Reunited, and it feels soooo good....

                                                     glub...glub, glub........glub....  :)

My inner fish, alright technically a dolphin, is a happy camper!  I got back in the pool this past week!!!  I did laps.  I circle swam to share a lane with 3 other people.  I swam a mile, granted not a fast mile, but I swam a mile.

The moment my flip flops hit the pool deck, I realized how much I missed swimming.  How did I let almost a year go by without it?  Life got in a the way and other dreams and goals took precedent, that's how....

I started running last year and it took the majority of my focus and let's face it, exercise time.  As an adult, there is not an unlimited amount of time you have to workout.  There are other responsibilities and things that just need to get done that take the majority of your day.  Finding time to workout is a priority for me, but sometimes I have to choose one activity over another.  This year, my goal is to find a balance in between running and swimming for my cardio activities.  I actually have a plan, which I did not last year.

Now, let's get back to the pool, shall we?

I had no goal, no plans or times for my laps when I did my first introductory dip back in the pool.  I swam without pressure on myself,  only for the joy.  I think that's why I was able to do the mile.  I alternated between freestyle and breaststroke, with the majority in free, and just let myself swim.  I did a mantra from my meditation challenge to keep my mind quiet and to stay in the moment, not in how far I had swam or how far I needed to go.   I'm trying to keep this attitude in mind for all of my swims.

The past few years, both in and out of the pool, I have become interested in a swimming technique  called, 'Total Immersion'.  It teaches you to move in the most efficient way in the water, i.e., reduce drag, no wasted energy.  It reminds me of a moving meditation, everything has a reason and is, in my opinion, beautiful to watch.   Natural swimmers use a lot of the techniques Total Immersion teaches--they are long in the water and generally use less strokes to cover the same distance when compared to others.  If you are interested, you might want to check out their website.

One other thing, if your inner fish is screaming for you to get in the pool and you are worried about the damage that chlorine can do to your hair....
try this tip from another swimmer that I use, apply a little olive oil to your wet hair before you get in the pool.  While you are swimming your swim cap will keep it on your hair, and if any water gets on your hair from the pool, the olive oil acts as a barrier to the chlorine.  When you are done, just shampoo the olive oil out.  Hair protected and deep conditioned.  :)

Well, I've gotta run....
I've got a date with a lap lane at the pool.

Melissa