MacLehose Press dives in for Søberg's winter swimming guide 

MacLehose Press has landed Winter Swimming, a guide to the benefits of a “cold shock” for physical and mental health, by Dr Susanna Søberg.  

Publisher Katharina Bielenberg acquired world English rights from Paul Sebes at Sebes & Bisseling Sandinavia. It will be published in the UK in September 2022.  

Sebes said: “Contact with cold water, at any time of the year, contributes to your health and happiness. It is about perseverance, self-mastery and the inner peace you experience while in the water. In a stressed and technological world, having contact with nature all year round contributes to inner tranquillity and mental hygiene. But winter swimming is not only good for the mind, it is also good for the body: Your blood circulation, heart, lungs and skin, as well as your immune system and metabolism benefit from it. You might even lose some weight, so try it, or just read the book.” 

The publisher wrote: “Susanna Søberg will help you mentally prepare to dip a literal toe into the water for the very first time and she explains all of the benefits of ’cold shock’ for physical and mental health. Winter swimming provides a boost to your everyday life: a better mood, more focus, joie de vivre, pain relief and an effective defence against infectious diseases and atherosclerosis. Additionally, winter swimming increases insulin sensitivity and activates brown fat that can help fight lifestyle diseases and conditions such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.”  

Søberg is a Danish scientist who spent her PhD researching metabolism. Her most recent research focused on fat reduction through winter swimming at the Tryg Foundation’s Centre for Physical Activity in Denmark. She said: “My PhD was into healthy ‘brown fat’, a calorie-burning tissue activated by cold water. Along the way I was asked many questions about the health benefits and safety aspects of cold-water swimming and I realised that there was no book on the subject. Winter Swimming is the result of my research, which has also led me to explore and enjoy the culture of cold-water swimming myself.” 

Bielenberg added: “A great many people took to cold water swimming in the UK and elsewhere over the past winter for that rare lockdown endorphin rush, joining those who have been enjoying it for years. Susanna’s fascinating and expertly researched book explains why winter swimming specifically has such positive benefits, enhanced in our edition with photographs of cold-water traditions around the world.”