When asked, many people say they exercise just for an extracurricular activity, or exercise because their parents make them do it. I exercise just because if I don't, I feel like a blob of fat. (very sentimental, I know...) After swimming almost continuously for almost seven years, I can't just stop...it makes me feel too unhealthy to stop, and it makes me feel so good when I do swim.
The last two weeks, I almost haven't touched the water at all, mostly due to no more practices since the season is over for me. I've been sitting at my desk doing homework or surfing the web most of the time--until yesterday, I couldn't stand it anymore. I legitamately felt like I was obese. Usually, I eat chocolate and sugary things, telling myself I'll exercise it off later anyway...but after realizing I haven't exercised for so long, it occured to me that I had probably gained about five hundred pounds. I'm not even someone who cares about how much I weigh (actually, I only gained about a pound). It's just that when I gain weight, it's harder to run or to move around. So, yesterday, I made my mom take me to the YMCA to practice by myself. :D
See, if you keep putting off exercising because you just feel to lazy, or you don't want to feel like caca in the water, the next time you DO swim, you feel even worse. So you have to get it over quickly. Whenever I start swimming again after, say, not swimming for a week or more, I'm extremely, extremely uncoordinated. When you're swimming the right way, you don't force yourself. You exert as little force as possible to go the longest distance. And I'm not saying that just because I'm lazy--doing this will both conserve energy for you during races, and make you feel more relaxed and less stressful. But to become more fluid in my movements, it usually takes about a half hour of continuous, jerky swimming.
I remember when I practiced the most and won the most races (when I was ten), I felt like a fish, like I was one with the water. This sounds really dramatic, but it's the best way I can describe it. I literally had to put almost no effort into moving my arms and legs, yet I got maximum propulsion. It's all about moving the right parts at the right time, and not kicking too hard. See, sometimes not putting a lot of effort into something is a good thing. xD
That's kind of part of the reason why I like fly so much. It comes naturally. Once you get the hang of it, it's the most fluid stroke; your body just curves and slides through the water. I just do whatever is easiest, which isn't always appealing to other people. For example, I swim with slightly bent elbows and slightly spread fingers, just because it's faster for me. My mom used to reprimand me, telling me to straighten my arms, because that's how everyone else did it. Well, according to recent revelations, my method was right all along. ^.^
Well, I have to practice more. It may or may not be the reason why I'm not winning as many races lately. Did I mention, winning is a great feeling, too? xD See, this is a video Tiffany recorded for me from shore conference (after I didn't practice for a while). It kind of explains why I'm first only for the first lap, and then I get really tired and I finish around fourth or fifth. The video only has the first 75 of the 100--I'm the person in the lane closest to the camera. Please don't laugh at my slowness. Also, the video's sideways; I didn't have enough time to rotate it. Sorry. xP
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