Elina Makinen has 1.5 million TikTok followers and over 45 million combined likes on her videos. So what made the Finnish 28-year-old such an internet sensation?
First, she axes or drills holes in solid ice twice a day; then, she swims in the freezing water for up to 12 minutes at a time, according to her 2019 interview with Insider.
Makinen has cultivated this daily practice over the last ten years but states that it’s a common practice in Finland.
She first tried ice swimming at age 5, according to the interview, and described what the cultural hobby means to her family.
“Think of it as our version of yoga or meditation, it’s for both peace of mind and an endorphin rush.”
She even breaks up her ice into creative shapes, like this swim she took in a heart-shaped pool. Makinen credits the practice as a kind of exercise, in which her shivering produces the same high that sweating does in other physical practices.
She also boasts that ice swimming boosts immune benefits, and she rarely gets sick. She has also noticed an improvement in her sleep and blood circulation from swimming in the morning and at night.
The risk-taker even swims under solid ice while attached to a safety line. She then comes back up to the surface via another hole in the ice.
TikTok; pictured above is Elina
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Of course, some of her commenters are still concerned about her safety, but she quickly addresses their questions.
For example, when a follower asked how she doesn’t get hypothermia, she replied, “I’m not that long in the water … it takes a while for body temperature to drop down to hypotHermia.”
The swimmer has clearly done her research to prepare for the daily practice and also shares that she is an experienced swimmer.
Some commenters saw from her point of view; “Once y’all actually start doing this you’ll feel more relaxed,” a fan wrote. You can check out Elina Makinen’s TikTok to follow along with her chilly adventures.
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