I enjoy a lot of physical activities. One that I particularly enjoy, likely because I have spent so much of my life in a hot climate, is swimming. Since junior high, one of my very favorite things to do, is get into the pool and swim a mile.
It has always bothered me that fitness experts give this form of exercise such a thumbs down. It's not weight bearing. It doesn't burn fat. Yadayadayada.
Tell me, does this look like the body of an out-of-shape woman to you?!?!?
Of course Dara Torres is genetically blessed, and of course, she lifts weights. But you can't argue that she spends a whole lot of time in the pool. It's not working against HER from what I see!
I wish fitness experts would stop talking about swimming as if it's a useless exercise.
The other night when I was swimming, there were a couple of people in the pool who were clearly getting back into fitness after significant time away. They would never have survived a half hour on the treadmill, or an afternoon hike, or a round of tennis. But they were in the pool and they were working hard. That is what was important.
Here are some reasons I love water fitness and why I encourage you to try it for yourself.
1. Swimming is gentle on your joints. If arthritis keeps you from a lot of activities, swimming might be an answer. You can move your body without pounding the parts of you that hurt.
2. Swimming is a great body image equalizer. Once you're in the pool, no one can really see what you look like. I think that's what keeps a lot of people out of the gym, fear that those in great shape are looking at them and judging them, rather than appreciating the tremendous effort it took to get there.
3. Swimming uses upper and lower body parts. I know I should probably lift more weights. But weights, to me, are incredibly boring. I am getting ready to take tennis lessons, but that's going to use one side of my body more than the other. I could equalize that with.you guessed it…weights…but I'd rather balance it with swimming, which works my upper body in an equalized way that is enjoyable to me.
4. Swimming is meditative. I cannot tell you how many times, after being stuck on a project or writing assignment, I've gone to the pool, started moving, and the perfect idea just popped into my head. It seems to foster brain blood flow in a way that enhances cognitive function.
5. Swimming is relaxing. I ALWAYS sleep well when I swim. In fact, I often have to force myself to stay awake past 8:30 on days that I swim, so that I don't wake up at 4 am ready to go! You all know that poor sleep encourages insulin resistance. If you're sleeping well because you're swimming, the benefit you get may not directly be from how many calories you burn in the pool, but from the improved insulin function that encourages weight loss long after you've been in the water.
6. Swimming doesn't remind you of your body size with every move you make. I agonize for Biggest Loser contestants sweating away on the treadmill. Every step they take, every breath they take, they're reminded of how out of shape they are and how far they have to go. Swimming is the great body size evaporator. You can exert yourself within reason without feeling like you have to punish yourself. The water is one environment where you can, at least temporarily, not have a constant reminder of your size. You're weightless, you can glide, you can float, you can propel yourself. It's a completely size acceptant and encouraging environment.
7. What I've never seen studied, and I've looked for it a lot, is an analysis of what happens to body fat in swimming. It may not drop, but I have a hunch it migrates, toward the skin, where it is needed to help insulate against the water temperature. But if you think about that, it may help you to look a little younger, to have a small layer of fat just underneath the skin to support its structure. I actually kind of like that my body is a little more rounded and not so gaunt and"ripped" when I swim. I think I look more feminine. It's the internal fat, the fat around the middle, that causes problems you don't want. If you're noticing that your waist inches are decreasing, your body fat may be a little higher as a swimmer, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's BAD fat. (I kind of think the reason a lot of my athlete/fitness expert/weight lifting friends don't enjoy swimming is because their body fat is so low they don't have flotation on their side and they have to work too hard to enjoy it. So they justify why you shouldn't pursue it to fit their own physiological bias!)
So there you have it. I've hopefully removed some of the excuses and barriers that keep you out of the pool. If it gets you moving, if it helps you to sleep, if it improves your insulin function…why are you listening to the people who contradict your truth? What matters is what works for YOU. Not what some lean, cut person who has sunk to the bottom of the deep end is trying to tell you.: )