Swimming helps not only to take care of the body – lose extra pounds, strengthen muscles, correct posture, but also restores peace of mind. Better than any other sport. Checked on myself.
A couple of years ago, I went with my boyfriend on vacation to the sea. I still remember one episode. We were on the beach and had a fight over some little thing, I was not going to give in, but neither was he. And suddenly, obeying some sudden impulse, I turned away and jumped into the sea. Surprisingly, after a couple of minutes the mood changed. As I slowly floated in the cool water, letting the waves rock me, I felt nothing less than peace. Fifteen minutes later I returned to the beach… a different person! Not only was I not angry, I could not even remember the reason for our quarrel.
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- The power of the water element
As I later found out, my case is far from unique. Of the three stages (swim, run, bike), triathlete Daniel Parnwell appreciates swimming the most – two-kilometer swims in a lake or river. “In preparation, I swim the Thames at dawn every day,” says Daniel. The water is still foggy, and the sun is just beginning to peek through it. I seem to merge with nature into a single whole.
The best part is that the therapeutic benefits of swimming extend beyond open water—and you can achieve the same effect in an indoor pool. Olga, a journalist, appreciates swimming for its meditative properties. “It’s the most relaxing sport,” she says. – I have a stressful job, a tight schedule, there are always a lot of people around me. But as soon as I dive into the water, I disconnect from the outside world. No one tells me what to do, like in aerobics, no one rushes me. I just allow myself to relax and float without thinking about anything. It’s like doing yoga in the water.”
Pass the tests
- How do you feel in a swimsuit?
Swimming can be even more relaxing and revitalizing if we learn how to move, relax and breathe properly. Karen Wilson, who teaches the Alexander Technique, says the secret to a perfect swim is to keep your body in the water and breathe properly. “People are ruthless with themselves when they learn to swim,” says Wilson, “but you need to remember that water is a powerful sedative. Therefore, I always ask my clients to slow down and feel how the waves themselves carry and support them.
I myself began to relate to swimming in a different way. If earlier for me to go to the pool after the gym was a kind of unnecessary burden, I tried to swim quickly and get out, now I appreciate every moment spent in the water.
By the way, swimming has two more important advantages. Firstly, it is ideal for insecure people. If in the gym you are in full view, then in the pool you are invisible to others. And secondly, swimming is the perfect way to prepare your body for sports. If you have never run or been to aerobics in your life, first test your endurance in the pool, increasing the distance with each swim.
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So what makes us feel so good in the water? Hippocrates was the first to discover the healing properties of water – he noticed that sea water not only heals cuts on the hands of fishermen, but also relieves pain in the joints. Modern scientists have discovered that our body receives iodine from sea water through the skin, and also gets rid of toxins while swimming in the sea. This principle formed the basis of thalassotherapy, one of the most healing methods in the world. Other scientists claim that the feeling of renewal and relaxation that we get after a swim is the memories of being in the womb that awaken in the water.
And I also remember the words of the British designer and the main dreamer in the fashion world Alexander McQueen: “My salvation is in diving. When I’m underwater, I feel like a pre-teen boy Peter Pan, it’s like I leave all my problems on land. Well, perhaps it is these sensations that we miss every day.