Why do most of us come to the resorts? Of course to have fun, relax, sun ourselves, gossip about those who are wearing something tacky, and to swim. I love swimming. Ive always had a pool in the back yard. I started with an above-ground pool with my first house and graduated to a lovely large in- ground pool at my second house. I loved those evening swims and frolics in the moonlight, bathing suit optional.
When I decided to relocate to Delaware, my swimming pool became the Atlantic Ocean. Its got a lot of advantages. Not only can you skip the daily chlorine ritual, but you dont have to worry about whether the pool boy is going to show up to clean it. For those times when nothing but a pool will do, I freely impose on one of my friends to use his.
My advice to you is to dive into a form of exercise thats great for everyone, from the very fit to those with health concerns, including the elderly (hi, Steve!) Doctors routinely recommend swimming for pregnant women, people with arthritis, asthma, knee or back problems, or other disabilities. In fact, you can go swimming right after eating ice cream or crabs. Its an old wives tale that you have to waityou wont get cramps unless youve stuffed yourself like a pig. So the next time youre at one of those fabulous resort pool parties, you can eat a bit, but try not to indulge too heavily in food and drink before you go in the water.
Some of the greatest swimmers were Buster Crabbe, who went on to star as Flash Gordon in the early 1930s, Johnny Weissmuller, a phenomenal swimmer who swung into the role of Tarzan in the 1940s, and of course, Esther Williams, who was so good a swimmer in the 1940s and 50s that she had a pool named after her. Do any of you remember Carol Burnette doing the take-off of Esther Williams on her 70s variety show? I do, and it was hysterical. If you like to catch the re-runs, dont miss it.
A swimmer even became the most famous person at the 1972 Summer Olympics, when Mark Spitz won seven gold medals. How many of you remember Mark Spitz in his red, white, and blue bikini bathing suit with those seven medals around his neck? A few of those posters must still be up on bedroom walls somewhere.
There are a lot of reasons why swimming is so healthful. It strengthens your cardiovascular system, lowers LDL cholesterol (that nasty, terrible, bad cholesterol), and increases HDL (that wonderful, yummy, good cholesterol). With good technique, you can burn 350-420 calories per hour swimmingenough for a second helping of dessert (just kidding). Another advantage of swimming is that it helps build lean muscle mass.
Believe it or not, swimming is almost injury-free, if done properly. It is less stressful to your bones and joints than running and other high-impact activities.
Swimming also has its aerobic benefits. It stimulates the circulatory system, and we all know how we love to be stimulated. Its because the heart pumps more blood and the cardiovascular system gets a great workout. Even though your heart rate will probably be lower while swimming than while running, youre still getting a beneficial workout.
Unlike many outdoor activities, you remain cool as a cucumber while swimming. Its a fact that your body heat is more easily transmitted to the water than it is to the air. The nature of swimming, with slow steady breathing coupled with that stroking action, and the relaxing, calming, effect of the water, makes it an especially great way to reduce your stress level.
But besides the health benefits, swimming seems to be a lot more social than many sports. Were fortunate to have gay and lesbian swim clubs in most of the nearby major cities. In fact, the Fins Aquatics Club in Philadelphia (http://www.purple.com/fins) and the District of Columbia Aquatics Club (http://www.pdimages.com/dcac) have their own web pages so you can check them out and learn more. Joining a swim club can help you meet interesting new people and keep up with your rigorous training.
If youve never learned how to swim, by all means, you should take a swimming class. Dont take it for granted that youre going to just jump in and float; aint gonna happen. Its very important to learn the proper way to swim. You hear about tragic swimming accidents every yearsuch tragedies could be avoided if people only took the time to learn and act sensibly. Horseplay and ignorance have contributed to many swimming accidents. So please, just use common sense. A word of warning, though. Never swim alone. Remember what happened to Chrissy in "Jaws" when she took that swim by herself? Hors doeuvres, anyone?
Observe all safety rules and let yourself go. Enjoy your swimming. Whether youre at a hotel, motel, backyard wading pool, gigantic Olympic-size pool, or in the Atlantic Ocean, dive in! See you at the beach.
Rick Moore, a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals and Associates organization, believes in drug-free, common-sense training and a healthy lifestyle. Visit Rick on the Internet at http://www.enrapt.com/ricksfitness, or call him at Rick's Fitness & Health, (302) 684-3669.
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7/25/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.