Have you seen this story/photo online?
This kayaker out in the waters of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, got quite a surprise this past weekend when he saw the fin of a great white shark just 10 feet behind him. I think I would’ve passed out in the kayak! In Hawaii I saw a shark just off the beach- locals said it was “Louie” the shark–a well known shark who lurks around by the hotel beach. You can bet that I stuck to the pool and my toes never made it into the ocean water!
If you do have access to a pool, or a shark-free zone, here’s a workout to help you prepare for a swimming workout. I love to swim! I’ve grown up swimming and may be part fish. I swam competitively and am back to swimming at least a couple of days a week for a great full body workout.
The July/August 2012 issue of Whole Living magazine features arm, back, leg, glute, and stretching exercises that help you prep for the pool.
From the article:
Swimming isn’t a workout to skip. Water provides up to 15 times the resistance of air, meaning your muscles have to work harder to complete every movement. Swimming is also easy on the joints. “It’s one of the best total-body exercises you can do,” says Chris Webb, a swim coach in Charlotte, North Carolina, who works with veteran Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. And water is good for the soul. According to a study in Environmental Science & Technology, workouts done in or near bodies of water provide a bigger boost to mood than do other outdoor activities. Still, Webb says, “when it comes down to it, swimming can be pretty unnatural.” That’s why doing land-based moves to ward off muscle imbalances, practice movement patterns, and prep the nervous system before diving in is key. He created this routine to “bulletproof” the body against injury and soreness while helping you nab the perks of the pool—including a gold-medal figure—on dry land.
You’ll need a resistance band and a door or object for anchoring the band (I used my refrigerator/freezer doors). Going through the workout 2x should take about 15-20 minutes.
Source – Part of the shoulder series
A slideshow of the moves and an explanation of how to do each one is online. This is a great little workout when you want a little bit of strength-training along with a good stretch.
Do you swim as part of your workout routine? Have you ever seen a shark in the water?
Apples and Arteries 
Ohhh I need to get some resistance bands! I love that I could do this at home!
Swimming is one of my favorite ways to exercise. I love how weightless I feel & I love the resistance the water provides. When I’m pregnant, I also love getting into the water–one of the few forms of exercise that I can really do up until I have the baby.
Never seen a shark in the water, but I’ve only ever been to the beach a few times in my life. This story only solidifies my natural fear of sharks, jellyfish, & other scary creeping things in the water!
I’ve seen a lot of pregnant women swimming laps at the pool I swim at–they always look a lot happier when they get into the water!
that is so cool, I also know I have done a routine where you use sliders on your hands lying on your stomach on the floor to swim. boy is it an arm workout.
I love to swim. It’s by far my favorite workout. There was a shark attack in Cali this weekend too (the guy’s fine…they just clipped his surf board)
That’s crazy! I would FREAK if I saw a shark. We got swimming stuff for our old gym and only went to the pool once. Wooooops!!
I actually don’t know how to swim, so it’s definitely not a part of my work out. Unless “drowning gracefully” counts. As for the shark, I have never seen one but I wont even go in the ocean because I am so terrified of them. If I was that guy I probably would’ve just frozen up and been eaten alive.
I love love love swimming. If I had a pool at my house I would do it every day for exercise! I havent been swimming for a while now and I REALLY miss it!
The shark thing is crazy but luckily I haven’t seen one out here! I do feel bad for both the sharks and the seals though. We never used to have great whites around but they have to go farther to find food now (and hopefully they won’t find their food in swimmers or kayakers)!
When I saw that on the news about the shark, I actually jumped up on the couch, it scared the heck out of me. I have always been scared of sharks, which being from MI is weird, but Jaws was one of the 1st scary movies I ever saw, so I guess that’s why. A few years back I got up the nerve to go into the ocean in Mexico and stand on the sandbar with my husband, for a few minutes, until a pod of tuna came in on a wave and I thought they were sharks, I may or may not have yelled shark as I ran through the water towards the beach. Yeah, I was that person…….My husband just stood there in the water laughing. Good times.
Same with me…saw JAWS at an early age and have been afraid ever since!