There are some actual chemical responses that happen," she says. "Norepinephrine is increased, which is a natural painkiller. It does over time stimulate the immune system."
Which is why Harmon says it's recommended for anyone with arthritis or injuries.
"People experience sometimes two or three days of feeling better after just two or three minutes in the cold plunge," she says. "It's pretty amazing."
Research has also found that plunging several times a week strengthens your immune system.
"You have to build up to it," says Harmon. "It's something that when you first get in, it's overwhelming because you're not used to that."
Richard Manguse has been cold water swimming for nearly 20 years. He says it's a rush of endorphins you can't describe.
"It's one heck of a shock," he says. Especially when the lake temperature is 32 degrees!
"My skin was just alive inside. I'm beaming inside." Manguse is beaming on a 34 degree day after swimming in 32 degree water in the middle of winter.
Not everyone has access to a cold plunge or the time to drive to Lake Michigan -- so here's a way you can do it at home!
Fill your tub up with ice and water making sure the temperature is 56 degrees or lower. Then submerge yourself into the tub. Try to stay in for at least a minute and try over time to work up to three minutes.
It's recommended you do this three to four times a week to get the pain relief and immune system boost that are the biggest benefits to cold water plunging.