Dean Michael Berris

So as the title aptly puts it, I intend to start (and continue) swimming again to save my life. The last time I swam was before I got hospitalized December last year. Today I will swim so that tomorrow I can swim again and jumpstart my metabolism. Hopefully I can get into an uninterrupted groove for this healthy living approach and not get sick anytime soon. Apparently there are some good things brought about by exercise that nothing else can bring.

First, the routine is something that I can definitely live with. Knowing to stop work at 5PM and get into the pool is a good motivator to get things done before that time. That's a good thing especially for someone like me who has trouble keeping time and stopping. Doing something else that I love doing is good motivation to get things done early.

Second, nothing can make me sweat and consume calories in a productive manner than swimming. Yes folks, you sweat when you swim. And yes, you can burn calories when swimming. Apparently, swimming is one of the best exercises that will work out your whole body. I hear sex is the next best thing -- but I'll shut up about that now.

Third, the zone you can get into when you're swimming and trying to beat your personal limits is something you don't find in many other sports. Running maybe you can, but you're in the outside and can fall victim to countless zone-breaking distractions. Biking suffers from the same problem. Maybe chess induces the same zone but you're largely playing against someone else and not working up the same muscle groups as swimming does.

Last but not least is the benefits of swimming: endurance, strength, and focus building exercises that burns calories and allows you to compete against yourself. Continuous self-improvement is one of the things you can play out when swimming -- you constantly try to adjust your stroke to get to the end faster, use less energy to last longer, and get in a groove that's not easily broken. You can apply the same lessons in real life and that means you can learn lessons even in a passive manner.

Maybe waterproof iPods and ear buds would be nice to have. Do you know if there's such a thing? That would be a really cool christmas present to receive.