Today I tackled two swim aerobics classes, count them, two! Both shallow water, which I do each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and now the deep water class as well. Of course, the deep water aerobics class required a little specialized equipment. First, they had to install the "lift", a hydraulic chair, that gently sets me into the water and then takes me back out. That worked out well but the floats they snapped onto me were horrible.
The idea is that the bouyancy belt keeps one bouyant while one performs floating aerobics. Good idea, not so good to strap the floats about my waist and in the back. It kept forcing me forward in the water and my muscles are weak thus not a fair fight. Some folks tried to help, attempting to adjust the straps, and offering suggestions (not knowing about the degenerative muscle disorder), and finally another set of floats were attached, this time in the front. It was better but too restrictive not allowing me to exercise my arms. We lost the first float belt and this seemed to work for a short time. Eventually, it twisted to the side and crept over my bazooms threatening to abandon ship. It, too, had to go.
I traveled hand-over-hand along the side of the pool (kid-style) to the 5-foot depth range where I could touch the bottom. Safety at last! Then my girlfriend suggested the floaty barbells. Great idea! She helped me to shove them under my arms and found the happy medium. I could do the jog-in-place and such with my legs while my arms were minimally impeded. Woo-hoo!
By this time I was exhausted and the class was only at the halfway point. I kept up the kicking, and the stepping, and the "jogging" as best as I could muster and thank the dear Lord for patient girlfriends who stay in the shallower end of the pool with you and crack off-color jokes. The rest of the class was a blur and so much fun!
After my floaty drama, I even managed to meet new friends: 75-years young Joyce, who allowed me to "steal" her floaty barbells and told me of her family member who passed from ALS after a 7-year run with it; Wayne, who thought I was recovering from surgery; and Jean, whom I met in the shallow aerobics class but swam to my rescue when I began to flail in the deep water; and Lori, who Wayne insisted that also had ALS when I told him what the real issue was. Turned out she's been living with MS (also a horrible degenerative disease) for about 23 years.
God but life is good! And the fun isn't yet over as I always hold my mental energy long after class ends. It's likely I'll be awake until after 11:00 pm tonight!
The idea is that the bouyancy belt keeps one bouyant while one performs floating aerobics. Good idea, not so good to strap the floats about my waist and in the back. It kept forcing me forward in the water and my muscles are weak thus not a fair fight. Some folks tried to help, attempting to adjust the straps, and offering suggestions (not knowing about the degenerative muscle disorder), and finally another set of floats were attached, this time in the front. It was better but too restrictive not allowing me to exercise my arms. We lost the first float belt and this seemed to work for a short time. Eventually, it twisted to the side and crept over my bazooms threatening to abandon ship. It, too, had to go.
I traveled hand-over-hand along the side of the pool (kid-style) to the 5-foot depth range where I could touch the bottom. Safety at last! Then my girlfriend suggested the floaty barbells. Great idea! She helped me to shove them under my arms and found the happy medium. I could do the jog-in-place and such with my legs while my arms were minimally impeded. Woo-hoo!
By this time I was exhausted and the class was only at the halfway point. I kept up the kicking, and the stepping, and the "jogging" as best as I could muster and thank the dear Lord for patient girlfriends who stay in the shallower end of the pool with you and crack off-color jokes. The rest of the class was a blur and so much fun!
After my floaty drama, I even managed to meet new friends: 75-years young Joyce, who allowed me to "steal" her floaty barbells and told me of her family member who passed from ALS after a 7-year run with it; Wayne, who thought I was recovering from surgery; and Jean, whom I met in the shallow aerobics class but swam to my rescue when I began to flail in the deep water; and Lori, who Wayne insisted that also had ALS when I told him what the real issue was. Turned out she's been living with MS (also a horrible degenerative disease) for about 23 years.
God but life is good! And the fun isn't yet over as I always hold my mental energy long after class ends. It's likely I'll be awake until after 11:00 pm tonight!
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