Polar Bear Plunge Physiology: What A Cold Water Dip On New Year's Day Does To Your Body

In New York City, it's only about an hour on the Q train from the crush of New Year's Eve parties at Times Square to Coney Island, where hundreds of people are expected to rush into the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 1. All across the globe, folks fortified with courage (liquid or otherwise) will splash into lakes and oceans to start 2014 off with a shiver. While a "polar bear plunge" can be an invigorating start to the year, you might wonder: What actually happens to your body when you take a freezing ...