Go Soak Your Head! A Tale of a Reluctant Exerciser

My first experience with open water started with my mom dipping my baby toes in the ocean at four months. Then there were the intervening years at the YMCA, you know, fish, flying fish, dolphin, porpoise. I didn't consider myself a "swimmer". I loved to swim around, mermaiding in the ocean. But I never thought about swimming for exercise until last summer, when a couple of coworkers finally convinced me to give it a try. At first we swam outside with mixed results. Some days it was nice and warm. After a few laps I'd lay out on the deck and sun myself. Other days it was too chilly and I walked back to the office, grateful for that bit of exercise. Then Labor Day arrived and the pool closed for the season. What next?

My colleagues convinced me to give the local indoor pool a try. "It's only $3 bucks, no commitment." That I could go for. It seems that once I have a monthly contract I MUST stop going and agonize about my lost gym fees. This would be different. And it was.

The pool, at a local school, has adult swim during lunch. The water is deliciously warm. I splurged on a swim cap and goggles which made me feel legit. The first days in the pool I felt clumsy but that soon left me. I tend to daydream while going back and forth. I often think of a line from one of the kid's books: "shooting back and forth like a silver arrow" running like a mantra in my head. (Although I'm no silver arrow, that's for sure). A swim, followed by a hot shower, is enough to turn me to jello for the day. It's heavenly.

I used to be a walker. Then for various excuses and reasons, I stopped. Now I'm swimming and I'm going to enjoy it for as long as I can. My hope is that when the time comes to transition from one type of exercise to another, I'll recognize what's happening. Then I'll be able to reduce the time it takes to switch to something else. Maybe I'll be a walker again. Until then, it's splashy time.

Why not play like kids?

I took my daughter to a birthday party yesterday at a local gymnastics place. There was a jungle gym room next to the princess table set with hats and the cake. The kids, all around 4 or 5 years old, immediately ran to the gym room which was filled with slides, climbing ropes, balance beams and a trampoline or two. They were unstoppable. Eventually the group moved to the main floor where the instructor took them through several actvities. One included running down a runway-sized trampoline and leaping off into a giant pit of foam blocks. As my daughter struggled to free herself there was a huge smile on her face. I gave her a hand up and she said, "again Mommy!"

After cake and ice cream the kids had another run at the jungle gym room and this time I joined them. My hands itched to grab the rope and take a swing but I was too embarrassed in front of the other parents. During the ride home, with my little one sound asleep in the back seat, I wondered, "when do we stop going to the playground?" My oldest is six and we all still love to go. Why are there no jungle gyms at the gym? We have treadmills and exercycles, free weights and exercise balls. There are step classes and Pilates. Where are the adult-sized monkey bars? Where is the tunnel slide?

I thought about military styled obstacle courses and boot camps. Usually that type of training is punitive and seems to be founded on goading the attendee to complete the course at a fast pace. Why can't it be fun? I think I could get a stellar workout running around the playground for an hour, if it were my size.