Taking The Polar Bear Plunge This Year? Here’s What You Should Know

Woman floating in water

polar bear swim vancouver
First of all, let us tell you that every swimmer should do this at least twice. Do it twice, and you will end up taking the polar bear plunge every year for the rest of your life. The first time you really don’t know what you’re getting into, and just have dive right in. The second time you actually have to conquer your fear because you remember the experience from the last plunge and you feel a nerve inside your heart turning blue and imagine some hair strands turning icy white. Remember Anna’s from Frozen? Exactly!

Polar bear plunge or swim, as some people call it, takes place across Canada. In many places, you have to pre-register and for each plunge someone takes, some amount goes to a charitable organization. But not everyone needs a good cause to be motivated for the challenge. Often people participate for the thrill of starting the new year with a challenge, diving straight into the icy cold ocean when there is still snow on the shore. Brrrr. And you thought hot yoga was a challenge. For all those first timers out there, we’ve put together some tips that should come handy.

#1. No heavy winter coats and no swimsuits. Here’s why:

If you think wearing your winter wear is going to make the swim any easier then you are wrong. First of all, the wet clothes are going to weigh you down and make your time in the water more difficult. And secondly, clothes or no clothes, the water is going to be painstakingly cold. You should rather focus on being light and active so that you can complete the plunge as quickly as can be.

But that does not mean that your swimming suit is going to be the best fit. You need to wear something like water-friendly yoga pants or leggings with a full sleeves top of the same material. This way your body will be covered and the water won’t lash at your bare skin. But you will still be light and active enough to enjoy the swim!

polar bear plunge canada

#2. Try to keep your head dry

We know it feels like cheating but hey, survival of the fittest and the cleverest! As much as possible try to keep your head from getting into the ice, ooops, water. But if you literally taking the plunge like jumping into the ocean then we guess there is no saving the head. Well, in that case, We suggest wearing a swimming cap underneath a tight skull cap. So that no icy water enters your ears to make you uncomfortable while you take on the ocean like a polar bear. Ear plugs will be great add-ons too.

#3. Eat well. For 2 days before and on the day.

Okay, so those of you planning to show off your healthy winter bodies in hot shorts or some crazy Halloween costumes might want to starve to get those abs peeking out. But that’s not really a great idea. Food keeps your body warm and helps it maintain the much-needed temperature to keep bodily functions going. 2 days before the plunge, start eating normally and healthy and do so on the day of the plunge too. Dry fruits like almonds, apricots and raisins can be great sources of heat and taking them every day keeps your body warm from inside.

#4. Take some friends along. It’s more fun.

The whole experience is more fun when you have people to take silly videos and photographs with. And possible one man on dry ground who keeps towels and dry warm clothes handy. Dry warm clothes. Sounds like a luxury, right? It will on D-day. Especially when you will notice all the people in Eskimo jackets gathered to watch baboons like us monkeying around in ice.

#5. Try to stay shallow.

Swim for a minute and assess what’s happening. Most probably that is just how much you will have to do to complete your challenge. But irrespectively, if you get too charged up and decide to swim really quickly and go too far? Boy, are you going to repent it! You might lose breath or you might stop feeling your legs, that’s when you’ll miss the ground. Which is why staying shallow is a great idea. Worst case scenario, you will be able to wade your way back to safe territory.

polar bear swim canada

Make your own ritual for your polar bear swim. Many people wear funny costumes usually their Halloween ones, some couples take the plunge on their wedding day or maybe wear their wedding dresses while taking it? Hmmmm. Some people strike a yoga pose in the icy water, some try to do a particular dance move. These little rituals just make polar bear swim even more fun. So what’s going to be your signature move?

polar bear swim

We are super excited to participate every year. For yoga lovers, it is just another way of practicing resilience, patience, and self-control. And we love to test ourselves. Plus the polar bear swim is kinda like a little excuse to buy more yoga pants, this time water-friendly ones! If this is not your kind of a challenge then maybe a 30-day yoga challenge is more your cup of tea. We love both! Here’s how the swim looked in Vancouver last year. Aren’t you excited for 2017, already!

Let us know your experience and if you have any special tips for first timers. the time is not far and we gotta prepare for the new year and the polar bear swim, together!

#yogaeverydamnday Taking on the 30 day yoga challenge

Woman doing yoga

Yoga studio - 30 day yoga challenge

Since joining a yoga studio earlier this year I knew I wanted to join their next studio-wide 30 day challenge. I’d scanned back through their Instagram feed and found the posts about the challenge inspiring and I couldn’t wait to join that community and push myself to do #yogaeverydamnday.

I’d previously completed two 7 day challenges on my own as well a 15 in 30 challenge and I found them so motivating to keep going, even when I’d rather be sitting on my couch for an evening of netflix and takeout. I knew the 30 day challenge would be hard, and I had a busy month ahead so it was going to take some serious scheduling, time management and dedication. What I didn’t expect (or maybe just ignored) was how tired my muscles would be from back-to-back classes. I quickly learned it’s important to keep your body nourished as well as active!

How to survive a 30 day challenge

1. Eat healthy and take supplements where necessary

Being healthy isn’t just about physical activity. You can’t eat pizza and pasta and expect your body to get the nutrients it needs. Maintaining proper nutrition will help your body recover and help you get back on the mat faster. This wasn’t an area I excelled at during my challenge and I ended up getting sick 4 days before my challenge ended! I know I don’t get enough protein and amino acids in my semi-vegetarian diet so I’ll definitely be looking into supplements that will help my muscles recover. Don’t forget to stay hydrated!

2. Do your laundry… or go shopping 😉

Going to yoga every day means dressing for yoga every day. Having a few pairs of leggings, tops and bras to rotate through is essential — no one wants to wear the same pants to flow that they wore to hot the day before! Clothes that work well and fit correctly also really improve the experience. Since I was going every day I really started to notice which items I wanted to replace.

3. Make it as easy as possible

I quickly realized it would be a lot easier to fit yoga into my days if I didn’t have to worry about whether I had my mat with me so I gave myself the option of renting. I much prefer my own Manduka mat so I used it as much as possible but I knew it would take the stress off if I didn’t always have to pack my mat. If you’re planning your own challenge I’d definitely consider getting a lightweight, packable travel mat.

Why join a challenge

Sometimes you need to push yourself to do something you might not think you can do. After 30 days of yoga you’ll feel stronger, more confident and amazed that yes, you can find time. It’s also a great opportunity to try new classes and more advanced poses. And hey, it’s also a great excuse to buy new pants 😉

Yoga 30 day challenge

What I learned from my yoga challenge

What I learned from this challenge is that I can do #yogaeverydamnday, even if it’s just a little bit at home in the morning or evening. I also learned that sometimes, you need to give yourself a break. We all have busy lives and conflicting commitments and it’s okay to say, hey I can’t work out today, but I will get this and this done and that will make me feel good. Overall the challenge made me feel really good about myself. I felt stronger and even found classes easier when I used to struggle through them. I know my poses (and their names!) better and even know what to expect in the classes I usually go to. The 30 day challenge definitely made me feel less like a beginner and it made me excited to maintain a yoga routine!

*This post was shared by new yogi, Julie*