March 18, 2026. More for You ...

Dr. Mark Harper recalls his first cold-water swim in the south of England 20 years ago. It was August, but the initial jolt from the plunge took his breath away. The shock to his system lasted a ...

If you live near a body of water in the northern latitudes, you likely have heard of your local polar bear club — usually made up of a group of hearty swimmers who take part in cold water swimming.

Taking a freezing dip in a lake or the sea is a valued well-being practice in the world's happiest country. In Finland, over 720,000 people (about 1 in every 8) are regular cold-water swimmers, ...

Dr. Mark Harper recalls his first cold-water swim in the south of England 20 years ago. It was August, but the initial jolt from the plunge took his breath away. The shock to his system lasted a ...

Canda-Leigh Habonimana takes a dip in the waters of Gatineau Park’s Meech Lake in Chelsea, Quebec, during a polar bear plunge on New Year’s Day. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press files) Dr. Mark Harper ...

It’s 8am and I’m standing at the edge of my local lake at Beckenham Place Park in London, the early morning sun just beginning to peek over the trees. A layer of mist is rising from the cold water and ...

Regular readers will know by now that I'm a cold water swimming convert. Show the slightest interest in an icy dip, and I'll yap on at you for hours about my favourite waterfall, river and reservoir ...

FILE - Revelers enter the cold water during the annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, file) (Andres Kudacki ...

Mark Harper, MD, PhD, recalls his first cold-water swim in the south of England 20 years ago. It was August, but the initial jolt from the plunge took his breath away. The shock to his system lasted a ...