Finally after an unanticipated four weeks break from the local athletic club and swimming, I returned yesterday. I was surprised that I picked up right where I left off. Even though I only anticipated a half hour session, I swam steadily for close to sixty minutes and then fifty today.
A rare cold had kept me from the pool for a few days shortly after I rejoined the club last month. M husband and I then took a week vacation and on March 23, the Monday following our return, I had my big left toenail removed. It’d been thick with fungus, resulting in an already troublesome ingrown nail that was impossible to cut. I’d had part of the same nail removed back in 2002 with no problems. I figured easy street and back into the pool in a few days.
My nail had other ideas however, and though it healed well, it took a full two weeks for the nail to scab over. The last thing I wanted to do was rush back into the pool with an open wounded toe. Breeding ground for infection much?
So anyway, I’m thrilled to be back swimming. I’ve now lost forty one pounds, but I’m still stuck in the same sized pants for the last twenty pounds!!! People tell me the pants I wear are too big but the next size down won’t zip without leaving a huge muffin top. Same thing with shirts. Ones I bought on clearance at summer’s end should be fitting by now, darn it! So I’m hoping that continued exercise will chisel away the flubber whereby I can finally fit into the next sizes.
The last two days, I’ve noticed a huge benefit to the swimming sessions. Though I haven’t exactly been able to get into my zen flow while moving along in the water like the Pisces fish I try imaging, I’ve noticed that hours afterward, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. Swimming makes my body feel rested but yet zinging from having a workout. The endorphins are flowing, in other words. So it’s an after zen for sure (like ahem, the post sex after-glow – not that I’ve ever had sex, family that reads this! Lol).
I hope to get the total zen thing going in the pool too. That’s not always possible when you share a pool with others. I’ll write about that in a future post. It’s understandable not to expect an unencumbered lane of swimming, so when that happens, it’s awesome. Meanwhile, there are moments of zen and good exercise occurring. And the after zen is always there, even with a migraine going on. I like it. I’m glad I’m doing something that can help me. Swim on, PollyAndrea!
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