Pool Exercises

Because of many decades of knee problems and several chronic illnesses, I may be more aware than most of the fragility of apparent good health. Over the winter, I had several colds and the flu too, and inactivity seems to have resulted in a recurrence of muscle spasms in my lower back and left leg. Those commercials featuring sciatica sufferers? That's how I felt.

When I arrived in Florida, I wondered whether I'd be able to do my daily swims. Thinking that the right kind of movement would help, I started doing simple pool exercises to stretch my legs and back, as well as my usual swimming. The backstroke felt better than a front crawl, so I did more swimming on my back that I normally do. I followed up with 15 minutes in the hot tub.

I felt better after my first swim. Today, three weeks later, I am almost pain free. There are many resources on the Internet, but the basic idea is to stretch arms, legs and torso. I swim 10 laps, exercised for 5-10 minutes, and repeat at least two more times.  I am a strong swimmer, comfortable in deep water, so I do my exercises in chest deep water. The depth can be varied, according to skill level and ability to balance effectively.

When I get home, I intend to try some kind of land yoga class and, of course, keep up the pool work.