My Experiences of Winter Swimming By Li De Notes: I was diagnosed HIV positive in 1997. At the time, there was no treatment available, and not many people understood this disease. All people with HIV/AIDS faced numerous challenges, and felt desperate. Some of them even thought of killing themselves. I happened to meet Mr. Ren just as I was desperate about my life. He suggested that I use (outdoor) winter swimming as a therapy to combat HIV, because it is a sport that can help people become relaxed in a natural environment. I feel fortunate to have followed his suggestion without any hesitation then, in the autumn of 1997. Almost ten years have passed, and I can say that winter swimming has worked very well for me. In recent years my health has been very good; my CD4 cell count has remained high, and my virus load is under control. Since I began outdoor winter swimming I have had few problems with my health, even rarely getting a cold. I have worked, and lived my life as normally as others do. I think this sport does have some ability to curb HIV. My experience is that it can help strengthen one’s immune system and appetite and improve the quality of one’s sleep. Even more important, it can help one relax and be happy: sometimes having a good mood is much more useful than taking medicine. Perhaps I am the only HIV-infected person to have winter-swum for ten years. I wish this sport could be known by more people throughout the world. Swimming is a sport that is loved by many regardless of gender and age. There is nothing like the refreshing feeling when one jumps into water on a hot summer day. It may, though, be hard to imagine doing the same thing in the cold of winter. Yet it is not an impossible thing, if you don’t fear the cold and are willing to challenge yourself. I had heard the term “winter swimming,” but never actually tried it. I thought of it as hard — even impossible. Until, that is, I got a chance to try it, which made me feel happy and gave me a sense of accomplishment. People can, it is true, only overcome challenges by confronting them bravely. You may wonder how it was that I came to start winter swimming. In 1997, I happened to meet Mr. Ren, with more than ten years’ experience of it. According to him, it cured his disease and he made many friends through the sport. I was immediately interested. I had, to be honest, a moment of fear when I contemplated jumping into the icy water. Then I asked myself: why can I not do it when other people already are? I suppose my resolve was cemented by my competitive personality. With the help of Mr. Ren, I started swimming that August. It was okay at the beginning, though I felt differently when October came around and the weather got cold. It became more difficult still in November, when the weather and the water temperature became colder yet. It was a test for me. I kept telling myself to carry on and not give up. During that period, guided by some friends, I went to swim every day. The water temperature continued to change with the weather. I swam in it as it went from 20 degrees to 10 degrees. That winter was critical for me: it took all my courage to jump into the water, because it was indeed very cold. It was not easy for me to carry on . Looking back, however, I feel that my winter swimming actually started during that very cold part of the season when I overcame my wish to give it up. It was December; the water was nearly frozen. I can still remember taking off my clothes and standing in the bone-chilling wind. I really felt very proud when I jumped into that icy water, when the snow fell on my wet body, when passers-by looked at me with surprise, and when people admiringly asked me if I felt cold. I was happy, because I was fighting the cold, fighting myself, and fighting nature itself. I felt that I was the victor through my courage, persistence and resilience. Winter swimming has improved my health. I have hardly caught any colds, my appetite is better, the quality of my sleep has improved, my immune system has got stronger, and I have more energy. Yet the biggest reward for me is that it has greatly changed my psychological state. Winter swimming has changed my world view, and given me a new perspective from which to look at various aspects of my life, including hatred and love. I could not have such understanding without my experiences of winter swimming. I am still a “young” winter swimmer. I am sure I will accumulate more knowledge about it on this journey. It will continue to be part of my life. Now I am promoting winter swimming because I want other people to be able to achieve better health with its help. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Ren and all my winter-swimming friends for their support along the way.

1