Bananaspills
Well-Known Member
I've been wanting to do something to improve my fitness level for a while now, but I've been having some pain on my knees and feet which made it harder to do things like walking or dancing. So I finally decided I'd try swimming and went for my first swimming lesson today. (I can swim as in not drown, but I have no form, style, stamina or any sort of stroke style above doggy-paddle :doh: So I want to have a few lessons to address that and gain some confidence before swimming on my own.)
The swimming lesson was great, and I loved how light and warm I felt in the water, but the lesson took place in a smallish, circular pool that I hadn't been in before, because the larger pool was not available at the time. To go in, I just sat on the side and pretty much slid in, but when it was time to get out, the only way was climbing a narrow metalic ladder that was completely vertical, and the lower step was so high that I couldn't lift my leg high enough to get a good grip, or hoist myself out.
The instructor was looking a bit worried and saying "How are we going to get you out, lady?" I told them if we didn't find a way they'd just have to keep me there and throw fish at me from a bucket
In the end, they brought this thing that they use to train lifeguards. It's basically shaped like a human body, and when it fills with water it's as heavy as an average person, and sinks. The instructor had to hold it underwater until it was properly "drowned" and sank to the bottom, then I stepped on the "corpse" to reach the bottom step For some reason I couldn't stop laughing by the end. (Partly I was insanely relieved, because I worried their solution would be to bring someone over to lift me!) Oh, and also, I found out that one of my legs is stronger than the other, so when I swim backstroke I tend to go in circles, much like a windup toy in a bathtub
But hey, I went in public in my bathing suit, and survived the experience, and booked another lesson, so yay me!
The swimming lesson was great, and I loved how light and warm I felt in the water, but the lesson took place in a smallish, circular pool that I hadn't been in before, because the larger pool was not available at the time. To go in, I just sat on the side and pretty much slid in, but when it was time to get out, the only way was climbing a narrow metalic ladder that was completely vertical, and the lower step was so high that I couldn't lift my leg high enough to get a good grip, or hoist myself out.
The instructor was looking a bit worried and saying "How are we going to get you out, lady?" I told them if we didn't find a way they'd just have to keep me there and throw fish at me from a bucket
In the end, they brought this thing that they use to train lifeguards. It's basically shaped like a human body, and when it fills with water it's as heavy as an average person, and sinks. The instructor had to hold it underwater until it was properly "drowned" and sank to the bottom, then I stepped on the "corpse" to reach the bottom step For some reason I couldn't stop laughing by the end. (Partly I was insanely relieved, because I worried their solution would be to bring someone over to lift me!) Oh, and also, I found out that one of my legs is stronger than the other, so when I swim backstroke I tend to go in circles, much like a windup toy in a bathtub But hey, I went in public in my bathing suit, and survived the experience, and booked another lesson, so yay me!
