Fail! I’m sad to admit to failing my June Bravery act. L
It actually started a couple of months ago when I was
starting on the path of getting in shape or at least better health. See, I love
the water, being around it, the sound of it and especially being in it. Growing
up, I started taking swim & then drive lessons when I was 6. By junior
high, we had a pool in our backyard, and I would spend hours in the water. And
by my Sophomore year of high school I was making sure I swam laps for at least
an hour everyday. I was in the best shape at that point.
I’ve really missed not having that access to water for some
time now. And it’s come to a head recently. (The 90+ weather might have added
to the need, and a far-away friend getting her own pool, too! Yes, jealousy
reared its ugly head. ;p )
So I decided to try something I have a huge problem with:
using a public pool. We have a 2 nearby here. One, is too expensive and has
horrible hours which don’t suit my schedule at all. The other, is still a bit
expensive, but has great hours, a waterfall, slide, 3 dive boards and lap
lanes. (There’s also a lot of kiddie things and a really pretty lake.) So, suck
it up and go, right?
Ignoring all the stares I felt, I tried. I only lasted maybe
half an hour.
There’s just too many people. Too many teens and tweens. The
lap lanes aren’t kept clear of kids jumping from the sides or chasing each
other around in the water. Too many people lounging around in next-to-nothing
strips of cloth watching and visiting with each other.
I guess I’m just too spoiled and too self-conscience to go
and pay to put myself through that repeatedly. The swimming will have to wait –
hopefully, I can move soon and have a water garden and start saving for at
least a small above-ground pool. In the meantime, I will not be going back,
except maybe to walk around the lake, and at least that’s free and I can wear
jeans.
Well, young lady, you are going about it all wrong. The answer appeared to me as I read your entry. You need to go back to the public pool as soon as possible, and be sure to wear "next to nothing strips of cloth".....Literally.....like a few pieces of colored tape.
ReplyDeleteGiven that you are uncomfortable doing this, you will find yourself making a supersonic beeline from the front gate to the pool. The loungers will ask "What was that? Are we having another tornado?"
Once in the pool, you will plow through that water like a missile from a submarine. The good news is that you will be able to condense an hour of swimming into 1.26 minutes of tsunami. Then emerge to zoom back out to the front gate, stopping for .13 seconds to close the gaping jaws of amazed onlookers.
Total workout time - 1.95 minutes. It's a brilliant idea and I look forward to seeing it in practice.
:-)
Other than that, I'm wondering if you can do some in home exercises or early morning walks before it gets too hot out?
Obviously I think the answer is to move back here and use my pool! It's not really big enough to do laps, but I have developed tons of ridiculous looking exercises for us to do :)
ReplyDeleteHave you looked for nearby campgrounds that allow beach swimming like at Rathbun? You could always pretend to be a camper and enjoy the lake and then just leave :)
That could be brave too, since your not really supposed to do it, lol.
Being brave ideas:
~ submit writing to somewhere you've researched
~ go to a class of some kind for an activity you don't know how to do.
~ enter a contest of some kind (maybe art, or writing)
~ look into joining a summer softball team or other sport you enjoy.
~ Secretly move to Iowa and hope no one notices (:P)
Skinny: No! No, no no... ok, interesting idea. But no.
ReplyDeleteI have started walking my dogs every other day. And try to work-out when I can at home.
Taoist Rose: the closest thing we have to a lake is the old quarry which is off-limits and I'd be too worried about the bodies that have been made to disappear there. (That would be brave!)
I like some of your ideas, though. Mom loved the last one (and I'll be announcing it to the world...need help moving.)
Oh, and about that, we have some neighbors who may be following us. Turns out they want a change, too. (We could have lived in G'ma's house and they could have the trailer. ;D )
Kimba,
ReplyDeleteYahoo ran a column on shaping up recently. Most of the ideas were/are common sense. Use stairs instead of elevators. Walk to the store instead of driving. All of the bits of advice we've heard and read for years. From a personal perspective, though I don't really battle a weight problem, I noticed that my waistline was expanding with age. Then, of necessity, I started walking to - and often from - work. Net result so far is a loss of between 3 and four pounds in about two weeks. Better still, my pants fit much better and I find that while I am initially sore when I get up mornings, once I am moving, I have more energy to keep on moving.
Mister: I read those kind of articles and get a little tired of all the repeated advice told with different words. But I still read looking for that one new helpful idea.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the better fitting pants. I actually like to walk/wander around, but swimming's even better.
And on that note: I have 2 neighbors who now have pools so I can't go into the backyard or look out the front door without seeing them.
Worse was mowing today trying not to get heat stroke & seeing everyone slash around. (And let their toddler play on the ladder, but that a different kind of rant.)
Anyone know how to ask 'can I come be friends just so I can swim?' in Spanish? ;p
I would consider that having been a brave event, You stayed out of your comfort zone for more than a half hour! Bravo!!
ReplyDelete