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SwimmingThe Fun Exercise
It's fun and great for over-all muscle toning. Almost all exercise is good, but swimming uses every major muscles and works out your heart and lungs. Hanging on the side of the pool or floating around on your foam noodle doesn't count. Hope that didn't discourage you. Swimming is the ideal choice for extremely overweight, pregnant, or anyone suffering from some injury. It relieves the stress on joints so you can quickly reap the benefit of being in water. Don't let anyone tell you that land exercises are better. You can do any form of exercise in water as well or better than on land. You can exercise longer without getting sore muscles. I refuse to participate in any exercise that leaves me too sore to do it again. About 30 years ago, I was helping my husband put up dry wall while remodeling our home. I twisted my knee and was facing knee surgery. The knee was the last straw in a pile of several other problems I was having: overweight, hips locking up, back pain, numbness and grinding in both shoulder joints. I was a mess. I'd seen several people develop worse problems following joint surgery. Determined to try to avoid surgery, I joined a health club and started swimming. At first my shoulders would click so badly it seemed the build up would break. Little by little, my full range of motion came back in both shoulders and no clicking. I kept working on my knee - which I was able to do only in the water. I did water aerobics, which helped both the knee and the back. While other people lounged on the edge of the pool, I worked out for an hour or two. My body started feeling years younger and I was more agile than I'd been in years. I was able to touch both hands flat on the floor when I bent over.
Once I had my own pool, I kept up the exercises there and have stuck with water exercises. Even though I am no longer over weight (thanks to my quick, healthy weight loss), I still prefer water. This is an especially good choice now that I am older. By the way - 30 years later - I can still touch both my hands flat on the floor. Now that I have moved and no longer have a pool, I work out in my hot tub - it works. If you have neither, a health club with access to a pool is great. However, check and see if you have access to it most of the time. Do you only get to use it if someone is conducting a class? If access is limited to scheduled classes that severely limits the health club's usefulness to you. I did not lose weight exercising. I lost weight by following the quick healthy weight loss Matol Diet protocol. When you swim you burn about the same number of calories as a fast walk or a slow jog. It is best to remember that weight loss through exercise is not your goal. If you base it on weight loss, you become discouraged and lose heart. You are using movement to increase your health. Stick with it, whatever form or forms you choose.
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