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| High school swim meet |
Just thinking about my impending lessons makes my heart beat faster. I am kind of torn with the excitement of learning a new skill and the fear I have, which is the real reason I never learned it in the first place. It took me this long (with a lot of coaxing from a colleague) to finally put my foot down and learn how to swim...and hopefully, I will really learn.
I know...I know...I may really sound silly, specially to those of you who are seasoned swimmers. But I know I am not the only person in the world with the fear of drowning. Even good swimmers drown, you know. So that makes me a prime candidate for drowning, and it doesn't require a lot of effort to drown me lol!
I know...I know...I may really sound silly, specially to those of you who are seasoned swimmers. But I know I am not the only person in the world with the fear of drowning. Even good swimmers drown, you know. So that makes me a prime candidate for drowning, and it doesn't require a lot of effort to drown me lol!
I am aware that the only reason I don't know how to swim is that I can't even submerge my head in the water. I dislike the feeling of going underneath the water's surface. Sheesh, I think I can even drown while simply standing under a waterfall. Okay, I am exaggerating there but just to stress my point that I am that hopeless with going under water. Sometimes, I wish my mom gave birth in a bath tub so I'll be a natural swimmer.
So why in the world am I pushing myself to do something that is probably giving me enough anxiety to have a heart attack before I even start dipping in the pool? Well, crazy people (like me) like doing challenges in the first place hehehe. Second, I like to write this off in my things to do list (no bucket lists for me). Seriously though, I like to do something more challenging other than running and add this to my fitness routine. Swimming is a full body workout that I'd like to take advantage of. It will also be good for my lungs what with learning to breathe while having water sloshing on my face. The best thing is, even if you sweat it out, you still feel fresh, right?
I sure hope as I finish my 12-session lesson that will start soon, I'll be able to pull myself out of the pool's edge and go to depths where my feet cannot touch the tiles anymore. And I certainly hope and pray that my instructor would be extra patient with me and I really need to learn to trust her with my life.
Meanwhile, I'll keep preparing my mind for this activity. Right now, I am trying to work on my psyche. These articles somehow helped boost my non-existent confidence in the water:
- How to Prepare for Your First Adult Swim Lessons
- Getting Into the Swim of Things
- H2O Adult Swim Academy (I sure wish I could get this instructor...just reading this is enough to trust him or her)
Swimming for me, is more a battle of wits and courage, rather than a strenuous physical activity. To me, it's all about conquering my fears that could probably also save my life or someone's life in the future. After all, it doesn't stop with just learning and mastering it. One has got to find a good purpose for it, right?
I sound like I'm having a pep talk with myself here....so enough talking for now. I'll take the plunge soon enough. But I would really appreciate it if you've had this experience and would care to share it here...because no matter what I try to say to myself, I'm still having the jitters lol!
UPDATES on Swimming Lessons:
Im learning swimming too! Goodluck!
ReplyDeleteNice! Have you already started? How was it?
ReplyDeleteHello A ! If you think that your too old to learn how to swim, then in your humble opinion what do you think of me at my age not knowing how to swim still ? I am glad you are about to take the plunge. Hopefully I will learn one of these days. I am still recovering from my family's one time big time illness. I do hope before this summer ends I am brave enough to have conquered my fear of water.
ReplyDeleteBtw, can you tell me where you will have your lessons and if its practical enough for a working mom like me ?
Oh, I think no one is too old to learn something, Ms Sarah. That's what makes life so interesting...all the things you can learn, it's just boundless. The only limit is one's self, in my case, it's my fear of drowning. If you want the best and you have no budget constraints, I suggest you go for the Bert Lozada swimming school. But as I am on a tight budget, I'll be taking my lessons in YWCA, that's just behind the Emilio Aguinaldo College in Taft Avenue.
ReplyDeleteThat would be nice. :-)
ReplyDeleteI learned how to swim when I was in College. I don't know why d na ako marunong mag freestyle now! Hehehe. Float nlng and backstoke. :) Good luck on your lessons!
ReplyDeleteThis is something I want but seems so impossible, haha. I just don't know why I am afraid to swim, hehe.
ReplyDeleteMommy Maye
Siguro I would join my daughter na lang when she is old enough to take lessons. Swimming is really one of my frustrations but its never too late naman diba?
ReplyDeleteNever too late talaga...I have been reading a lot of articles and there are people who start learning way beyond their 50's and sometimes they come out as strong swimmers...competitive level even.
ReplyDeleteI am also scared to death with the thought of submerging myself in water...but as they say, we have to conquer our fears. If others can do it, I am sure we can also. Take the plunge na Mom Maye!
ReplyDeleteWow back stroke! I have never even learned any kind of floating until yesterday, during my first session. :-) Yipee! Milestone na yun
ReplyDeleteagree with ms sanna, its never too late to learn how to swim
ReplyDeletegoodluck to your swimming lesson ms aileen
Goodluck! It's fun once you know how. I learned to swim when I was 7 at the YWCA. My Mom enrolled me. Best to learn while young before the fear sets in.
ReplyDeleteI'm a failure in swimming. When I was in elementary, I did not finish my swimming lessons and made up all sorts of excuses. I'm fine looking at others swimming and appreciating their gorgeous bodies!
ReplyDeletei'm kinda embarassed to admit that i don't know how to swim too. i only know how to float. fortunately, my sons and hubby know how. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nothing to be embarrassed about Linnor. If you can float and you're not afraid of deep waters, you can easily learn how to swim. Give it a try.
ReplyDeleteSis, sayang naman. If my parents enrolled me at that age, I would have enjoyed all those times in the beach and pools before, but before theses swimming lessons, I only do dipping hehehe
ReplyDeleteCould it be possible that my swimming instructor also taught you? She said she's been teaching for 31 years na kasi. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Reese! On day 2 yesterday, enjoying it na. It's fun
ReplyDeleteI just managed to let go of the pool gutter yesterday...awesome feeling. I could already paddle myself the width of the pool...when am better, I would do the length naman. Melgie, I am also extremely afraid to even have my head under water. So you could just imagine how panic stricken I was on my first day.
ReplyDeleteHi Aileen! I don't know how to swim, too. Same with riding a bike. Even though marami nang beses akong tinuruan. Good luck to your swimming lessons.
ReplyDeleteHaaay. this is another frustrations of mine. Swimming is indeed a very good exercise since it utilizes most of our body parts.
ReplyDeleteI read that it's great full body workout minus the stress on the joints... May progress na ko on day 2... :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to ride a bike either, or if I will ever push to doing that. I find not much use in it and would rather learn how to drive a car :-)
ReplyDeleteAy, bakit ngayon ko lang to nabasa! I don't know how to swim, too, Aileen! Biking din and driving. Dami! Haha! And my friend is bugging me to take lessons. Takot talaga ako!
ReplyDeleteYes Maan, am trying to catch up with skills that are needed to be learned. Am not so concerned with biking (unless I decide to do a try-athlon lol!) Driving skills would also be useful for me even if I don't have a car yet
ReplyDeleteIronically (hehe want to watch Iron Man lang actually), I can swim quite well even if I grew up in the boondocks (Baguio). I spent christmas and holy week vacays kasi in my dad's place at Santiago, Ilocos Sur. I think I told you about that in an e-mail before :). They have this beautiful inlet called Santiago Cove (parang Blue Lagoon. walang malakas na alon and the water is so clear) where I learned to swim. My kids naman, the two girls were part of a swim group called Mako sharks three years ago. Yung cousin nila ended up competing nationally pero sila, my girls, hindi matiis ang swimming pool sa Athletic Bowl dun sa Burnham Park (not the lake ha hehe)-unheated ba naman and I also told them somebody drowned and died there when it was being built hehe. (oops sorry-super long na naman). Congrats sis! On your way to the Olympics (or kahit triathlon na lang)
ReplyDeletegood luck on your swimming lesson! =)
ReplyDeleteAlways one of the comments I look forward to reading....mini-post ang dating hahaha! Katuwa ka naman. Ako dito kahit nasa Manila, pwede naman kung tutuusin mag lessons when I was a kid pero it never really cropped up. Kasi naman we're not fond of outings...bihira lang so parang no need for that skill. Weee triathlon ka dyan. Baka try-athlon...di pwede...di ako marunong din mag bike wahahaha...Deprived kid ang peg.
ReplyDeleteMini-post ba haha. I don't know how to bike! (e di ba, here in Baguio, right of passage to learn how to bike at the Burnham Park). I know what you should try next- rollerskating or skate boarding
ReplyDeleteI'll read the rest of this swimming series of posts later but I just wanted to shout out: go go go! Swimming is one of my favorite things to do in life and I credit not swimming as much as I did as a kid to why I have grown as obese as I am today. Well surely one of the reasons. I didn't take lessons, only my dad taught me the basics. But I hope to go back to swimming regularly as my workout because I can't go running like you until I lose a significant weight. hehe. :)
ReplyDeleteHello sis! I love this post and I will be reading the succeeding ones. I have got fear of drowning that's why up to now I have not leaned how to swim.
ReplyDeleteRunning and swimming and blogging about them. There's no reason why you will fail in one area. You're doing great, sis. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I have the same dilemma when it comes to swimming. My feet needs to touch the ground or else I think I will die. I just hope I find time in things like this.
ReplyDelete"But I know I am not the only person in the world with the fear of
ReplyDeletedrowning. Even good swimmers drown, you know. So that makes me a prime
candidate for drowning, and it doesn't require a lot of effort to drown
me lol!
This made me laugh 'cause that's exactly how I feel! Hahaha. I'm 24 already and learning how to swim has been in my bucket list for years. But I'm really determined to accomplish it this January. Hopefully!
- where did you enroll by the way? :)
This January? Sis, ang lamig ng tubig...why not wait it out until medyo mainit na weather? Just a suggestion hehehe... I enrolled at YWCA near EAC
ReplyDeleteHi there I guess you finished ur lessons na by this time hehe tips naman po kasi im planning to so the same pero because im going to apply as an FA kasi...
ReplyDeleteHi Charlene. Yes I'm done with the basic lessons. I have not proceeded with advanced lessons because I'm still not able to tread in deep waters. If I can't stay afloat vertically, it would be a problem so I still need to practice.
ReplyDeleteTips, I'm not sure I could give much. I'm still sinking hehehe. But I think you should enrol and then tell your instructor that it's to comply with FA requirements. I would suggest a one on one lesson but that could probably be costly. If it's a small group, I suppose it would be okay. The instructor could still focus on each individual's progress. Now aside from your lessons, I suggest you do practice swims. And practice regularly too. That way, you could improve and become a stronger swimmer.