Swimming Plow Enthusiast – I only go to the doctor when I need to change my driving license

Energy pump

The Panevėžys traveler, the guide Antanas Skindzera, like many ice bathers around the world, celebrated January 1, International Seal Day, by dancing in the water of the Nevėžis River. He’s been enjoying freezing winter entertainment since he was eighteen, and his quarantine has made that bath a daily routine.

“Even in the military, I would infect others with it. Before this quarantine, bathing was spotty, just a few times per season. I also attended seal festivals. But during quarantine, I started doing that on a regular basis. Here perhaps it arose because I had nothing to do. Everything is closed, I can’t go anywhere, I have to somehow compensate for the lack of activity “, – smiles the traveler who has just bathed in the river.

According to A. Skindzera, before joining the plow, they used to warm up, run for about two miles on forest roads or exercise and then jump into the water. Now he assures that the body has already accustomed to such a shock and swells in the water as soon as he throws his clothes. He likes the shores of Nev cosžis better in the Cultural and Recreational Park or in the Ekranas Lagoon; huts are left here to change even in winter.

“I bathe when it’s ten minutes outside, if I have a stronger cold, I’m no longer tormented. I’d be determined unless I need to set a record,” said the extreme sensation fan.

According to A. Skindzera, after such a bath, the body reacts only after a good hour. First, the toes and feet begin to burn, and adrenaline accelerates the internal heat and, at the same time, a huge surge of energy.

“I feel like I’m drunk on energy drinks. A very interesting and difficult feeling to tell. This entertainment is not for everyone. People with cardiovascular disease are better off not taking chances. In winter, there is also a high risk of falling under the ice and stopping. I myself try to swim where it is shallow, I don’t get involved in risky things. And I don’t blink for more than two minutes, ”said the Panevėžys resident.

Looking for new experiences

A. Skindzera is convinced that ice baths are only for the benefit of his body. According to the seal, it has to deal with colds or runny noses very rarely, and even when it does get sick, the ailments disappear faster.

“I only visit the doctor when I need to change my driver’s license,” smiles a traveler who promotes a healthy lifestyle.

According to him, those who want to try the pleasures of the plow should do it first after the sauna, when the body is hot. Another way is to swim regularly throughout the year, not just in summer, but also when it’s cold. In this way the body will get used to the colder environment.

“I have already removed the limits of seasonality. We Lithuanians have four seasons, so we have to enjoy them all. Only the limitations of thought do not allow us to pass certain tests. All the limits are only in our minds. It is only psychology. When you want to achieve a goal, you look for opportunities and when you don’t, you want reasons why you can’t. It is suitable for all occasions, “says A. Skindzera.

Quarantine is a great opportunity to push those limits. The people of Panevėžys have not seen the Lithuanian winter in recent years; generally traveled through warm regions in winter. The pandemic forced us to stop and discover the beauty of Lithuania. The traveler smiles to be able to talk about Egypt or Dubai without stopping, and Žagarė and Joniškis, who are only 130 kilometers away, have not yet been visited. So only when the municipal travel ban ends, you have already planned a route to the most beautiful places in your country that have not yet been visited.

“It is very important for a person to change the environment, to refresh, to see something new and to discover something. Until now no one has approached me to become their guide to flying in ice water. But I would also love to stay with him. Changing your point of view is not easy, but when you do it, the world seems to have changed. But it remained the same, it only changed our relationship with the world. It is important not to be afraid, because when there is a desire, the limits disappear by themselves ”, says A. Skindzera.

Stamp from childhood

Genė Pučinskienė, the director of the Garsas film center, who flies to the plow every week, experienced the joys of icy water as a child. As she herself says, she is a true daughter of nature, born and raised on a remote farm surrounded by forests and rivers. To get to the school three kilometers away in winter, it was necessary to cross the river: the bridge was replaced by a stretched tree. As a handrail, another thinner tree was tied to the branches. For a toddler dressed in layers of clothing and carrying a heavy backpack on his shoulders, such a stretch of obstacle was not always overcome.

“In winter, when the bushes were close to the neck, it was not easy to get through the frozen tree. More than once I could not fall into the frozen river walk. So the trip to school ended before she arrived. If I didn’t get sick after that bath, then the ice water isn’t so terrible, “said G. Pučinskienė.

He returned to extreme bathing, only on a voluntary basis, in his youth, studying at the University of Klaipeda. According to Panevėžys, when you are near the sea, it would be a sin not to bathe. And swimming in winter is even more fun, because the sea water has always been much warmer than in other bodies. Only once, when the sea had turned into a great ice cube, was the seal scratched.

“In our youth we bathed more because of extreme sensations. Who was riding a motorcycle, who was participating in other extreme entertainments, and I and like-minded people headed to the sea for a swim in the winter, ”said G. Pučinskienė.

After studying for swimming in winter, she rarely returned, usually decided to meet the New Year by the sea, and then she was sure to take a bath there. And this year he rediscovered the old pleasure. According to G. Pučinskienė, the beginning started with small steps: morning exercise and a contrast shower. After the body gets used to the cold, it now goes to the tub at least once a week, and then flies to the plow at least twice. Family members sometimes join in such baths.

“When you get used to a contrast shower, the body realizes that this bath is not a miracle, you just have to tell yourself psychologically that nothing is impossible. Much also depends on the wind. If it’s not there, the bathroom is really nice, I bathe under pressure and 25 degrees below zero. It is much hotter in the water, you can even see the plow evaporate, ”said G. Pučinskienė.

The habit of brushing your teeth

Many people work hard just rolling or rubbing the snow, but for G. Pučinskien it is more pleasant to ride a plow. Having regularly begun to harden, the lover of ice baths is happy with better health. They used to get multiple colds at least a couple of times a year, but now they are avoiding them. However, the most important thing, according to G. Pučinskienė, is that after that bath, the blood pressure was regulated.

“It just came to our knowledge then. I never did it for fashion, I always look to myself if I see that it helps to solve some health problems, I bathe with pleasure,” says the extreme.

According to her, it is not possible to eat while flying over the plow, and even more to consume alcohol are incompatible things. G. Pučinskienė is convinced that if a person can accept the challenge of a cold shower, he will be able to enjoy the joys of a plow. It is important for the body to warm up before an ice bath; this requires intense exercise or a sauna.

“We all know that you need to brush your teeth twice a day. We must take care of our physical body in the same way. Neither doctors nor drugs will do that, only ourselves. We must learn to listen to our body and help it “, is convinced G. Pučinskienė.

Not for everyone

Family doctor Rita Oksaitė shares tips on how to get used to bathing in ice water.

“If the body’s stress increases gradually and regularly, bathing in ice water can really pay off. As the body adjusts to temperature differences, the chances of colds are reduced and stimulated nerve cells in the skin contribute. to stimulate immunity. But everything should be done gradually. You need to move to a healthy lifestyle on a regular basis, little by little. Of course, everything should be done in a complex way, there should be not only a bath in ice water, but also activity fitness, movement, proper nutrition, the rhythm of the day, quality sleep. Only then will there be benefits to the body. If your New Year’s promise was to become healthy and you don’t immediately immerse yourself in ice water, it will only harm your body, “he says.

The doctor reminds that people with urological, gynecological, inflammatory, infectious diseases, as well as the elderly should avoid ice water procedures, it is better to wake up barefoot under the snow for a few minutes, stay at home in the cold shower for a few seconds. Otherwise, existing chronic or exacerbated colds may get worse.