"Cold water makes you fat" Wigald Boning swims and swims and swims

Wigald Boning swims and swims: the German comedian has been getting into the water every day for two years. How much longer does the 57-year-old want to keep going? "I've got my eye on the 1000 days."

Wigald Boning keeps on swimming and swimming: since July 1, 2022, the comedian has been getting into a body of water every day, regardless of whether the sun is shining, it's raining cats and dogs or the water is only two degrees warm.

Last Sunday, he completed the second year of his mammoth project, and on Monday he will start the third year.

When asked in November 2023 which was the most complicated day of swimming so far, Boning told blue News: "There were a few days when I was really pressed for time."

Boning's swimming adventure in Cologne triggered a shitstorm

The 57-year-old was recently criticized for the first time after a swimming adventure in the Rhine in Cologne: He was a bad role model, he said, and swimming in the Rhine was far too dangerous.

"I can only apologize. It is difficult to find a suitable body of water for swimming in the city of Cologne. And it's not actually forbidden," says Wigald Boning, who recently obtained his lifeguard badge.

In New York City, the search for a body of water was also complicated. The comedian was in the Hudson River and the East River, feared because of strong currents. "I only ventured in there briefly. Fortunately, there was no shitstorm."

But the worst of all was the day his father died. "It was a strange thought in itself to get into the water just then," says Boning.

He continued: "But once I was in, I felt a great sense of relief. There's something comforting about water."

Boning gets "as fat as a grey seal" in winter

Neither cold nor illness have been able to stop Wigald Boning in the past two years - everything from coronavirus to sinusitis.

"I also go into cold water with a fever. Doctors in the 18th century even recommended it. This doctrine is outdated, but it really does reduce fever in the short term."

How much longer does he want to last? "I have my eye on the 1000 days." That would be at the end of March next year.

Boning is currently enjoying the summer temperatures and swimming much longer every day than in winter. "At the moment, I'm swimming with great pleasure."

Swimming in winter also has another disadvantage: "Cold water triggers feelings of hunger. That's why I always put on weight in the cold season. I get fat like a gray seal."

Boning believes that this is his body's way of protecting itself against the cold. "It's easier to bear with two kilos more."

The comedian swam in over 100 bodies of water

Wigald Boning has swum in over 100 bodies of water in the past two years - from the Flensburg Fjord in the north of Germany to various Alpine lakes in the deep south and from the pond in Cologne's Mediapark to the Thames in London.

He swims most often in his home lake, the Ammersee in Bavaria. The comedian has also been swimming in Switzerland, but not often.

"I've at least gone ashore in Switzerland - when my wife was singing at the festival in Bregenz on Lake Constance. It was October 4, 2022, when I swam in the Altrhein near Altach in Austria," Boning tells blue News.

The comedian later makes a promise: If he goes swimming in Switzerland in the near future, blue News may accompany him. "I will now discuss this with the family council and get back to you as soon as possible."

Wigald Boning has had a penchant for long-term challenges for some time: in 2014, he cycled every day for a good 200 days. Then, in 2021, he put on his running shoes and ran a marathon every week for a year.

With material from the SDA.

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