I’m part of a crazy tribe of women who are among the many locals who make the pilgrimage to cold plunge in the Provo River across from the Legacy Bridge in Midway.
I first tried it in April after a hike with friends and that spring snowmelt felt shocking. They stayed in for 5 minutes. I lasted 30 seconds, told them they were lunatics and vowed “never again.”
Until the dopamine hit not long after and I was flying high the rest of the day. I then made a new avowal: “One more try.” Eight months later and I’m going strong. It’s still hard. And that’s the point.
So, why do it? Cold Water Immersion is a hotly debated form of cold-water therapy. The University of Utah medical center cautions people with heart conditions or who take medications should consult with their doctor and start slowly.
Wim Hof, a.k.a. “The Ice Man” has developed the “Wim Hof Method,” a gateway that allegedly activates the body’s natural healing powers. Though cold plunging is not a cure-all, he claims over time it can lead to mental and physical health improvements, cardiovascular circulation, and facilitate weight loss and better sleep.NPR recently did a storyon the many recent studies on cold plunge benefits.
I invited my friend Jen Curtis to join us following her first mountain bike ride of the season last May. She’s from California and hates the cold water but after flinging a few insults at me following the initial shock, she changed her tune.
“It took away all muscle soreness, it took away all inflammation and everything out of the joints. And I was like, ‘Sold, done deal,'" she said. "So I kept doing it all summer especially after I had a big hike or anything where I felt sore. It just takes away all the soreness and then it totally calms you and takes away stress, anxiety, whatever. It’s just steady. Hate it. Love the benefits.”
Lynn Allred loves the mental challenge and the physical benefits. "I just felt like the mind over matter and the breathing were huge. And then I got this dopamine rush where the stress edge was gone. And I felt productive and energetic all day. I just feel like the breath work and the mind work along with the grounding of the river–all just work for the benefit.”
In that river, we’ve been spied on by a spotted frog, marmots and deer. We marvel as blue herons, ospreys and eagles soar overhead and we’ve had an unwelcome encounter with a water snake. Our always-growing group includes everyone from teenagers to grandmas. Sometimes we talk. Occasionally, we dance in the water like unsynchronized swimmers. We always hold hands and laugh.
The second time I cold plunged was with AnnaLisa Seiter. She taught me Wim Hof’s breathing method which was transformative. She first started cold plunging with yoga friends in the dead of winter a few years ago. “So I said, ‘OK, what do I need?’ And they said, ‘Your swimming suit, gloves and a hat.’ And I said, ‘No, that sounds horrible.’ And so I put on my snow boots, my swimming suit, and got a bathrobe, some gloves and a hat. And we went to the river, and they said, ‘Just breathe.’ And they carried me out and held my hand and we walked out into the river. And it was steaming and snowing.”
Seiter has three of the five forms of vertigo and said that first plunge was life-changing.
“I felt that it was helping me with my vertigo and I actually suffer from anxiety and depression, too. And I felt like it was helping with my anxiety. And when I get in the river, I just feel like the river takes some of my fears or my anxiety down the river with it.”
Mind over matter. In the cold river, we momentarily forget about the hards, the grief and the stress as we regain control. None of us are superheroes but we are reminded of our power.
It’s still hard. And that’s entirely the point.
