Discussion Board

I browsed back two years on this forum and found only a few entries about swimming or water aerobics. I'm thinking seriously about joining my local pool to swim 3 to 4 days a week to get more aerobic exercise swimming laps and maybe doing water aerobics classes. They also offer a pilates water exercise class twice a week. I have had a low back problem for 17 years that is getting worse. Have tried yoga but always have to be careful not to hurt my back. I've heard that swimming is the best exercise for one's back and for joint health. Are any of you swimmers? If so, how often do you swim and what benefits to you notice? How long have you been swimming regularly? I'm not a great swimmer since I never had swim lessons and don't know how to side breathe, but maybe can take lessons to learn the breathing at some point. I really need an exercise that I can do consistently and this seems like a good choice. I've heard that swimming isn't good for weight loss, but some testimonials given by people who've taken it up in their 50s indicate that they did lose weight and lost inches. I may time swims at about 11:00 a.m. so I can eat lunch afterwards and offset the hunger that many swimmers experience. Also, I recently read that in a study of longevity swimming was found to result in greater longevity than running or walking. That surprised me. I know it's not adequate for bone health and I have to start doing strength training also to address that. Sounds a bit overwhelming. I hope to hear from some of you swimmers!

I'm doing swimming for my main exercise. I'm trying to swim 30 to 60 minutes everyday that I can fit it into my schedule. Most days, I can.

I don't really swim the "proper" way. I started with dog paddle, then adjusted to the tarzan stroke (head stays above water, by longer strokes), I kinda just crawl across the water.

I wouldn't worry too much about weight-loss as being your priority. You will feel so much better after your swims. You can add in other things and other classes/equipment to keep it interesting, etc....

Floating on back is good and then you can use your arms and legs to move yourself.

Butterfly stroke is good since you just bob down and then use your arms to bring your head back out of the water.

I started slowly with the above strokes. I keep practicing my breathing and can kinda do the swim stroke and breathing to side. My form is not "traditional", but I'll keep working on it.

Someone also mentioned to me to use flippers and a kickboard. So, I do this some sessions to get more leg work in.

I also use a snorkel and mask sometimes and then I don't have to worry about the breathing. But, of course the snorkel takes time to get used to. Of course get snorkel that has a top that prevents water from getting in.

Some people walk in the walking lane.

I've seen some people do an aerobics work out just in the walking lane.

Some people really like the aerobics classes. You get to meet new people and that keeps you going to.

Swimming for me can get kinda boring, but mixing it up by using my toys above keeps it enjoyable. And then I've also met some nice people at the pool and that keeps me excited about continuing to go.

The water also feels so good right now.

I've been swimming almost daily since January.

I'm not a fast weight loser, but the scale is continuing to go down. But, I'M losing INCHES. 25 inches.

The most difficult thing for me was finding a pool that I was comfortable with and I was lucky to find a pool and athletic club that is a good fit for me. They have an inside pool.

Also, when you go and check, see when aerobic classes are, pool areas, adult swim times. Make note of when the highschool kids and swim teams might be monopolizing the pool and make sure your schedule will also work around the busy pool times.

I have to either go REAL early, 5:00am to 8:00am most of the time. Or after 7:00pm most days. I work and don't have access to maybe some other morning hours that might be light usage.

Good luck and SPLASH!!!!!

The rec center where I'm a member has a building with a hot therapy pool, a separate current pool with waist deep water, and an olympic sized pool. The therapy pool has the aerobics classes, and I've taken a couple of them but I prefer to be alone so I can stretch, walk back and forth (it's 5' deep) or swim. The current pool is where I walk against the water and watch the kids splashing in the adjoining wading pool. 30-60 mins. of walking there is a good workout. The large pool is best for swimming in the lanes undisturbed during the day.

If you take the aerobics/pilates classes, make sure to tell the instructor about your back probs so that you can learn how to adjust the exercises to your benefit. Also be careful not to put those foam 'weights' around your ankles because your legs might rise out of the water unexpectedly and cause injury. Of course if you're in pain during the class, stop immediately, don't try to work through it.

Finally, since you're not yet an accomplished swimmer, take a few lessons to learn the basic strokes correctly. There are new teaching techniques that make learning to swim a lot less of a chore. Once you feel more comfortable in the water it will become fun and not such a struggle. It's a lot like learning to play tennis. Let us know how you're doing.

LindaC and TwinB thanks for your replies. Linda you sound like me when you first started swimming. I forgot about the kickboards. Those do give a good workout for the legs and if my bum shoulder is bothering me, I can always use the kickboard. There is something so wonderful about that feeling of the water. I relax just thinking about it.

I guess there must not be very many swimmers on this board since there were very few threads about swimming or responses to my post. This surprises me. I guess walking is probably the number one exercise of most people, and certainly yoga and pilates and other exercises are very popular. I've tried yoga numerous times over a period of many years and have concluded that I really don't like it that much! It's a demanding workout and produces great results, but every time I sign up for classes I either get hurt or my schedule conflicts with the classes. It's expensive also. So I'm hoping the swimming will be a good fit.

SPLASH!

It's good to keep trying things until you find what YOU enjoy. I love to swim but it's not convient for me. What's sad, I won a membership to our community pool, but have yet to use it.

I know one thing, whenever I do go in, and swim a lap it shows me that even though I walk daily, that swimming uses different muscles. I do feel it.

One thing I am hoping to do, is the aerobics our community pool has on Wednesdays. I never have tried it. I thought it would be good for Mom too.

I am starting to swim at the local YMCA, but I really need to take lessons because I don't know how to swim any of the basic strokes. I picked up a book and video tape on swimming called "Total Immersion", but I do want to get a real live swimming instructor. It looks like great exercise and I think I would love it if I could swim well. I am currently at a snails pace.

Michael

Hi Michael, that Total Immersion book is one I was referring to; it's a popular newer style of swimming and I've heard once you get the movement down it's fun. There are plenty of instructors who teach that style, and a website for it too.

http://www.totalimmersion.net/

Faith I hope you get to use that free pool membership! That's a great thing to be given.
TwinB and Chumly I haven't heard about Total Immersion before. TwinB thanks for posting the link. I looked at it and will ask my daughter's coach about it.
Today I will talk to the club manager who has a college degree in physiology and exercise. I have something called "impingement syndrome" in one shoulder and need to confirm with him that I'll be able to swim and hopefully improve the shoulder problem. Overhead motions are especially problematic and painful, although I've been doing exercises that have gradually improved it. I'll let you know what he recommends.
It's encouraging to hear from you all about swimming. Thanks!

Well, boo, I talked to the owner of the athletic club where our community pool is located about impingement syndrome and swimming. He said swimming would be one of the worst exercises for my shoulder, and he recommended instead walking and light strength training. So I'm following his recommendations for now until, hopefully, the pain and limited range of motion is better. No sense spending money on a pool membership if the exercise will do me harm, not good. But still, I DID want to swim. Getting older is weird.

pooo well, yes, good for you on asking before the money was spent. Walking is cheaper and you can go year round with the right gear.

Hi Birdy,

I don't know about impingement syndrome, but I chipped a bit of my glenoid process once in a fall. I went to an orthopedist who got me some PT. I suppose it may be a lot different than your problem, but I can tell you that, when it first happened it would have been damn close to impossible to swim with it. I would get jabbing pains with each step when I'd run with it. After about a year the pain while running had diminished enough that I thought I could try to swim with it. It wasn't very easy in the beginning, but i really believe that it would never have completely healed if I hadn't started to move it through the motions of swimming. This happened about 17 years ago. It was a real pain for a year or two, but the swimming i did helped immensely. I don't think you should be using the word of the club owner. You need to talk to somebody with enough knowledge about physiology and your particular condition to make a considered opinion about what sort of benefit and risk the motion would have on you.

Regarding your original question, I swim a mile about once a week. It's more like a drug than exercise, something about the fluid motion seems to leave me in an altered state of consciousness. My primary exercise is jogging ( well, at this point, more sort of slow waddling) which I do for about a half hour 5 to 6 times a week. A decade or so ago, when I was running 3 or 4 marathons a year, my weekly cross training swim was perhaps the best thing I did for exercise. It was low impact and still increased aerobic endurance. I think that is why swimmers have increased longevity over other athletes. As you age the impact injuries can take a heavy toll. Sprained/Broken ankles, hips, ... are things swimmers don't have to worry as much about in the pool. I once lived in an apartment complex that had an Olympic swimmer. I'd run into her at the laundry once in a while and ask her about her training. She would always complain about how she had to run more because it was much better than swimming for weight loss. I really think it's best to lose weight in order to enjoy exercise more rather than to exercise in order to lose weight. There's no way that exercise can give you the potential to lose weight that changes to your diet can give you, anyway. If you find the joy in swimming, the rhythm of the breathing, the sensation of floating through the water, the annoying counting of the laps until you get to so few that the finish line is in sight,... then you reap all the benefits that any other aerobic exercise would give you and capture a diamond in the rough that you can hold on to for the rest of your life.

Mark

Hello All:

I was a swimmer from age 8 through college (NCAA Division I) and this is one subject I actually know a few things about.

Yes, swimming is generally regarded as one of the best exercises available to anyone. You use your upper and lower body pretty much continuously unless you're on a kickboard or using hand paddles and a float to work on one or the other area. You can easily pace yourself and get a great aerobic workout as well as general muscle toning. It is also great for the joints as it works them without the total impact of gravity in things like jogging. I know a lot of people who swim, all ages and levels, and they all get a lot out of it.

You will definitely want to get some lessons and get comfortable with freestyle and side breathing as it makes it not only easier but much more enjoyable when swimming laps. After some grounding in the basics through lessons, it's really just practice after that. It isn't all that "natural" for us land mammals to swim laps but the body happily adapts to it and even starts to look forward to it!

For my part, I can't swim as much as I used to because I've developed a rather unfriendly relationship with chlorine in pools. This is apparently common in people who used to swim competitively in their younger years. Fortunately, many pools in the US are following Europe's lead and converting to salt water or other variations on non-chlorine but the ones around where I live haven't done so.

I'll be happy to add any information I can about any questions you have.

--Marcus M.

PS

Well! Birdy, Just read your latest post. Sorry to hear it's not going to work out yet.

Thanks Marcus M. and Mark for both of your interesting and informative replies. I noted the enthusiasm you both have for swimming, and have read accounts from other long time swimmers who also express a love of the activity. My shoulder is getting better very slowly. I've been going swimming some this summer in the cold waters of Puget Sound and it feels great. My shoulder twinges and I have to be careful, but still it feels wonderful. Maybe I can't swim laps at this point, but I can enjoy the liquid delight!

Birdy,
I have problems with my shoulder, too (just found out I tore the rotator cuff). Freestyle stroke is definitely out, but I don't have pain with breaststroke. Maybe eventually you can find something that doesn't hurt as much. I'm hoping that w/strengthening exercises I'll eventually be able to do freestyle again, but at this point I'm just trying to avoid surgery and more damage!

Hi momof4, please see my post to you on the Health thread. How long have you found it hard to do the freestyle? I can lift my left arm over my shoulder only about 2/3's of the way right now. At first I couldn't reach out to the side or behind my back with that arm but those motions have come back since I started the Kaiser Permanente exercises (see the other thread for more info on this). It's seems to me like swimming would gradually help strengthen and heal shoulder problems if you don't overdo it. I know it's very good for back problems, which I also have. Anyway, wish you the best!