3 minute read
Since opening their first fruit and veg shop in 2004 The Happy Pear (twin brothers David and Stephen Flynn) have been all about healthy living and getting as many people as involved as possible.
After leaving university, they travelled the world sampling as many local dishes and unusual ingredients as they could. When they returned from their adventures their aim was to get involved in their community and start a food revolution by making fruit and veg sexy! Now, fifteen years later, they run three Happy Pear cafes, have their own award-winning range of plant-based products in supermarkets and they’re authors of three best-selling cookbooks.
Part of their daily routine involves walking down to their local beach at sunrise and getting into the sea with anyone else feeling brave enough to jump in for a swim - it’s a truly amazing way to start the day!
We were lucky enough to join in one of these ‘swimrise’ events along with a thousand other like-minded people including Joe Wicks (AKA The Body Coach). The Happy Pear boys told us about the benefits of doing a swimrise and gave us their tips for embracing the cold water:
"Our interest in sunrises started when Dave’s elder daughter, Elsie, was a baby. Dave used to be out on the empty streets of Greystones in the early hours trying to walk her back to sleep. One summer morning he took a photo of the sunrise and shared it on Facebook. People went mad for that gorgeous view and so began our love of sharing sunrises!"
"Since summer 2016 we have been swimming at sunrise too! Now a community of like-minded, brave souls has developed and we meet at the beach every morning for our ‘morning wash’, followed by a huddle around a warm cup of tea and good chats."
"Swimrise is a magic way to start the day and very symbolic too. As soon as our heads hit the water we feel so much more alive and connected to ourselves and nature. The cold sea is so bracing that our worries and stresses seem to disappear."
Why try a swimrise? There are so many benefits:
- Cold water shocks us back to the present moment, where we need to be!
- We get a wonderful feeling of gratitude for nature and for our tribe
- Cold water swimming is known to help with blood flow and brain function
- It helps you de-stress and relax as it helps calm the central nervous system
- Connection and community - we love our growing tribe
Our top 5 tips for embracing the water:
- Do it with friends, it gives you accountability and support
- Get stuck in, just do it!
- If not near the sea then start with cold showers!
- Breathwork is so important, check out the Wim Hoff method!
- Let go of any fear and just enjoy the experience, we always say that we may not like the person going in but you will love the person coming out!
Cold water swimming will change your life! Join our #SWIMRISE community!
Limited edition Swimrise dryrobes are available online now
Follow the Happy Pear:
Facebook: The Happy Pear
Instagram: @thehappypear
Twitter: @thehappypear
YouTube: The Happy Pear
https://thehappypear.ie/
Photos courtesy of Alan Rowlette