Health & Fitness
The Answer, My Friend, is Swimming in the Pool
It's never too late to learn how to swim. This mom is learning in her late 30's. You can, too!
I have no fear of the water. After all, I am a Pisces. Well, until that all got changed, but I will always be one at heart. So, I grew up in Chinatown in Manhattan, and the bathtub was essentially my pool. Not to say that my parents didn't take us to the beach, but swimming lessons were not a priority growing up in NYC. Neither were driving lessons, but that's another story.
After moving to Weston, like driving, swimming was something I knew I had to start taking seriously with all the pool parties in the summer, Bisceglie Pond, and the beaches. I couldn't be lame and ask other parents or friends to take my kids in all the time. It only took me three years and hundreds of "you should learn" to finally sign up for adult swimming lessons that I started last week.
An hour before I was due to report in my bathing suit, I freaked out. I don't have goggles! I need a combination lock for my wallet, phone, keys! My daughter's hot pink goggles were right on the table, so I grabbed them. I stopped by Weston Center's hardware store and picked up a lock. How do you use these again? What if I forget the combination? It's so dark out! At least I had already checked out my route in daylight, but my original parking spot was nowhere near where I had to be. Such is life.
Heart pounding and feeling faint, I had no idea how to get into the locked locker room. I walked onto the observation area where a group in gear was huddled together on the bleachers watching a video. I was on the dot, but late. Great. Luckily someone forgot her goggles in the locker room, so I stalked, I mean, followed her.
Minutes later I joined the class. The instructor said, "Fifty percent of adults don't know how to swim. Tonight you're tipping the stats." I already felt better. Looking at the other 5 men and 2 women, they had waited longer than I had to start lessons. "It's never too late to learn," the instructor continued. "I learned when I was 55, and that was 10 years ago." Later I learned that he has been competing in triathlons. Then I heard him say to the more advanced students in the group, "I want you to swim better than me." I'm in good hands.
Thankfully, swimming is like bike riding (I took a few lessons in my 20's). Within minutes of shivering in the "warm" water, I was able to float on my back and my front. It felt great! I even put my face in the water. While I "swam" with a kick board, I still did not go beyond 5 feet (I'm 5' 4"). This week, with my new goggles, I learned to kick and glide. I had trouble at first, but when I got it I felt like a fish (ahem, Pisces)! I inhaled a lot of water, but with much encouragement from the instructor and fellow classmates, I swam without a kick board. Funny I knew where to stop to prevent the water from swallowing me up from head to toe. Next week, I'm going to go try venturing out further. My goal? To swim laps the length of the pool. Oh, I'll work in the strokes and the breathing in the 4 classes I have left, but I've already accomplished more than I thought I would. Maybe I'll even let them convince me to take a leap from the diving board (after I learn to tread, of course). Oh, and I need to get a swim cap.
In addition to being able to truly enjoy the water with my family in the future, I have a feeling that swimming is going to be the form of exercise that will work best for me. And remember that golden hour of motherhood? The answer, my friend, is swimming in the pool.
Did I convince you to consider swim lessons for yourself, too? Call the to schedule private lessons or find a program at a YMCA, Wings Over Water, or Adult Continuing Education (for example in Wilton, Norwalk, or Westport). Ready to swim laps? Get a pool pass to access the Weston Middle School's pool. See you there soon!
