Candice Landau
There’s nothing quite like the strain you feel lap swimming hard to make you realize how unfit you’ve become! The last time I made a concerted effort to get back into swimming shape was a month or two before my Divemaster swim test. Back then I was doing a mile in the pool about 5 times a week. And boy did that feel good. Then, life happened and most forms of exercise fell by the wayside. Now it’s back to the water, if for no other reason than to appease the cats who are obsessed with the smell of chlorine.
But what’s the appeal?
Where some people find swimming mundane, I find it both soothing and challenging. It’s the one activity that allows me to totally tune out. It’s just you and your awareness of your body. And the more tuned in to your body you become, the better the work out because you know exactly what to do to push yourself. Which brings me to my second point: the challenge. The feeling of pushing through when you hit a wall. Maybe that’s physical exercise in general, but there’s something different about swimming. Don’t get me wrong, I love running and cycling (I’m not a one sport wonder) but neither of those activities have the solitary appeal this one does.
When you need to exercise and cut out from the world, there isn’t anything better. And, if you’re a scuba diver, how can you not? You do want to be strong in the water, right?
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