Swimming pool Q...

[De-Guts!]

Hi Shelley,
Hope all`s well your end,
Since our trip to Vegas last week,using the Hotel swimming pool every morning,and feeling GREAT afterwards. My Wife and I are thinking about taking up Swimming (3-4 times a week). I have heard it said;"Swimming exercises EVERY muscle in the body!"
I have also heard it said;"Our skin is the largest organ of the body." Would it be advisable to use a public swimming pool on a regular basis,where Chlorine is used, to keep bacteria/germs from spreading?

My Wife is prone to estrogen dominance(Were getting there gradually-Cleansing etc)
That being said,we both take Flax seeds(FreshlyGround)as the benefits of EFA`s and especially the fiber-[as my Wife doesn`t fare well with Psyllium]-we feel,far out weigh the possible down side of Flax seeds being an estrogenic food.

Shelley+friends,
Would the same principle apply with using a public swimming pool?...
...i.e;The benefits (exercise) far outweigh the dangers/disadvantages of Chlorine.
As always,
any input-GREATLY appreciated .

[shelley]

Yep, I think the benefits far outweigh the problems. You can easily detox the chlorine by just taking salt baths every now and again. Personally, I worry more about the chlorine than the baddies! The baddies are easily taken care of by our immune systems really, you can always add ACV to your bath or rinse with it in the shower and that kills a huge percentage of yeasts and molds right there.

[De-Guts!]

Shelley,
Very reassuring. I`m digging out the goggles ASAP!!
So, to DeTox from say, 1 hour swim 3-4 times a week.To get/keep the Chlorine out of our system, would you sugest a DeTox bath of epsom salts...once a week?(Together with a good shower straight after each swim of course.)

Thank U

[shelley]

Yep! And make sure to get adequate calcium/magnesium and cod liver oil, as they are all antagonizers to chlorine - they make sure your body dumps any excess quick.

If you get episodes of Tinnitus you'll know you've overdosed on chlorine and should take a break.

[smoothcriminal]

i've recently taken up swimming again and its the best excercise!! like u the only thing that repulses me is the water. but like shelley said i think our immune systems can fight off the germs. i use to swim a lot before and i got very fit but sick too. my immune was weak back then. i seem to be ok now but i dont go too often.
it can get a bit dull and repetative so i would do other types of excercise and mix them up so you enjoy the xcercises better and will in turn try harder.

smooth

[De-Guts!]

Thanks for that input,
We just so happen to be joining a local YMCA (excellent rates compared to public swimming pools over here in San Diego)
Our joint membership discount will allow us to use the facilities when ever.
These include swimming pool/gym/aerobic classes and squash court.
So we look foreward to a positive variety.
Thanks.

[Rosnor]

Saw this swimming thread, and thought I'd ask a question. My husband (46) has been swimming 60 -80 lengths in his lunch hour at the local baths. I think this is too much. He sometimes suffers from stiff shoulders/cramps in legs etc, and recently had to have 2 hernia operations, and two years ago had an operation on his back. He definately is an all-or-nothing bloke, and says he feels great afterwards. Any idea how far is too much?

[shelley]

It's tough to say how much is too much, the human body is capable of incredible feats. But he should consult with a chiropractor about those disks, oh yes. Water exercise is the safest exercise in terms of impact damage, he isn't risking any of that with swimming and that's a good thing. Runners can't say the same thing.

In the meantime, if he's going to keep exercising this way, he really needs to be careful with his calcium, magnesium and potassium. He should NOT be getting leg cramps, that's a sure sign of mineral deficiencies. It means he's sweating out more than he's ingesting, which is not good. I highly recommend that he takes Emergen-C and Cal-Mag Fizz regularly, and takes care to eat plenty of fresh, organic veggies as juice or soup or just basic veggies/stir-fry.

It's also improtant for him to alternate his strokes. Repetition is another kind of damage that is easily avoided.

[Rosnor]

Yes Shelley, I think that may be the problem. Swimming 60-80 lengths all front crawl. He stopped breast stroke, as it puts pressure on his back, and back stroke because he can't see where he's going! Also, he gets into a rythm he doesn't want to break. Anyway, I got him some cal/mag, which he forgets to take, so I'll have to keep on at him about that. The potassium, good idea, and all the vegs he likes anyway. The trouble is though, the healthier his meal, the more junk he eats afterwards. He thinks because he's 'burnt' so much energy, he can indulge himself afterwards, which sort of defeats the object (!) Thanks.

[shelley]

oh yeah, that's the male version of what we women do - "I can eat this brownie with the diet coke because the diet coke NEGATES the brownie!" LOL! Don't ya' just love being human?

[harmony]

This winter I took too swimming at our local community pool. I absolutely love it.
I do have concerns with the germs and clorine in the water. I keep my head out of the water most of the time. (LOL) Silly me I convince myself there are to many openings for the junk to get in through my head. (LOL)

I shower right away and I take a good sauna there at the center. What a treat that is.
I think the sauna cleans out any of the chorine that might have been absorbed through the skin.

[shelley]

that's a great practice, sauna after exercise to further sweat out toxins. Keeps you young and young looking, that's for sure! And it would definitely go a long way to mitigating the effects of the chlorine.

Keep your calcium/phosphorous in balance and you can walk/swim with fungus and it won't take hold.

[spo1977]

Get yourself some comfortable swim fins. It will enhance resistance and make the workout better. It does make you faster though so pay attention to what you are doing.