Swimming: It's More Than Exercise

First off, find a "swim buddy" you can swim with, but don't swim alone unless you've been seizure free for a LONG TIME! I've never been seizure free and the aspect of having a buddy doesn't bother me because, to me, it's just more fun to swim with a friend. Swimming symbolizes freedom and that freedom isn't taken away by the presence of a good friend.

I had always wanted to learn and finally, a few months ago, I learned how to swim at 38 years old. Aside from it just being great exercise for our bodies, it has the added benefit of being a psychologically positive experience. It is highly relaxing, simulating weightlessness and has an exhilarating aspect to it. It relieves tension, which we all need to do more of. Water tends to be therapeutic in itself and there's proof to its benefits due to the need for a form of physical therapy called water therapy. This helps arthritic joints, neck and back pain, among other things. For myself, it is like a psychological face-lift, a literal fountain of youth. After swimming I feel like "I'm alive"-really alive. My cognitive abilities seem more alert, my attitude is just more upbeat, and my corner of the world is just a better place to live. It could brighten your corner as well!

I know many of us are way too sedentary, as my job with The Epilepsy Connection keeps me that way. I'm staring at a computer monitor, talking on the phone or doing some other administrative task. The trouble is, if we don't do something that gets us moving we stay stagnant and our joints get stiff. When I first began swimming I swear my cardiovascular health was that of a 90-year-old. The more frequently I "practice" my newfound skill, the stronger my heart gets. I was always taken out of sports as kid and never developed any active hobbies as an adult. (My removal from sports activities was due to the fact doctors thought it aggravated my seizures. In reality is was because of stress from the children's rude comments to me that caused them!) I was rather awkward, wasn't a good teammate, and was fainting and wetting my pants all the time because my seizures brought incontinence in my young years. Fortunately the "incontinence-thing" subsided when I reached my adolescent years.

Anyhow, I'd just urge anyone to find that swim buddy and stay on the shallow end of the pool, as I do, and just move around. If you're under primo control then go ahead and dive! (I'd still recommend having somebody special around, if even to laugh and joke with!) If you know how to swim, them swim like a fish. If you don't know how, think of the prospect of learning. It is a wonderful gift to yourself and is something you can do on into your golden years. Until you acquire the skill even just doing exercises in the water makes you feel better. Honestly. Plus, it has the added bonus of being inexpensive to do. There are pools in many of your friend's backyards and you don't even know it!

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