與“海象”冰海共舞

寒冷的12月，很多人都應該進入了“冬眠”或“半冬眠”狀態，足不出戶，舒舒服服地蜷縮在被窩里睡懶覺吧。但一些生活在北方的人偏要“唱反調”，在冰天雪地的戶外進行傳統的冬季運動——冬泳。這對長期生活在南方的Grace來說確實很不可思議。冬泳究竟有什么魅力，為什么能吸引這么多人參與呢？它對健康真的有那么多好處嗎？想知道答案，一起看看本文作者在俄羅斯的冬泳經歷。

Grace提醒一下，想嘗試冬泳的同學務必注意安全哦！

Welcome to Russia， where temperatures regularly 1)plunge below freezing for four months of the year. To survive the cold here， most people 2)bundle up， but some just 3)strip down. They call themselves “morzhi，” or 4)walruses， and their passion is swimming…in subzero temperatures. At least every week， and as often as every day， they plunge into the icy depths of frozen lakes and rivers.

Morzhi claim that there are 5)enormous health benefits to ice swimming. They say it improves circulation， helps with 6)arthritis and 7)rheumatism pains and rids the system of 8)toxins. They also claim it can cure the heaviest of 9)hangovers. For the most part， morzhi are very health-10)conscious. Most don’t drink or smoke and in some cases even have rules that forbid people from drinking before 11)dunking.

“It gives you 12)vital energy and strength，” a devotee called Sasha told me on a chilly morning on the Moscow River. She was wearing nothing but a wet swimsuit as we chatted， and I asked her whether she was cold. “I am warm， I am warm，” she insisted. I told Sasha that I was planning to try dipping my toe in to see what it was all about. “The first time is horrific， but then it’s normal，” she assured me.

With some fear， I had decided to find out for myself whether these morzhi are 13)enlightened or crazy. I bought a short-sleeve 14)wetsuit， partially so as not to frighten people with the sight of my white flesh after a Moscow winter， and partially because I was concerned that my 15)internal organs might shut down upon contact with the water. I had spent the week reading horror stories on the Internet about 16)hypothermic shock， panic attacks and the 17)sensation of not being able to breathe properly.

Watching the men and women， old and young， fat and thin， 18)jog casually into the water and 19)splash around happily， I suddenly felt rather foolish for my fears. It looked almost fun. I walked into the water and 20)waded forward. At first it felt like little needles 21)pricking my legs. Then， as the water got higher， I felt something like dizziness. I realized that I was making slightly strange 22)whooping noises and that I was by now almost 23)skipping through the water just to keep moving. By the time the water was just above my navel， I decided that I had experienced enough of the icy waters for my first experience， and I rapidly went back to the changing room.

As soon as I was out of the water and felt the wind 24)whipping against my frozen and numb 25)extremities， a feeling of warmth and 26)lucidity spread through my body and mind. I felt refreshed and 27)invigorated in a way I am not sure I have ever felt before. I was ready to take the world head-on， I was ready to run a marathon， write a novel， climb a mountain. I had heard morzhi say that ice swimming is also a cure for 28)depression and I can understand why. It is not easy to find another activity that gives you such a high.

If you are looking for a 29)revitalizing experience with a distinctly Russian flavor， ice swimming is for you. I like to think that next year I might give it another go， and this time try to get in all the way， and possibly without the aid of a wetsuit. In the meantime， however， I think I’ll leave swimming in the ice to the ducks…and the morzhi.

歡迎來到俄羅斯！在這里，一年中有四個月的時間氣溫低于零度。為了抵御嚴寒，大多數人把自己一層層裹起來，然而有些人則反其道而行之，寬衣解帶。這些人自稱“morzhi”，即“海象”，他們最愛游泳……而且是在零度以下的冰水之中暢泳。他們至少每周，甚至每天都會潛入冰封的河流和湖泊深處。

據“海象”們稱，冬泳對健康大有裨益，比如冬泳能促進循環，緩解關節炎和風濕帶來的疼痛，并有助身體系統排出毒素。他們還說冬泳能夠解除最嚴重的宿醉。大多數情況下，“海象”們都十分注重健康。大部分“海象”既不喝酒也不抽煙，有時還設立禁止在下水前喝酒的規定。

“它能為你帶來活力和力量，”在一個寒冷的早晨，一位名叫薩莎的冬泳愛好者在莫斯科河畔對我這樣說道。我們交談的時候，她身上只穿了一件濕泳衣，我問她冷不冷。“我很暖，很暖，”她堅持道。我告訴薩莎說我想伸個腳趾頭進水里，試試看是什么感覺。“第一次是很可怕，但是以后就習慣了，”她向我擔保。