Model Vivien Solari may be best-known for her work posing for the likes of Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry, but these days, she’s more likely to be spotted plunging—without abandon—into wintry waves than walking down the runway. A chance encounter with cold-water swimming eight years ago developed into a passion so strong that the 39-year-old model devoted her Instagram handle, @coldseawarmheart, to it entirely. It’s here that she posts photos from her daily dips: glacial, gray waves; underwater limbs mid-stroke; and swim-cap selfies alongside comments like #getoutside, #mydailymeditation, and, simply, #euphoria.
“When you get in [the water], it takes your breath away,” says Solari, whose home on the south coast of England is only a 15-minute walk from the sea. “Then that passes, and you just feel really good.” And you look it, too, she adds, recalling benefits such as supercharged energy and a rosy, lit-from-within glow that lasts long after she returns to shore, things she might not achieve were she to opt for a full-body wetsuit instead of a skin-exposing one-piece. “It’s very much about how the water feels,” she says.
Of course, handling the freezing temperatures didn’t come naturally to the Caribbean-born model. In fact, she admits, “it took me two years to build up to swimming throughout the whole winter.” That is exactly why, for anyone looking to dip their toes in the water (or merely for tips on how to survive winter, or any future snowpocalypses), Solari recommends “baby steps” as well as a good night’s rest beforehand and a warm drink post-plunge.
“[Swimming] has made me stronger physically and tougher [emotionally],” says the mother of three, who balances the sport with strength- and endurance-based training like running, climbing, and jumping. Plus, she adds with a laugh, “I find it a lot easier on shoots now—the cold rarely bothers me!” And while there are days that fog, storms, and venomous sea creatures such as the Atlantic Portuguese “man o’ war” prevent her from diving in, they are the exception. “It’s just really good for my soul,” she says of her daily ritual. “It’s the best therapy.”