THE HEALTH ISSUE

As the clocks fall back in late October, and we enter darker, colder months in the northern hemisphere, it is the start of the winter swimming season, which will be celebrated by many swimmers – those who are seasoned, as well as those new to outdoor swimming.
With kids back to school and people heading indoors, coughs and colds are common again and with the lack of daylight hours our mental health can dip too, which is why in the October issue I wanted to focus on our health. As so many swimmers report the benefits of swimming, especially in the colder months, I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look.
Rowan Clarke meets swimmers with real-life stories of how swimming improved their health and I sit down with Dr Mark Harper, cold water enthusiast and anaesthetist to find out about his new book, Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure. Elaine Howley looks into the history of survival swims, Jonathan Cowie explores body culture and I find out about social prescribing. All this as well as travel to Guernsey, neoprene accessories on test and your stories, photos and more! 

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Ella Foote, Editor