Acclimating to cold water

Is there an open water group near you? If so, some of them probably do cold water stuff. My local open water group does. I can't recall everything I've read, but generally it recommends a couple of things. Go out on your porch for your morning coffee in just your underwear (or similar minimal clothing in cool mornings for several minutes). Start taking cold showers, or at least finish the shower by turning it to cold water for a couple of minutes. I found when I was getting in the cold water that swimming a little *** stroke to be able to start moving while not having to worry about hyperventilating was very helpful.

Yeah, a long sleeve wetsuit will probably help you. Although with the sensitivity to the cold that you describe...I donâ€t know how long itâ€ll allow you to stay in the water. I do lots of open water swimming...had to do lots more than usual this summer. But in the spring I opened our home pool about 3-4 weeks earlier than I usually do. I was doing tethered swims in it, in my wetsuit, until the open water warmed up enough to get it with the wetsuit. When I first opened the pool, the water was in the high 50°sF. In addition to the wetsuit, I also was wearing neoprene gloves and neoprene socks. I was able to stay in for an hour. I did that a few times per week until the open water was available. Like 67 said above...acclimation is important. And Iâ€ll reiterate that slowly entering the water with the wetsuit on will help. Let the water inside the suit enter and warm up slowly. If youâ€re doing tethered swims...youâ€ll notice that after a few minutes of swimming itâ€s bearable. At least thatâ€s how it went for me. Iâ€ve already closed our pool for this season...but now I wish I had kept it open longer. It appears that my usual lap pool was going to lessen restrictions. But they ended up regressing and now thereâ€s only as much swimming opportunities as there were in the summer. Dan

67, I haven't researched whether or not there are an open water groups near me but I'm sure there are if I start looking. I usually end my showers with cold water which I like. Great point on picking an easier stroke to start with when first going into the water. Dan, I was going to get a wetsuit but I didn't buy one yet because I have no idea how much it'll help. I've been in a wetsuit only once, roughly 20 years ago so I don't really remember how it felt. Does it drastically reduce the cold, at least in terms of how it feels?

Dan, I was going to get a wetsuit but I didn't buy one yet because I have no idea how much it'll help. Wetsuits help a TON. Xterra suits are often on sale on their site, and often very steeply discounted. Just beware that with the buoyancy, they change your body positioning, so they will impact how you swim.

There are a few things to remember about using a wetsuit. First, you want one that fits properly. If itâ€s too loose it may not work properly WRT how much water is inside it, how fluidly is changes, and will feel cumbersome as you stroke. Likewise, if itâ€s too tight you wonâ€t feel comfortable. And even when you have one thatâ€s the proper size...you have to make sure that itâ€s on correctly/completely. I see people put them on but donâ€t pull the crotch and/or armpits all the way up to where they should be. That will make it feel overly tight, especially in the shoulders, and works against your stroke. Keep in mind that part of what makes a wetsuit work is a small amount of water getting inside, your body warming it up, and then staying in there to help insulate you. If you jump right in...itâ€ll be very cold for the first couple minutes. If you enter the water slowly, and let the water warm gradually it wonâ€t be so shocking. Once youâ€ve been swimming a couple of minutes youâ€ll get more acclimated and wonâ€t feel as cold. On a sunny day you can actually feel the warmth from the sun being absorbed on the back of the suit. Dan

So I tried the cold water cap yesterday for the first time and it helped tremendously. I could feel the heat escaping my body and going into my head but instead of leaving my head, the cap held it in. I only lasted 20 mins though instead of my usual 30 mins and I was shivering afterwards haha. I'll definitely pick up a wetsuit, hopefully it'll allow me to swim for another month or so, if not through the whole winter. Double capping helps. Also, get some earplugs to keep the cold water out of your ears.

So I tried the cold water cap yesterday for the first time and it helped tremendously. I could feel the heat escaping my body and going into my head but instead of leaving my head, the cap held it in. I only lasted 20 mins though instead of my usual 30 mins and I was shivering afterwards haha. I'll definitely pick up a wetsuit, hopefully it'll allow me to swim for another month or so, if not through the whole winter.

Double capping helps. Also, get some earplugs to keep the cold water out of your ears. I wore a silicone cap on top of the cold cap but sadly water still leaked in. Going to give the Mack putty ear plugs a try next time and my wetsuit came in so I'll give that a go as well.