Braving The Cold
Module Overview
Former dairy farmer Kevin Hopkins dropped in at Fieldays to share the benefits of ice water swimming for mental wellbeing.
Kevin was born and bred in Matamata and dairy farmed there for many years. He bought his first herd in 1979 and built up his business from there. He soon learnt that farming was such an all-consuming job that it was vital to have an outlet.
He’d always had a great love of sport, but the busier life got on farm, the harder it became to sustain his involvement in rugby. Eventually, he got into ocean swimming and was mentoring a younger swimmer who experienced a tragedy and turned to cold water swimming as a therapy.
Long story short, three years ago Kevin ended up at St. Bathans Lake in the South Island and decided to give it a go himself. He was hooked. A couple of years later, he was at the world ice swimming champs in Italy representing New Zealand as part of the Frozen Ferns! He joined 700 athletes from 40 countries.
“We’re a small entity of like-minded people from all across New Zealand and most of us are doing it for our mental health or physical health,” he says.
Kevin explains why he enjoys the sport. “Any of the top sports people, whether it’s the All Blacks or triathlete and Olympian Hayden Wilde use ice baths as part of their recovery. It’s great for your physical state and it’s great for your mental state.”
“In terms of that mental reset, after a busy time on farm, I found swimming was very relaxing and therapeutic. When you’re ice swimming all you’re thinking about out there is your breathing and achieving the breathing required for ice swimming takes a lot of control and a certain mindset. You’ve got to train for a couple of months out from a race to be able to do this.”
Competitors swim short distances – between 50 metres and 1 kilometre – in water at 5 degrees Celsius or below. Kevin describes the health benefits he’s discovered ice swimming.
“Ice swimming gives you a natural high. It triggers a surge in endorphins and dopamine – neurotransmitters that elevate mood, reduce pain and increase your energy levels. If you’re doing physical work like farming, it’s also good for recovery from injuries and inflammation and it’s going to boost your immune system.”
Kevin’s not an outlier in his thinking. Public health expert Professor Grant Schofield of AUT has summed up the mental health benefits as follows.
“Taking a cold dip is effectively like “upgrading your brain”. The mental health benefits of cold water swimming are immense because it brings you immediately into the present. When you approach cold water there’s a sort of natural trepidation. You want to gasp and you want to have that whole fight or flight system up and going but learning to regulate that is such a nice lesson for learning to regulate anxiety in the rest of your life.”
Kevin’s concedes ice swimming may not be for everyone but encourages all farmers and growers to have an outlet of some sort to get off the farm.
“It’s vital in farming to get a break from the financial pressures, dealing with staff and all the compliance you’ve got to deal with today. For me it was ocean swimming and then the Frozen Ferns. But it could be any sport.”
“No matter how busy you are on farm, when you’re chasing the dollar, you’re chasing your targets and all that stuff, you’ve still got to make sure you don’t burn out. I’ve worked and lived in rural communities and seen how the pressures can mount on families. My advice is to look after yourself and don’t leave it until it’s too late.”
Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps people manage the ups and downs of farming and growing. Last year, 20,000 farmers attributed an increase in their wellbeing to the programme. For free, farmer-to-farmer tools and resources head to www.farmstrong.co.nz.
