How Swimming Can Change Your Life

Aloha,

One of the most important parts of my healthy lifestyle choices I owe all to my mom. She was a high school swim coach and put me in the water when I was only two weeks old. However, my mom’s example goes far beyond just teaching me to swim.

My grandma suffered from strokes and had a hard time walking. I can remember my mom and aunts would take my grandma to the pool to re-teach her to walk. It helped with her coordination, balance, and posture. They would walk up and down the pool which showed me how water buoyancy not only benefits our health at any age, but also how it can be used to heal various injuries.

Suffering from neuropathy after chemotherapy has been one of my biggest physical struggles. The pain of walking along with stiff muscles, I used the same low-impact workout my grandma as I would swim or walk in the water. From the water buoyancy, the gravity on your bones and muscles are reduced creating less pressure on your body’s injuries and a stress-free workout to relieve pain.

What are the other benefits of swimming?

• Elevates heart rate up but relieves impact stress on your body

• Builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness

• Helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart, and lungs

• Tones muscles and builds strength

• Provides an all-over body workout since majority of muscles are used

• Induces a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise

• Alleviates stress

• Improves coordination, balance, posture, and flexibility

• Provides good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions

While swimming, your entire body is getting a great workout. Unlike other cardio workouts, swimming use both upper and lower body muscles at the same time. According to a Time article:

“Your body is working hard when you’re in the pool. Water is denser than air, so moving through water puts more external pressure on your limbs than out-of-water training, studies have shown. Even better, that pressure is uniformly distributed. It doesn’t collect in your knees, hips or the other places that bear most of the burden when you exercise with gravity sitting on your shoulders.” (Heid, 2017)

My mom would tell me how she swam every day during her pregnancy with me since it is the best low-impact workout during pregnancy. She always said swimming was what made childbirth and recovery so much easier while making her muscles healthy and strong.

If you don’t feel like you are a strong swimmer, remember to relax and be patient. Practice makes perfect and remember you can always walk or join a water aerobics class. There are many ways to incorporate this great exercise into your lifestyle. Start small and work your way up, you won’t be disappointed with the workout you can get and how amazing you will feel! It's my way to rejuvenate, heal, and get a killer workout!

Keep Smiling,

Melissa

Don't Let the Winter Blues Get You Down

Aloha,

Wish you were on a nice, warm beach soaking up the sun during these winter days? If you live in a place that is overcast, gloomy, rainy, and snowy during this time of year how can you beat these ‘winter blues’? Even though ‘winter blues’ isn’t a clinical depression diagnoses, seasonal depression tends to be an issue for many people.

Recently, I visited friends who struggle during winter and thought it may help to discuss some of my favorite ways to feel better.

• Get Up and Move - Set an exercise routine such as running, lifting weights, yoga, swimming. The endorphins produced will improve your happiness and sense of well-being.

• Vitamin D & Supplements – Vitamin D can help when we aren’t soaking up the sun. Keep following your program of other vitamins and supplements.

• Netflix & YouTube Videos – A good comedy list of movies and TV shows can keep you laughing. Use those cute animal YouTube videos to help brighten your day.

• Hot Chocolate, Tea, or Coffee – A perk to the chilly weather is the unlimited amount of warm drinks with flavors of pumpkin, gingerbread, peppermint, etc.

• Mini Vacation - Book a short vacation to treat yourself with a spa, hot tub, and room service.

• Hit the Slopes - If you enjoy skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, or snowshoeing is a great exercise while enjoying the view.

• Throw a Party - Plan a get-together to socialize with friends and family.

• Read a Book - Nothing like grabbing a hot chocolate and blanket to cozy up on the couch with a good book on a stormy night.

• Keep Your Routine - Don’t let yourself sleep longer than you should. Keep your routine of when you go to bed and when you get up.

• Write Often - Journal writing is a great way to focus where to improve. Your future self and children will love to read it as well!

• Create Art - This is a great time to dive back into some artistic hobbies and share with others such as painting, ceramics, pastels, crocheting, and knitting. Personally, I love to crochet and give them as gifts.

• Bake – Nothing is better than having a fresh warm treat to fill the air. Drop off your baked goods as a surprise for friends and family.

Try something you have never done before and maybe you will find a new hobby or passion! I hope that this list will help you avoid or improve your ‘winter blues’ and enjoy this season. If you do not see improvement, do not hesitate to see a therapist. These healthcare professionals may be the solution you are looking for to feel better.

Keep smiling,

Melissa