Finns love to swim – many bathe in natural waters even in winter
Twenty-five meters from the changing room to the shore, a walk along the bridge, four steps into the lake, half a minute in the ice water, and rest on a bench… I look at the "walruses" of the Likolammen talviuimarit ry society, who walk around in swim trunks and swimsuits on a frosty windy day, and I freeze on the shore from the cold. But they don't care.
They sit on the bench after swimming, chuckle at me, and leisurely go to warm up in the sauna. "You have to try it yourself to know what it's like," they explain to me. "Once you try it, you won't give it up – it's like a drug." And as it turned out, this hobby not only strengthens health, relieves stress and fatigue, but also gives cheerfulness, self-confidence, and saves from loneliness.
But when I look at the dark ice water, goosebumps run down my spine: my fear of cold water is still insurmountable.
In the winter swimming society Likolammen talviuimarit in the Kymenlaakso province in southeastern Finland, there are people of all ages. The youngest "walrus" is only 9 years old, the oldest is well over 80.
"My father instilled in me a love of swimming in an ice hole," says Matti Pohjamo, chairman of the winter swimming society Likolammen talviuimarit ry. "My father suffered from rheumatism, and doctors recommended cold bathing to him. Of course, he was not completely cured, but he was able to walk on his own feet into old age."
An avid enthusiast of ice hole swimming, Taina Reiman, says she has been swimming in an ice hole twice a week for 20 years. "Before this hobby, my hands and feet were always cold," she recalls. "Now I go in winter without gloves and wool socks, I don't catch colds or flu. I love to jump into the ice hole before the sauna – I get an incredible boost of energy, fatigue disappears, breathing is light and deep."
Meanwhile, Taina, who looks fifty-something, turned 70 this year. "That's nothing!" Taina waves her hand, embarrassed by my compliment. "In 2015 we were at competitions in Oulu, there was a 92-year-old woman among the participants. If you had seen what great shape she was in: a slim figure, toned muscles."
"All illnesses stay in the ice hole," says a Finnish folk wisdom. Swimming in an ice hole in Finland is a long-known way to improve health. It has been proven to strengthen the immune system, cardiovascular system, improve blood circulation, sleep, and stimulate metabolic processes in the body. Moreover, winter swimming has great social significance. It is an opportunity for communication, spending leisure time together, and getting rid of loneliness. This is especially relevant for Finnish pensioners, who most often live separately from their children and grandchildren.
The deputy mayor of Oulu, where the Finnish Winter Swimming Championships were held last year, Sinikka Salo admitted that she herself is a passionate "walrus", taking morning swims in the Oulujoki River. According to her, there are currently about 150,000 winter swimming enthusiasts in Finland. And their number is growing year by year.