Regularly swimming at your own pace in a pool or open water provides a full-body workout. Because the water supports you and gives you the feeling of weightlessness, swimming is good for people with injuries or sensitivities. Provided you swim harder than the previous time, swimming is also a form of cardio. In short, swimming is good for your muscles, heart, lungs, blood pressure, and calorie burn. Outdoor swimming, whether in cold water or not, also benefits your circulation, immune system, and resistance. So, go ahead, put on that swimsuit!

And then there are the mental benefits of swimming. The rhythmic movement of the water is relaxing and reduces stress. Swimming outdoors in a lake or the sea puts you in nature, which also brings mental peace. The fluid movement of your body, increased peace, deeper breathing, and the feeling of freedom boost your mental health. Cold-water swimming adds a thrill—hello, endorphin boost! Splashing around in the water, alone or with others, brings adventure and fun. Your happiness hormones can really get going.

Do you get a real kick out of a dip in the water? Then consider a swimming retreat. Not a yoga or leadership retreat, but a swim to your heart's content. There are different types of swimming retreats: where you can wild swim, swim in open water, or simply improve your swimming skills. There are also swimming retreats focused more on wellness or with a focus on cold-water swimming. Which type of swimming retreat is right for you?

Since 2018, Lauren from The Salt Sisterhood has been organizing retreats with a focus on outdoor swimming, recharging and sisterhoodIn a beautiful house in the countryside in Cornwall and Portugal, a group of women gather for a week rechargeEvery day involves swimming at a new location, yoga, mindfulness, delicious food, and hopefully also beautiful insights and encounters that you take with you into life.

The Salt Sisterhood
Cornwall + Portugal

Much Better Adventures takes you on one of their adventure trips to Crete for a great swimming adventure. For seven days, you'll swim and hike through beautiful Greek nature reserves and blue waters. You'll pass landscapes, cliffs, and natural wonders. sea ​​pools, lagoons, and bays, finally swimming across clear open water to Limpet Island. Who's up for this adventure?

Much Better Adventures
Crete but also Sweden, Slovenia, Finland and Wales

There's a lot to be said for a retreat with a group of like-minded people, but sometimes you want privacy. At Ebba in beautiful Wales, you can book a cabin with your partner or a friend. You'll have a private lake in front of your cabin, a sauna in that same lake, and—because it wasn't beautiful enough already—a heated outdoor pool. Just be sure to bring your own timer to time your laps around the lake. And the rest is just chilling.

Ebba
Wales

If you've been secretly thinking about winter swimming for a while but haven't quite got the courage yet, this one-day retreat in the Netherlands is a great starting point. From 09.45:11.45 AM to XNUMX:XNUMX AM, you'll receive instruction from experienced instructors, yoga, breathing exercises, and actual outdoor swimming. Afterward, you can spend the rest of the day warming up in the saunas and pools at Thermen Soesterberg.

Thermen Retreats
The Netherlands