Perimenopause and outdoor swimming

Perimenopause is the great realignment. During your fertile years your hormones give you the capacity to be of service to your creations, and they are set up so you can tend to everyone and everything. However, as you enter your perimenopause years, the decline in those hormones means your inner focus shifts from others to self. Your brain is rewiring for clarity, ready for the emergence of the wise elder within. While your inner wisdom guides you toward your authentic self, it often speaks softly, and can easily be overshadowed by the louder “What if” and “Should do” internal dialogues. Amid this inner turmoil, one gentle whisper urged me during my perimenopausal journey: “Get in the river.”

I was aware of the many benefits of cold water, but my hatred of the cold had been a big deterrent. Fortunately, a friend of mine had already started dipping in our local river, and I finally listened to my inner wisdom that knew what I needed during the profound changes of menopause, and I joined my swimming sister for my first cold dip.

Where to start

I had all of the usual questions: is it safe, what do I wear, how long should I stay in, how will I get changed without flashing anyone? Going with a more seasoned swimmer, or a group of swimmers like The Blue Tits (or Blue Balls for the men), or opting for a life-guarded beach is going to feel safer. There is lots of advice out there, but ultimately you need to listen to your own body on that particular day. Each dip is different depending on the conditions, where you are in your menstrual cycle, how your physical body is feeling, how much is going on in your mind. What was right for you on your last swim, or what works for your water buddy are irrelevant, check in with yourself each time you go in. And remember that you could put your toes in the river or your feet on the shore of the beach, and as long as you are not bullying yourself for not going ‘all the way’, you will still get some great benefits.

The benefits of cold water swimming

A study by UCL researchers showed that menopausal women who regularly swim in cold water report significant improvements to their physical and mental symptoms. During perimenopause, many women start to feel less resilient, largely due to reduced oestrogen, and sporadic progesterone. After decades of prioritising the needs of others, these hormonal changes signal an important period of realignment, encouraging us to release what no longer benefits us and to create more sustainable lifestyles that nurture our inner selves.

Perimenopause can bring a range of physical, mental and emotional challenges, varying from the mildly irritating, to the profoundly impactful. Stepping into cold water is stressful for your body, in response, your blood vessels constrict to insulate you from the cold, your heart rate accelerates, your blood pressure rises, and stress hormones are released into your bloodstream. If it is stressful to get into cold water then how can it be good for you? We can’t eliminate stressors from our lives, but we can build the resilience to recover from stress quickly. The brief controlled stress of cold water teaches us that we can cope with stressful environments, and that ultimately enhances our resilience.

Physical Benefits: Feeling strong

Cold water immersion has been reported to have some fantastic health benefits. Regular exposure to cold water is known to boost circulation, enhance recovery, and improve the health of your skin. As we approach menopause, the decline in oestrogen - a natural anti-inflammatory - can lead to heightened inflammation. The cold acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, which can reduce soreness in your muscles or joints. One study found that 30% of menopausal women reported an improvement in their hot flashes with regular exposure to cold water. It has also been linked to increased metabolism and a strengthened immune response. I’ve noticed that since I began dipping three years ago, I haven’t caught a cold when it’s been making its way through my household.

Mental Clarity: Calming your mind

The mental benefits are equally profound. As testosterone and progesterone levels decline, you may notice your mood dipping as well. This could be your body signalling that you’ve been prioritising others’ needs at the expense of your own. It might also indicate that it’s time to release the habit of people-pleasing or, perhaps, to shift your focus back onto your own needs and well-being.

As well as sitting with your feeling to understand their messages, a cold dip can give you a sense of clarity and a mood lift. Each swim forces me to focus only on my breath in that moment, there is no space for the “What ifs” or “Should haves”. I don’t have a traditional meditation practice, but the cold gives me a mindful experience that acts as a form of meditation, helping to unravel the stress of daily life and cultivating a sense of peace that lasts long after I leave the water. My menstrual cycle was always a time of greater intuition, and now I no longer regularly bleed, the cold helps with that laser focus answer to my hearts questions.

Community Connection: Finding Your Tribe

Perimenopause can often feel quite isolating, but connecting with like-minded individuals can play a significant role in your healing journey. Establishing friendships within a community fosters a special connection forged through the shared adventure of facing the cold together. Whether it’s swapping advice on ideal swimming locations, recounting personal of growth and transformation, or simply supporting each other during those brisk dips, the spirit of this community is warm and welcoming. Even if it’s just you and a friend in the water, passersby are likely to stop and engage, typically splitting into two reactions: “I’ve always wanted to try that,” or “You must be crazy!”

Finding Joy: Embracing the cold

Ultimately, for me, cold water swimming has become a means of ‘re-wilding,’ allowing me to shed the weight of numerous commitments, responsibilities, and my seemingly unending to-do list. This reconnection with my wild self transcends mere endurance; it’s not about conquering the cold or timing my swims. I’m not driven by the tangible health benefits, whether they be improvements to my immune system, circulation, metabolism, pain management, or stress relief. Instead, the cold is merely a backdrop; the heart of my experience is the feeling of liberation and the exhilarating sense of wild abandon reminiscent of childhood. Once I plunge in and my breathing stabilises, I often encounter a profound moment of tranquility—aware of the chill, yet not overwhelmed by it. My mind finally finds fleeting peace and satisfaction. Of course, thoughts inevitably come rushing back: Is it time to get out? Is that seaweed or a fish? Did I remember to bring my hot chocolate? I seldom relish the idea of diving into that freezing water, but emerging from it always leaves me feeling incredible, and that sensation of well-being can’t be bought.

Swimming in the Gower

I had another moment of clarity when my intuition urged me to relocate our family and business from the South East of England to South Wales (it’s quite extreme I know), and now I get to experience the raw beauty of the Gower peninsula. Because it is a peninsula there are lots of beaches to explore, so I have swapped my river dip for a sea swim, and I get to swim with the amazing www.escapeyogauk.com who go for a dip after their yoga class, and we swear, share and shout our way into the waves.

There are quite a few other differences, the sea is slightly warmer, the waves mean you have to learn to surrender even more deeply to your environment, and you do need to factor in tides, rip tides and the wind. I don’t get the same sense of stillness as I did in the river, but I do feel exhilaration, and a sense of wild abandonment.

The unpredictability of the sea serves as a fitting metaphor for perimenopause, where each wave presents the opportunity for renewal. Learning to relinquish control and adapt to the flow reflects the essence of our human experience, regardless of the stage of life we’re in. The ocean humbles you, reminding you of your smallness while simultaneously connecting you to a vast, interwoven existence.

Safety tips for cold water swimming

If you are in a chronically stressed state then cold water may cause further dysregulation in your nervous system - a warm bath may be more healing for you. But if you have heard the cold calling then there are plenty of resources on-line. I would say don’t invest in any of the fancy kit until you know it feels right, for now, use the towel and swimsuit (or wet suit, there’s no right or wrong way to do it) that you already have, take an extra jumper, woolly hat and hot flask if possible, but most importantly go with a buddy or a group, or follow RNLI guidelines. Be mindful and listen to your own body, plan your entry and exit, get in gradually, breathe, don’t stay in too long - you’ll need to save some energy for getting changed while your core temperature is still dropping, and take a belief that as daunting as it may seem, you can do hard things. You’ll never regret spending skin-to-skin time with mother earth.