go swimming twice a week

I have been traveling a lot since May 28th or so. I think I may of visited the pool at my gym once since then. I did go swimming while on vacation many times in the ocean and several times in the pool – no laps however. I also went swimming while staying at my mom’s – maybe 3-4 times. Again no laps but I went and played with the kids for hours and hours.

I have to get back in the groove now. This is easy to do if I go in the mornings before I get woke up very well.

Tomorrow is my first return visit. I am going to be curious to see how many laps I can do, and in what amount of time.

b.

I have been getting at least one swim a week and most weeks two. I started going early on Monday and Friday mornings. I like waking up in the swimming pool. I still think I need to get one more “regular” day every week. Last week I went out of town Thursday and I missed Friday. If I miss a day, my fitness level is such that I feel it. Back aches. Not sleeping as well, etc.

I always walk on days that I don’t swim. (I always walk the dog but I usually don’t walk quiet as fast or quiet as hard on swim days.) But swimming fills several other purposes for me than just aerobic exercise. I need it for flexibility, joint mobility and to aid my circulation. It also gives me upper body work that I don’t get with walking. Walking is good because I can just go out the door and do it—aerobic exercise on a stick! But swimming and walking in an exercise program together are grand.

Weight training. I haven’t gotten trained yet on the machinery. I need to do that 2x a week, preferably before swimming…. So much exercise—so little time.

I am going to concentrate on adding another regular swimming day. Wednesday mornings it is. That will put me in the pool—before I wake up, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If my friends are going, I’ll go Friday PM instead of AM and I’ll do the weight training then before swimming.

I really want to take a few classes… they have dozens… I want to learn, get accustomed to, a variety of activities so I will never get bored. If I am tired or not feeling well I can do something calming—balance ball and hand weights. If I am jazzed I can spin 45 minutes.

You know. It just occurred to me. In about a year. I am going to look really buff. In my 47 years, I have had a few brushes nears Jock-dom. I want to go back.

I took two weeks off of exercising and dieting at Christmas. (Did pretty well with the diet anyway!)

I haven’t been to the gym since I got back Dec. 29th however. I have been working very much. I twisted my back also unloading the truck—but mostly I have just been too distracted to go.

I have been walking as that made my back feel better. It finally stopped hurting Saturday, Jan. 8th. I am treating it gingerly but ready to get back in the swimming pool.

But! I am going back to the mountains tomorrow or Friday. My youngest sister has to have gall bladder surgery Friday. In addition, my oldest neice is expecting a baby anytime. I need to go stay with my mom because everyone else is busy. I need to keep her distracted and help her with my dad.

I am going to see if I can get her to go swimming because that is something she loves to do.

Say a prayer all is well.

I will be off 43T from Jan. 12th until Sunday—Jan. 21st.

There has been a good book I am reading by Eric Harr. It is small—maybe 100 pages with an entry per page, The portable personal trainer.

One thing he says is to “release” when you exercise. Climb up into a place in your head and let go of the outside world. Your performance will increase without you even doing too much about it.

He was working with runners from Kenya. Seems that the longer the race, the hotter the day, the steeper the hill, the more composure they showed. They showed less and less strain, less heaving or puffing. As they got calmer, they were getting more and more into themselves. They were less concerned in what they are doing—more focused on just doing it.

This works. I don’t know that I am discribing it well enough. The only thing I can compare it to is like when I was a kids and drawing a picture and coloring it—I became part of the picture as I colored it.

Second time in a week: I have been into swinmming so much that I wacked the top of my head instead of flipping at the end of the pool. They gonna need to put some bumper pads in for me - or maybe I need to swim with a bicycle helmet on. :)

All I know is before I started doing this, I could swim laps 20 minutes - it was a strain but I could do it. Steady and slow. I did 20 minutes of water yoga and 20 minutes of working out with water weights also - but only 20 minutes of cardio. Weak cardio.

Well. The first night with this method I swam 30 minutes, at a pretty good pace. The next night 35. The third night (last night) 45 minutes.

Last night I swam at really good pace for 35 minutes (almost keeping up with others that have been swimming a long, long time) and I kicked it the last 10 minutes and was flying back and forth across the pool. Even the lifeguard mentioned it when I got out. I FELT GREAT.

The more I relax and go into the doing and forget about the rest, my performance doubled.

And oh my gosh it is fun. Addictive. I have been tired when I got out of the pool but I am hungry for more.

I am curious as to what will happen Friday. Harr says if you have an off day - and everyone does - stay loose and just plod that day. That should be your only expectation ever: a. to show up, and b. to plod at whatever it is at least for a little while. I like his philosphy. Right now—this is pretty exciting.

Stay tuned!

We went on a blitz shopping trip starting at 5PM: craft store, 2 home improvement warehouses, and a specialy food store. Sat down in the lobby at the club and ate a salad from the Fresh Market before swimming. Then I knocked out 35 minutes of laps. I was swimming so hard at one point in time, I forgot to flip and whacked my head when I got to the end of the lane. I immediately looked and no one saw me so I kept on swimming. :) Then 10 minutes in the hot tub- heaven. Quick shower and we were on our way again… more shopping…..!!! Hey I can do this in one hour and 15 minutes when hard pressed for time! AND WORK IN DINNER IN THE LOBBY IF I NEED TO!

This week, trips planned: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Email sent to friends.

Yes!!

1.5 hours in pool last night: 20 minutes water yoga, 20 minutes water weights, 40 minutes laps—slow but sure. I mix every lap: crawl, side, other side, breast, back.

I can swim 1/2 across pool without taking breath. When I started swimming I could do 2 strokes w/o air.

I am going back tomorrow as I only have 2 opportunities to swim next week (Tuesday and Friday) and I might miss one.

OK that is the swimming update for today.

I am doing very good work towards this goal. I have consistently went swimming once a week for 4 weeks. I am solid in that. Now, I am starting to think about what I need to do to regularly (and consistently) get in a second swim a week.

In learning to do this I am learning something about myself.

I am finding out (Wow! It has taken me this long??) that I can’t just want to do something and so, then, it will like happen. I have to want it I have to work at it I have to remind myself often I have to enlist friends to do things with me I have to get friends and family and 43T folks to encourage me I have to encourage myself.

I knew this about things I didn’t like—but I love swimming! I have a membership to a lovely club with a lovely pool where my workplace gets a discount. It is drafted out of my paycheck so I never see the money. I have no less than 8-12 swimsuits—that I look better in than I do my clothes. The pool is indoor and they keep it warm enough to not shock you but not so hot it it bath-like. They use ozone instead of chlorine. There is a sauna and a hot tub. When I get there at 7PM it is usually pretty empty. The locker room is clean and spacious and has shower curtains and changing rooms. They provide towels. They have a swimsuit dryer called a “SuitMate.” They provide hairdryers, lotion and shampoo. There is plenty of hot water in the shower. My 4 best friends belong to the same club—and 2 people I work with—and we all encourage each other. The staff at the club, from trainers to desk folks to custodians to lifeguards are all very nice friendly and helpful.

So—I have no impedance to going swimming. None. It is 7 miles from where I park my car in a park and ride lot and there is a bit of traffic, and it is 15 miles from my house (country miles)—so there is perhaps a small “geographical” impedance. I can’t take my dog. She is a Jack Russel. Thinks the world ends every day when I go to work. But she also leads a thrilling life without me (A neighbor is a sculptor so she hangs out with him when I am not home.)

One small impedance and 100 good reasons to go and I am just now achieving 1/2 of my desired goal of going swimming 2x a week.

Goals take work. How did I get to be like, 107 years old and not know this? Even when I want to do something, I have to train myself to do it. Duh! The 40 watt bulb has gone off over my head.

So, my continuing work on this goal: My other best friend (and commuting partner on Tuesdays) has went with me the last couple of weeks as a guest. He and I are going tonight. The club has an indoor track and he is a runner. So I am hoping he will decide to join also. We’re good for each other: encouragement, life goals, mutual respect-wise. So if he joined I’d at least be there every week on Tuesdays.

I have another friend that is way too busy that I’d really like to see more often. She likes to swim also and her son is my godson… so I keep speaking to her about it. If I could see her and my godson more than 2x a year it would be great—and to get some fitness in the bargain—well that would just be a bonus.

OK Now I am going to email the other 4 friends and see who is up for a swim another night this week and when. And I am going to plant a seed again with the friend that is too busy.

That is all I can think to do on a rainy Tuesday. If anyone has any other suggestions I am most appreciative.

Thanks for listening! b.

Just set an email to the friends to line up cheerleaders (or offering to do the same) for Wednesday and Friday evening.

I had another illness Friday so missed swimming Saturday. We went out to eat. I got chicken. It had been grilled on the same grill as shrimp, so I pegged out—was still woozy late Saturday.

Sometimes I feel like I live my life dodging auto-immune disorders. I decide to think of it as a game of dodge ball - not bullets - but sometimes it sure does get tiresome.

OK that is only dose of self pity I am allowed this week. Time to get on living.

1.5 hours in pool last night again and man I feel like 1 millon dollars! Hurray!!! I am thinking about sneeking in another visit Saturday morning. They have a water aerobics class in the very deep, very hot therapy pool. I might need another week on my own before I can even think about keeping up with those ladies! I’d like some new moves however. I’ll think about it.

What is weird: I left home at 8 AM yesterday, worked hard all day—10 hours. Commuted 40 miles. Had a snack for supper, then swam 1.5 hours. Got home at 10PM and then cleaned house until MIDNIGHT when I forced myself to quit and go to bed. I was not tired one bit. Do you know what I would of looked like if I hadn’t been swimming?

I have a “date” with my friends: Barbara, Lynn, Rebekkahh and Carol to go swimming tonight. I have my swimsuit in the bag and didn’t forget my shampoo!

I kept asking friends that belong to the same health club—several hadn’t been in a month or more… one said, “they have probably repainted the place by now…..” On Friday I asked two friends: Monday, Wednesday and/or Friday nights? They said “yes” to Monday. When I talked to a third yesterday, she and another already had plans for Monday too, plus she agreed to go Wednesday.

SO! I have two swim dates lined up for this week. YES! I can go by myself yes, no problem—but if I have a friend lined up to go with me then I can’t talk myself out of it and decide to go home and be a sloth instead.

Now if I can get my subversiveness turned on my “born skinny” friend that I usually eat dinner with on Tuesday, we might work in a fitness date before dinner most weeks. We car pool every Tuesday and a few weeks ago it was my turn to drive. I got sick mid-day and had to leave work early. He rode the commuter bus to the park and ride lot that evening, then ran the other 8 miles home. BEYOND DESGUSTING. Runs once a week. Is very thin.

Also, I am using the park and ride lot now that gas is very expensive. I got off the bus early this morning and hiked over hill over dale, up three flights of stairs, down two and about a 1/2 a mile to get into work.

The fitness plan is coming together! It has just taking me 3-4 weeks to get all the various parts of it line up. It feels good to find the groove again—it will feel even better in a month or so!