What the Water Gave Me & Still Does: The Power of Swimming
Growing up as an introvert in a world that constantly urges us to get together and get things done as a team was quite difficult. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t hate people and I wasn’t friendless; I just needed to spend time on my own as this was when I felt most peaceful. That’s precisely why back then reading, painting in Mother Nature’s embrace, and swimming were my favorite pastimes. All right, all right, they still are (chuckles).
Although swimming is an activity that can include many individuals (after all, most people take group swim lessons as they are cheaper than private ones), it’s still one that can easily seduce an introverted person. That’s so because when you’re swimming, your mind is focused solely on your body and the water that surrounds it. During those minutes, nothing else can steal your attention.
Being gently touched and caressed by the water is a powerful sensation. I don’t know about you, but every time I put on my swimwear and enter a pool, river, lake, or the ocean, a strong feeling of freedom and aliveness begins to awaken inside me. It seems to me that the water I’m swimming in washes all my worries away, keeping my mind clean and untroubled for a little while.
Aside from relaxing my mind, swimming has helped me build a healthy and fit body. Yes, this unique sport offers many amazing health benefits. First of all, it’s a well known fact that swimming is a great full-body workout because nearly all the muscles are used during a swimming session. Furthermore, swimming builds endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness, improves asthma symptoms, tones muscles, and helps maintain a healthy weight, heart, and lungs. Swimming also improves coordination, balance, flexibility, and posture, provides low-impact therapy for certain injuries and conditions, and is a fun way of cooling down on a hot summer day.
In order to reap these benefits, all a person has to do is learn how to swim and own a nice swimsuit. When it comes to picking this essential piece of swimming gear, I strongly advise you to look for chlorine resistant swimwear because I’m sure you and your friends will go swimming in a chlorinated pool. Chlorine is a necessary addition to swimming pools for it kills bacteria and stops the growth of algae in the water. Unfortunately for the pool-loving swimmers, chlorine causes irreversible damage to the fabric their swimsuits are made of, which is why opting for a chlorine resistant one is a smart decision.
