Sunday, October 29, 2006

gym splash

After overcoming many petty but huge-seeming obstacles, I actually made it to the gym from home today, for 30 minutes of water walking. I have been wanting to try water walking since spring, but I have been very apprehensive. I had plenty of time, while walking back and forth, to contemplate why I had wanted to try it, and why it had intimidated me so much. I think it had caught my interest because it sounded like more bang for my buck. I could go for a 30 minute walk, or I could walk for 30 minutes in the pool and get extra athletic benefits. As for why I was apprehensive, I have been recognizing that I really like to be informed: I like to know the upcoming schedule and I like to read about/discuss things before encountering them. (says the lady getting a degree in information science.) I had never gone water walking, and I had not even seen any one water walking. I was even feeling foolish about going to the pool and walking around. But when I actually did get to the pool, I saw they had a lane specifically reserved for walking/running. I got in my reserved lane and happily walked for a half an hour. I kept walking backwards every few steps, like I read online, and it really did involve a lot of effort to stop my momentum, step backwards a few, and then change direction again.

It's a bit of a sneaky exercise. I just felt like I was drifting around the pool, but now my hips, ankles, and calves really hurt. The good part is that afterwards, there's a nice soak in the hot pool.

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