Swimming and cold bathing have become an important part of how I take care of my body.
It became an early morning today.
I left home before half past seven and was already in the pool at eight. A 50-metre pool – and that feels more than good to me.
👉Read this post in Swedish ->Simning kallbad – när kroppen får vara med i besluten
I swam around 1000 metres, steady lengths back and forth. The whole process took about an hour. Afterwards: sauna and shower, getting dressed, and that wonderful feeling in the body that is hard to put into words.
A little tired.
But at the same time so clean – in an almost indescribable way.
The day could not have started better than this.
And now I can say that the training is done.
Although, to be honest, it is not really training in the way I usually think of that word. Training often makes you sweaty and pushed. This was simply pleasant, even though my body now, afterwards, feels a bit tired – in a soft way.
Swimming and cold bathing – caring for the body in different ways
Swimming and cold bathing are two ways I take care of my body.
In different ways – but with the same care.
Right now I am in a transition where I want to keep my cold baths, while also adding swimming during the winter. The body needs movement, circulation and flow – not only stillness and cold.
This post is about why I choose both swimming and cold bathing, how they complement each other, and why the body needs to be included in the decisions.
A familiar goal that feels right today
I am standing here today with a familiar goal:
I am going to start swimming at the indoor pool again.
This is not a chasing goal.
Not a fresh start driven by performance.
It is a return.
Swimming has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It is familiar and safe in a way that few other forms of exercise are.
The gym, on the other hand, has never been a place where I stay. That is where demands live – demands I do not feel comfortable with. Measurements, numbers and expectations easily creep in, and after a while I no longer want to go.
Swimming does something completely different to me.
Stroke by stroke, I land in my body.
The breath finds its rhythm.
Thoughts step aside.
I am there – in the movement, in the water, in myself.
It is also gentle on my joints, supportive to the body and, in a way that is hard to explain, healing for my soul.
Why swimming supports the body – and works with cold bathing
Swimming gives me full-body movement without impact or strain. The body works gently but effectively. The heart and circulation are strengthened, and the nervous system calms through the repetitive motion.
Breathing becomes deeper and more conscious.
Focus appears without me having to force it.
In summer I swim in the lake, and then everything falls into place naturally. During winter I need to help my body a little, and that is when the indoor pool becomes an important place for me.
My goal is simple and kind:
to swim at least once a week.
Not more than that – but not less either.
If you want to read more about how I write about body, focus and presence in everyday life, it is collected here:
👉 https://malix.se/vardag-adhd-och-narvaro/
Swimming in water is also often highlighted as a gentle and effective form of exercise for both joints and heart:
👉 https://www.1177.se/liv–halsa/fysisk-aktivitet/traning-i-vatten/
Cold bathing – still my anchor
The cold baths remain.
They are not negotiable for me.
In cold water, there is nowhere else to be. Body and present moment meet immediately. The cold activates circulation, affects the nervous system and leaves behind a calm that lasts for a long time.
For me, cold bathing is an anchor in everyday life. A way to regulate stress and come home to my body.
I have written about cold baths and morning dips many times before, because they have become such an important part of my life:
👉 https://malix.se/tag/morgondopp/
On the days when I swim at the indoor pool, the cold bath will be left out. And that is okay.
This is not about collecting performances – it is about listening to what the body needs today.
Not either/or – but both
Swimming and cold bathing do different things to me, but they lead in the same direction.
One through movement and flow.
The other through stillness in intensity.
The body needs both cold and warmth.
Both movement and rest.
I want to live close to those signals – not override them.
This way of thinking about sustainability and self-care connects to how I think about presence more broadly:
👉 https://malix.se/hitta-tillbaka-till-dig-sjalv-en-kurs-i-narvaro-och-hallbarhet/
The sauna – when the ritual becomes whole
Ending the swim with a sauna turns the whole ritual into something more than just exercise.
It becomes a moment where all of me is cared for.
After movement, warmth takes over. Muscles release, breathing slows, and the body receives the signal that it is safe.
It is something different from cold bathing.
Not better. Not worse.
Just different.
Cold bathing wakes me up.
Swimming carries me.
The sauna holds me.
Together, they create a morning ritual where body, soul and presence can exist at the same time. And right now, that is exactly what I need.
That is why I am committing to this.
Not out of duty – but because it feels true.
AHA – between the lines
This post is not really about exercise.
It is about trust.
About daring to adjust without feeling like a failure.
About letting the body take part in decisions, instead of being governed by ideas of how things should look.
Reflection
When I choose movement that carries instead of movement that pushes, something shifts in the way I live my everyday life. The body stops being a project and becomes a home.
Questions for you who are reading
How are you listening to your body right now?
Is there something you do out of habit rather than care?
What would happen if you allowed both instead of choosing one over the other?
Live today, right now. Let your body guide you – not yesterday’s habits or tomorrow’s demands.”
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