Swimming: My Best Exercise

As you can imagine, finding an effective way to exercise when you have limited mobility is tricky. It’s even harder when if you move certain ways or overwork your muscles, your bones break. Welcome to my world. My biggest problem is that my muscles are stronger than most of my bones, and so when they contract too hard or spasm from overuse, they often break my bones. And that really sucks. 

Luckily, my mother realized that the best way for me to move is in the water, and she started making me swim (with assistance of course) before I was two years old. Swimming allows you to work your muscles and stretch your body without putting an enormous amount of stress on your joints and bones, so it works well for me. Another major plus of swimming is that it works your lungs, which is especially good for someone like me who already has some breathing issues. 

In the pool, I can not only swim without help but I can also walk. We have an Endless Pool that is 14 feet long by 7 feet wide by maybe 3.5 feet deep at home. It has a bench that lines the outer edge where the water depth is such that only my head and upper chest are out of the water when I’m standing. With most of my body submerged, the weight on my legs is minimal and there is very little stress put on my joints and bones. When I actually swim, I wear a swimming mask because A) my eyes are stupid sensitive to water and B) the air trapped in the mask on my face makes my head lighter in the water and helps me keep it above the water. Now granted, I do still hurt myself in the pool occasionally, but it’s usually my fault because I’m not paying attention to how I’m moving. But remember, I break bones sneezing, so it often doesn’t take much. 

Overall, I love swimming because my body can be somewhat “normal” in the water. I do get tired fast because, for me, just standing up is exercise, but it usually feels good. Now don’t get me wrong, it IS exercise, and I’m not one of those people who live to exercise, so it’s as enjoyable as any exercise can be. There are definitely days where I have to really push myself to get in the pool, but once I’m in, I’m usually glad I got there. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, it’s particularly challenging to keep my weight under control since my exercise methods are so limited, but swimming definitely helps me deal with that. 

Mom and I recently invested more money than I want to think about enclosing our pool in a permanent house. This way I can swim all year round in any weather condition (apart from hurricanes, tornadoes, and major storms, obviously). My body does not do well with cold (remember, my limbs are full of metal), and our pool is heated to a very comfortable 90-95 degrees. However, if I have to get out in 40 degree weather, even if I’m warm while in the water, the minute my body hits that cold air, my muscles contract and I hurt so much that it’s not even worth getting in the pool in the first place. I end up super super achey, and sometimes I even break something. The pool house fixes that because it not only blocks the wind, but we also plan to put a couple of space heaters in there in the winter for me and the plants. It was a lot of money and came with LOTS of trials and tribulations, but we LOVE it and so far it’s been worth every penny.  

My mom and our friends also love our pool because it has a current that you can swim against that can be adjusted to all different speeds. So basically, you swim in place. I never use it because it would probably drown me, but everyone else finds it to be a great work out. We also have massage jets at one end for after you’re done exercising and just want to relax in the warm water. Now with the pool house, it’s kind of like our own personal oasis in our backyard! 

For anyone with limited mobility, arthritis, or joint issues, swimming is probably the best exercise you can do. You can work muscles you didn’t even know you had, and it’s actually pretty fun for exercise. I highly recommend it!