anyone found workouts to stay in shape with leg injuries?

[Dantheman]

Why does that make a difference?

Open water swimming is a whole lot more challenging than pool swimming, for reasons that I think would be obvious. As for the cold part, there's lots of research out there now showing that cold exposure improves a number of metabolic health parameters including insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, VO2max and RER. Cold exposure also stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis in both fat (i.e., conversion of white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue) and muscle, stimulates endogenous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory production, and improves immune function. Lots of info here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/reports/cold-stress.pdf

Heat stress also has been shown to have many beneficial effects on the body (most from sauna studies). Temperature stress in either direction creates a beneficial hormetic response, but the reading I've done indicates that there are some unique benefits to cold.

[old goat]

Open water swimming is a whole lot more challenging than pool swimming, for reasons that I think would be obvious. As for the cold part, there's lots of research out there now showing that cold exposure improves a number of metabolic health parameters including insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, VO2max and RER. Cold exposure also stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis in both fat (i.e., conversion of white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue) and muscle, stimulates endogenous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory production, and improves immune function. Lots of info here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/reports/cold-stress.pdf

Heat stress also has been shown to have many beneficial effects on the body (most from sauna studies). Temperature stress in either direction creates a beneficial hormetic response, but the reading I've done indicates that there are some unique benefits to cold.

Probably best for beginners to stick to the pool though. Given the calories burned in open water swimming the amount of food someone like Lynne Cox eats to maintain her significant body weight must be staggering.

[abraham]

How does one get into open water swimming? Just go down to the lake and start swimming? Seems unforgiving.

When I was a lifeguard there was a guy who showed up and just swam, never fast but he was there the entire open swim session. Found out later he did some race across lake Tahoe