So I was intrigued by the title of something I saw today in the N.Y. Times: “The Benefits of Getting an Icy Start to the Day.” Sadly enough, this was not about skating at all, but about the benefits of starting your day with a really cold shower. There are any number of theories out there about the benefits of icing yourself to help with weight loss, depression, and other woes. The point of this particular article seems to be that you should do difficult things first thing in the morning, so as to set yourself up to face challenges later in the day.

I am not sure I am really to take the polar plunge yet; I worry that I will reward myself for any new-found benefits with even more whipped cream on my morning waffle.

So I will limit myself to sharing pictures of a “Polar Plunge” benefit held recently at a nearby lake.

I stopped by to check it out, but alas, didn’t catch anyone who was actually plunging into the icy depths. Instead, I was just handed a loaf of bread and some packaged chocolate chip muffins by someone promoting baked goods. I guess even visiting the site might make one crave carbohydrates.

Besides, don’t you think they should do a study on whether early morning skaters with regular sessions on icy-cold rinks get certain health benefits (besides their virtuous practice sessions and being able to gloat over the rest of us who wander into the rink closer to noon?)

Not sure that I’d volunteer, though.