Diet Log: Day 37
I started making the 20 to 30-minute drive to the Westminster Swim and Fitness Center every day because of their pool. And I made some of my first friends in Colorado among the octogenarians there! Even though I’m not a coffee drinker, I look forward to their post-pool gathering and conversation. Sometimes funny, sometimes arguing, sometimes just plain entertaining, they are a great group and welcomed me into their circle. I appreciate the life-perspectives and commentaries, not always in English. I feel especially close to my lane partner, Alison. As I’ve mentioned before, chatting with her makes my workout go really quickly, especially water jogging. It can be endless without company. We’ve shared a myriad of things about our lives, and it’s like talking with family.
Back to the workout part of pooling. People often ask me funny questions about my workout. Because I do nearly the whole workout in the vertical position, people wonder if I’m actually “doing” anything. I assure them that once I’ve completed the warm-up stretches, my legs are working nearly every moment. I also use aqua therapy fans when I jog. They help with balance to keep my back as vertical as possible. I’ve received any number of suggestions about how to modify my swimming, or why I should just swim, or why don’t I do water aerobics, or … well, the list goes on and on. One that I hear over and over again is why I’m not working my arms more (because I use the fans and move them minimally when I jog). The fact is I have to be careful not to aggravate my C5-C6 disc-bulge. I know how much I can do, so I just smile and keep doing what I’m doing.
And what am I doing? I think I explained this briefly in an earlier post. But the important part of working out in the pool is to not cause further pain or injury, so I’m careful. My PTA always said the goal was to always be pain-free in the pool. Nearly everything I do is geared toward strengthening core muscles and encouraging moderate cardio. I begin in the deep end and do 10 minutes of warm-ups – scissors and cycling, then some stationary stabilization exercises. That’s followed by barbell work for the arms and sides, and fan work for resistance. And then I’m on to jogging – 30 minutes. I try to start at a moderate pace and then speed up as much as I feel comfortable doing. Next up is 10 minutes of kickboard. I have to do this a little differently than normal in that I stay somewhat tilted in the water to avoid causing my back to curve. That means I can’t be at the surface to kick. Anyway, I get pretty winded in this part – it’s hard work! Finally another 5 minutes of cycling, then down to the shallow. I do swing stretches and then walk for about 15 minutes. All-in-all, 90 minutes of fun in the pool!
No other news today …