Bilateral Side-Breathing

Had a great session today for about 45 minutes after a water aerobics class.  As instructed in Swim Smooth, I made an effort to exhale consistently and powerfully under water which attributed to a more relaxed rhythm of swimming. The C02 builds up in your body if you hold your breath and you get desperate for air which can make you tense and tired.  Nailing down the breathing aspect is really critical for a beginner - it made a difference for me.

Once I got the hang of that, I tried breathing on the opposite side which I don't use (the left).   As I'm building muscle memory I thought I'd better be ahead of the game by training myself to side-breath in both directions.  Boy was I wobbly !  Why ?  Because my stroke was too curved down and not as developed and it threw off my balance.  It was a rather klutzy attempt but I am determined to keep at it.

According to Swim Smooth it takes about 2 weeks at 6 sessions to get over the "bilateral hump".  This means my practice swims changes from breathing every 2 strokes to breathing every 3 strokes.  Or they recommend going one lap side-breathing to the left and the next lap side-breathing to the right.  Guess, I'll have to experiment and see which works best.

Apparently, you can develop asymmetry in your back musculature from using only one side to breath.  This makes complete sense because the mechanics involve balancing with one outstretched arm as you turn your head to the side to get a breath.  The repetition of this movement creates more developed muscles on one side of the back.  Another reason to learn bilateral side-breathing.   Probably the most important besides achieving symmetrical stroke technique is in open water if you have to look out for landmarks or avoid sun glare or obstacles.

I'm learning so much each day and each swim is nothing but pure joy.  I'm getting verklempt here but I feel that I've been given a gift from God.  Truly.  Conquering this fear of water and transforming it into pure joy means the world to me.  I love swimming !   Where's my hanky ?

The Unexpected Wake

So far swimming in a pool has been a relatively controlled environment, unlike open water where there are so many variables such as climate, current, critters and human activity.

Yesterday I was in the middle lane doing my lap(s) when all of a sudden I was pushed over to the side by a current.  I peeked up and the guy in the next lane was doing the butterfly stroke quite vigorously.  He was a big guy too with a Michael Phelps kind of wing span.  I'm 5 ft 2 inch so was tossed around like a buoy.

I'm still working on my form so I can swim in a straight line so was kind of wobbly from this current thingy.  Then I realized that this is real life !  All kinds of things can happen when swimming.  It's not always going to be a quiet pool with still waters and predictable outcomes.

After a while I got my balance back and stabilized my position.   Actually, I just waited for him to get out of the way !

Actual Laps !

Another milestone !   Yesterday I went to the gym pool and swam a full lap several times.  Okay, so I rested in between but I did it !  My endurance and stamina is not quite there yet but my goal is to practice as much as I can so I can go back and forth easily.

I'm building "muscle memory" as well as endurance.  It's real different from dry land exercise such as riding the stationary bike or treadmill because those activities isolate muscle groups.  In the water EVERYTHING is involved in its totality.  The leg muscles, arm muscles, core muscles, lungs, even the brain (at least at this stage) because I'm still thinking about the coordination between it all.

What I'm discovering is a better sense of control which only comes with practice.  I observe swimmers who flow so effortlessly and they're not splashing about.  That's what I want to emulate.   I love to start out with the glide, stabilize my position and proceed to stroke.

I remember Carol's words that if I get tired I can always roll over on my back to rest a bit.  Another option to rest is float on my side with one arm stretched out and just kick so I'm still propelling ahead.

I don't know what my technique or style looks like, but the guy in the lane next to me said "You're very good !".   One of these days I'll have someone video me so I can see.  All I know is that I try to stay streamlined, smooth and calm and really allow the experience of being one with the water.  It's rather meditative actually.

It's changed my life !

True Friends Swimming

TRUE FRIENDS

[ This was so sweet I just had to post it.  After all, it does have to do with swimming ]

After losing his parents, this 3 year old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to any medical treatments. The veteranarians thought he would surely die from sadness. The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center. The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated. The 2 lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since.

The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new found friend. They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.

They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past time, although Roscoe (the orangutan) is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim. 

Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship. They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

Disclaimer:  This was posted on Facebook by Sun Gazing July 13, 2012.  The source is not quoted.

Treading Water

I could never figure out this treading water business.  I'd watch people stay on top of the water vertically and talk at the same time !   It was a mystery to me.  Whenever I'd try it I looked like a flapping Canadian goose and end up going down or get totally lost in all my splashing.  In other words, I created a scene where it was not necessary.  So I just plain stopped trying.  I was either horizontal or just stood in shallow water - nothing in between.

Hence, the lessons with Carol taught me that fighting the water was counteractive and that is what I was doing.  The fast flapping motion did not work with the water and was counterproductive (besides, no one else does that !).  Gentle sweeping motions of the arms with egg beater'ish movements of the legs and I stayed up !  It's an amazing feeling to have accomplished something that was a mystery for over 40 years.

Today I swam in our condo pool (the one that's a perfect size) and went to the middle part at the deepest depth and with a noodle nearby (more psychological than anything) I treaded water.  My goal is to do this counting to 20 every day and get accustomed to it until it feels natural.  I want to get to the point where I'm not so busy in my mind and just letting go and let the water carry me.

It's the best feeling in the world to let water hold me.  I now realize it's the same water as in the shallow end.  Buoyancy does not change with depth.  (Oooh..that was really good).

One Full Lap !

Another milestone !   I actually swam a full length of the pool today without having to stop.  I said to myself "Relax, go with the flow, enjoy the feel of the water".   I figured if I made it three-quarters of the length last night, why not go all the way for the rest of the quarter ?   So I did !

I've been using a noodle to mark the midway point.  If I reached that point, then I moved the noodle farther away for the next swim and so on.  Finally, I just chucked the noodle.

When I am underwater sometimes my mind is a bit too busy trying to stabilize my balance and getting the stroke-breath-stroke-breath rhythm going.  If I get out of my head and just feel it or, better yet, visualize those Master Swimmers with their smooth technique, then it seems to go much better.  Sometimes I get wobbly because my stroke is not symmetrical or I turn too far to the side for the breath and then I get off kilter.  Reminds me so much of baby's first steps or those first solo tries at riding a bike.

All in all, it felt great to know that I swam the full length !  Yippee!

Addictive Swimming

I find myself craving more time in the water.  It's like the more I go swimming the more I want to go swimming. Today I went twice, six o'clock in the morning and then eight o'clock in the evening.  Even if it's just 20 minutes, I  don't want to lose this newfound freedom of being one with the water.

Tonight was a little milestone.  I actually swam a full three-quarters of the length of the pool.  My stamina still sucks, but I'm determined to be able to swim a full lap.  I find if I just plain relax the rhythm and breathing comes more easily.  I'm still building "muscle memory" so my body is getting acquainted with the mechanics of moving in the water.  It's been like walking on the moon for me in zero gravity - it's all so new.

When doing the freestyle I remember several tips about the head position when taking a side breath.  Pretend someone tapped you on your shoulder and you're looking back to see who it is.  Pretty neat hu'h ?   I did just that and found I kept my head down where it should be.

One night I saw a father leaving the pool with his two little sons.  With their wet hair, both boys had on their PJ's ready to go home and straight to bed.  I thought to myself, now that's not a bad idea for grownups too !   Maybe the next evening swim.......

Finding the Ideal Pool

I'm looking for the ideal pool situation to practice.  So I went to a deep water aerobics class this morning at 6:00 am !  What a way to start the day.  Actually, I went with a friend who had gone before and I wanted to check out this local pool.  So far, I've tried out two different pools at two different gyms and they were both shallow (maximum 4 feet 6 inches).  Our condo pool goes from 3 feet to 9 feet, but it's outdoors so not always feasible in our unpredictable Northwest weather.

The local pool was the nicest and it has lifeguards.  There is something for everyone. The temperature is about 78-80 degrees. There are designated zones for each age bracket and athletic ability.  The three lap lanes were categorized as "Slow", "Medium" and "Fast" and then there's a general deep water area for non-lap swimming.

I've been combining aqua exercise classes followed by a half-hour practice swim at least 5-6 days a week.  Being on a budget for now I'll stick with the shallow gym pools and our condo pool (all free).  Maybe I'll "treat' myself to the heated local pool every once in a while.

The Test in Real Life Swimming

 Today was the first time I went into our condo pool where there were other people in the water.  It is significant because up to this point, I have been swimming in a rather controlled environment with a quiet pool and instructor or a quiet shallow pool with maximum 3 lanes (adults only).

Sitting on water noodle

Because of my new water confidence it was still a challenge to deal with little kids splashing all around me with toys and floating devices and kicks and screams.  Then there were the adults who were splashing around chit chatting.  It's a rather small pool to begin with so when all these bodies were there I found that I needed to strategize my swimming.  I couldn't go in a straight pathway to practice the freestyle.  I wasn't 100% confident yet to just tread water in between all these bodies.  So I ended up just grabbing a noodle or kick board and wove my way around them all.

Later, the crowd thinned out a bit so I headed for the deep end with a crawl and semi-crawl toward some noodles floating in the middle.  A lady was nearby on a floating mattress and she was teasing me and said that she noticed I was heading straight for the noodles and started to push them back out of my reach.  Of course she did not know I was a novice.  I played along and said "mommy, help me".  Everyone laughed and she pushed the noodles back toward me.  It could have been a disaster if the old fear programming kicked in but I played along and she might have recognized that I wasn't a strong swimmer (considering my goggles were on 100% of the time no matter what).

Hubby was nearby watching so I felt safe and later he joined me.  I'm just not quite there yet where I could be totally alone and know I have the skills to be safe by myself.

In all it was a wonderful day of swimming in our own pool at last. The water was very refreshing.  I'm working on the breast stroke but haven't got the coordination yet of lifting my head up for a breath.  Still dealing with the stroke-kick combo.  So next time I use the pool with bodies in it I think I'll be a little bit more confident because I know I can always float on my back.

Catnip Tea

What does this have to do with swimming ???

About 10 years ago I discovered the wonders of catnip tea by accident.  I had tried a new brand of tea for my nightly cup before going to bed.  I started to notice I got rather drowsy before the usual time and connected it to this tea.  I read the ingredients and you got it - catnip !  Don't ask me the brand because I forgot.

The botanical name for catnip is Nepeta Cataria and it is known to be used for anti-anxiety and it's also a diaphoretic (makes you pee).

Okay, so what does this have to do with swimming ??

I always had butterflies in my stomach before my swimming lessons no matter how much progress I had made.  So I tried this strategy to counteract my nervousness.  At about the 6th lesson I came up with the idea of having a cup of catnip tea about an hour and half before my lesson.  I put about a 1/2 teaspoon in a strainer along with another herbal tea.  I also stopped drinking coffee on the mornings of my lessons or at least cut it down considerably.

You can get catnip it in the bulk food section of most health food stores or even some of the mainstream grocery stores.

Did it work ?  Yes, it definitely took the edge off the nervousness and allowed me to relax more than stiffen up.  I was battling with myself and trying to deprogram my fear of the deep water.  I'm not specifically recommending you take catnip before swimming lessons, but thought I'd just share my own little adventure with it.  The best strategy of course is to expose yourself to the water as much as possible, practice your technique and become one with the water.

Day #10 Lesson

Today was review and practice of all the different techniques; back stroke, freestyle side breathing, breast stroke components, back float-swim-back float.  No fins.  But did practice with the kick-board to get my side-breathing down with the proper kicking.

What Carol has done for me is educate about the physics of water and change my perception of the depth.  Our bodies are meant to float because of the air in our lungs.  Fortunately, in my case I'm naturally buoyant (hard word to spell !).   I'm on the honeymoon phase and swimming is becoming an addiction for me now.  I feel so much better after leaving the pool and feel terrible if I miss a day.

Since it was our last day together I was kind of sad, but ready to face the water on my own.  I asked Carol if I could come back for tune-ups and check-ins and she said of course !

Day #9 Lesson

The breast stroke.  Carol broke it down for me in components.  First the arm stroke with legs still.  Then the kick with the arms still.  Then put the two together.  The stroke came easily, but I really had to concentrate on my kick because it was such a new way of using my body.  Kind of frog like.  She emphasized squeezing the butt muscles, thus, bringing the legs together which creates the propulsion.  Great workout for the thigh/butt area.  In that case, I'll definitely be doing this one frequently !

I still don't have the part where you come up for air (ha ha).  Still working on the coordination between the arms and legs.

Day #8 Lesson

The introduction of fins.  Forgot to mention in Day #7 Lesson Carol had me try hers and I got a persistent cramp in my left fourth toe. She said that is common when not accustomed to using fins and showed me how to fold the fin up to work out the cramp.  The shoe part was actually too big and I was compensating for it by curling up my toes so it wouldn't slip off creating an uncomfortable situation.  So we set it aside.

Today she brought be a pair of fins which fit.  However, since my right foot is slightly bigger than the left I had to grapple with getting it on.  We decided they need to invent shoe horns for fins ;)   Okay, once that was done I went into my freestyle - glide - swim - float thing and before I knew it I was at the other end.  Talk about cruising !  However, I must say because it's also new to me I found that my concentration on breathing and strokes was compromised.  I was very conscious of these new flipper thingies on my feet.

What this demonstrated is that all the components of the various techniques is not natural to me yet.  It's still not quite all connected and that only happens with practice, practice, practice.  It is said that muscle memory occurs in about 6 months, which means if I keep up practicing in the water by November 2012   I should be able to swim with fins and not even have to think about it.

This whole process reminds me so much of learning to ride a bike.  The dynamics of mind/body kinetics is at play here.  Carol was very good at explaining the process and principles behind what she was teaching me.  For instance, with treading I tended to move my arms too fast which goes against the water - the opposite should occur, the slower the more I'd stay up.

Day #7 Lesson

The glide...!  Love this one.  She did not push me as shown in the above illustration, but you get the general idea of gliding through the water front down.   I pushed myself off the wall with my feet to enter the glide.  It's a way to start out and set the stage before initiating strokes.  She had me continue the side-breathing/freestyle, mix it up with floating on back, swim/rest combo to the deep end.  Then towards the end of the lesson she introduced me to the back stroke.  Fun !

Day #6 Lesson

Milestone - side breathing with freestyle !   Carol had me practice getting the rhythm of stroke-breath-stroke-breath by holding onto the edge in the shallow end and repeat 10 times to get the cadence.  It was alien to me but I got the hang of it.  One arm stroke is associated with exhaling through the nose under water and the other arm stroke is associated with inhaling through the mouth on the side above water.  Now the trick is getting the technique correctly so I don't twist my body like a pretzel and throw off balance.  Oh that's another thing about swimming - balance in the water !   I've discovered one side is stronger than the other and it shows in my kicks.  Not surprising since I have a long history of knee surgeries.

So I swam the length of the pool toward the end of the lesson using the side breathing and it was like coasting !  Keeping the head down is tricky as I want to look up.  Practice, practice, practice !

Day #5 Lesson

Floating on my back is the number one position Carol wanted me to know because it is a life-saving technique.  She had me practice swim- float-on-back - swim - float-on-back - swim combination for the length of the pool, diagonally and to the middle of the pool.

I'm still working on TRUSTING floating on my back in the deep part.  She said it looked like I was getting more confident with being on my back.  And I must say that it's not as scary and strange as the first time when she held her hand under my head.

Day #4 Lesson

My own snorkel and mask !   Since I got a discount, I bought a set at the facility and showed Carol.  She had me wear it and got me to swim to the deep end.  But this was accomplished by mini steps.  First we went halfway with her constantly by my side.  Then to the ladder which was about one-quarter of the length of the pool.  Eventually, I made it to the far end.

She told me to just look down and experience floating in the water and get a sense for how buoyancy works.  Because of the air in my lungs which functions like a balloon my body bobs up and down in the water.  I just laid there quietly looking at all this depth underneath me yet my body was on top being held up by the water.  This was a brand new sensation for me and I was in sheer awe.   Later, I told my husband it felt as if I was lying on top of a big bowl of Jello.

Then she had me swim along the wall, then to the middle of the pool and then toward the shallow end with the proper feet first stand up technique.  When I say swim, it's freestyle/front crawl.

Day #3 Lesson

Okay, so far the lessons have taken place in 3 ft of water.    After returning from a California vacation and not being able to swim there because of an unusual cold front, the lesson started off a little rusty.  Major milestone today.  Carol had me walk to the edge of the 3 ft marker and float face down into the 6 ft part and return with circular movements back toward the 3 ft depth.  I accomplished this with no problem.

Then she wanted me to float on my back in the 6 ft depth  while she kept her hand under my head.  However, I started hyperventilating and semi-freaking out, but she kept assuring me that I was fine and she was right there.  I slowed my breathing and tried to calm myself down.  Eventually I floated on my own, then she instructed me to turn over and swim toward the 3 ft depth.  So I did the turning-over-in bed maneuver and swam like hell toward the shallow end !

This was a major thing for me to actually be in the deep end.  A breakthrough !

Day #2 Lesson

  

Carol introduced me to rolling from my front to back and vice versa in the water while lying horizontally.  This was also strange to me.  She did it so gracefully and I felt clumsy and it was not natural to me.  She explained the mechanics was similar to rolling over in bed.     Eventually, I got it but so far it's only on my left side.  I know it sounds dumb, like only turning corners that go left.  But hey, it's still a milestone.



Then she wanted me to get a sense of how my body moves with water.  In order to do this she had me wear a snorkel and mask so I could see and not worry about the breathing part.  This was like being on another planet for me - to breathe while submerged under water.  Now how weird is that !  Once I trusted the process and floated around looking underneath it felt great !   To hear my own breathing so profoundly through the snorkel reminded me of hearing one's own heart beat on a cardiac monitor.

 

Day #1 Lesson

She's going to make me go in the deep end !

Bathing suit - check.  Towel - check.  Toiletries - check.  My first day of lessons found me timidly entering the pool area wearing the bathing suit which hadn't seen daylight in two years.  Carol was already in the pool wearing a wet suit (which looked very official) and greeted me with a smile inviting me to enter the pool.  While she talked my eyes wandered to the dark blue line at the bottom of the pool and immediately I noticed it dropped from 3 ft to 6 ft !  The facility was a scuba diving school.  She wanted to see what I could do and I demonstrated being able to put my face in the water and float on my stomach.  She said I had great buoyancy which will help in the process.

It wasn't until a couple of lessons later that she said the look on my face that first day was "Oh boy, she's going to make me go into the deep end !"   She was right !  My stomach had butterflies and I was trying so hard to be calm but inside I was screaming "fear fear fear trauma drama".

My Inspiration

Watching babies float around under water.   They don't have all the drama-from-trauma in their little minds.   I thought to myself, hey if little babies can do it then so can I!

The foundation of my fear was from a near drowning accident when I was 5 years old.  At a public park there was a pond and I saw some older kids sitting on the bank dangling their legs in the water.  So I decided to join them and before I knew it my little body slid down the slippery bank and right into the pond.  I remember seeing green slimy stuff swirling around me and I was kicking and screaming in hysteria.  A hand come down from above the water line and it was my brother David who grabbed me and yanked me out of the pond.  The rest is history.

Swimming classes, hypnosis, more swimming classes.  Nothing worked.  At age 57 I finally made a decision to face my fears and I was fortunate to find just the right instructor.  Carol Imber from SwimLife guided me through stages in order to be comfortable with the water and understand the physics of how my body moves with water.

So thank you anonymous babies and Carol for this incredible journey into the deep blue pool.

I'm Buoyant !!!

I was told that I'm very buoyant.  I know people who just plain sink.  It doesn't mean they cannot swim, it just means they have to adjust their technique to compensate for it.  So in this sense I guess I'm kind of lucky.  Of course I thought it was because of my body fat.  Well, it is partly true because bones and muscle are denser therefore contribute to the sinking factor.  However, lung capacity is a factor also since air in the lungs function as an internal balloon.  Skinny people can be buoyant too.

This peaked my curiosity so I did some research on what exactly this all means.  This little diagram is a great illustration of the Archimedes Principle which explains buoyancy.   It involves the density-volume-shape of the immersed body.

• The body will float if the buoyancy is positive (body weight smaller than weight of displaced liquid).
• The body will be suspended if the buoyancy is neutral (body weight equals weight of displaced liquid).
• The body will sink if the buoyancy is negative (body weight larger than weight of displaced liquid).

This explains why babies bob up and down and roll around so easily in the water.  Another good reason to teach them water safety/floating on back while they're very young.