Madeleine Finlay

speaker

2,527 appearances 37 recordings 2 series first heard Apr 2026 last heard 4d ago

Madeleine Finlay’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 37 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 8.

newest first · ▶ plays the moment

I'm definitely predisposed to believe that evidence, but let's move on to cold water because you're going to have to persuade me here.

Is there any signal for any health improvements?

Right.

So the theory goes that by physiologically stressing the body, you can potentially prepare it for other stresses.

But this is something the jury is out on.

We've been talking about each of these separately, but you often have sauna and cold water exposures together.

You get in the sauna, you get in the cold tub, you go back in the sauna.

Is there any particular benefit to alternating between hot and cold?

Coming up, what you need to know before you start a sauna or cold plunge routine.

Ian, another thing I wondered was whether these things are good for us simply because they're pleasant activities.

I mean, talk to anyone and they will say it's nice to sit in a sauna and relax.

You can find innumerable Guardian journalists who love cold water swimming.

So is there a psychological aspect at work here?

I'll take that placebo effect.

I mean, I really like, particularly with saunas, it's like enforced relaxation.

As you said, you can't really do anything else.

But look, how often do you need to use a sauna or do cold water immersion to get any of the potential benefits that you've been telling me about?

Okay, so it does get easier the more you do it.

And for anyone who wants to give sauna or cold water immersion a go, is there anything that they should bear in mind?

I think that's really nice advice.

Showing 1161–1180 of 2,527 · page 59 of 127

Heard on

Something wrong?

Each row has a “Not Madeleine Finlay?” link; anything else, tell us.