Swimming is often encouraged as a "recovery" workout. It's easier on the joints, it strengthens the muscles and often just being in the water "feels" good.

I find swimming to be a good recovery workout when I've been Just Too Stressed. 

A good swim feels healing.  There's no other way to put it.  It's not that I slack when I swim.  I swam a mile in 40 minutes today.  That's going pretty hard (for me, anyway).  I was still red in the face and breathing hard after my shower.  But for me, it's like that strenuous movement, when done in the water, is restorative somehow.  My very muscles feel like they've knit back together properly.  It's as if the neurons in my brain are firing better and more accurately.  I know that's physiologically inaccurate, but it's how it feels.  The thing is, that mile can get dull.

Here’s a gift idea for swimmers who own iPods and suffer from the boredom of endlessly cranking out laps and thinking jealously of the runners and weightlifters who have their tunes to inspire them to athletic feats.  (Or a least keep them interested enough to keep working out!)

Get thee an Otterbox and a pair of waterproof earphones.

Now, if you're expecting Bose-quality sound underwater, well…. You won't get that.

But god, swimming laps while being able to listen to a book is wonderful! (I was listening to "The Law of Conservation of Pain", by Spider Robinson, as it happens).

The Otterbox really really does keep your iPod safe and dry.  It is bliss, sweet bliss that I've got something to cure lap boredom. I also set a timer so I could just go hard for my 40 minutes and ignore everything but my stroke and the story.

Got a delightful workout.

Posted by Noel.