Since most of us aren't teenagers any more, I'm pretty sure a large masters population is having to overcome all kinds of health issues on order to getin shape, and go as far as competing.
I was starting to get pretty competetive 4-5 years ago and setting a lot of PB's, when in my mid to late 30's I got slammed with a lot of health issues, couple of which (ick) caused a lot of rapid heart rate even at rest, and made me very exercise intolerant. Some of this is getting under control, other things I just have to live with, and accept I can't push as hard as I used to :(
I have a genetic blood disorder, thallasemia, which manifests itself in my case an untreatable chronic anemia, fast thyroid causing heartbeat irregularities (and other things), and one of arthritic conditions, scleroderma. In last couple years I'm just starting to figure out how to handle my newly dysfunctional body, and still keep active. It's been a very disheartening struggle, since at 40, I'm supposedly too young to be falling apart. Eh!
I'd like to hear from people who are having to manage their health issues, so they can keep swimming, and even competing... I'm hoping this can be motivating to a *few* people.
Parents
Former Member
I haven't been able to do quite as much swimming as I'd hoped. My 17 year old son has been wanting me to teach him about lifting weights, and as I did a fair amount of that in my football and rugby days, I'm in a good position to teach him. So I'm only swimming 3 days a week, rather than the 5-6 I'd hoped for. Getting into swimming more often will have to wait until my son goes off to college. I could do that now I suppose but I do love spending the weight-training time with him.
BUT -- since this is a forum regarding health issues, I must say that I think that the simple act of getting back to swimming, even to the limited extent I have, is already helping me. Lap swimming on a regular basis, and trying to do a good swim workout, maintain a good pace, practice strokes besides freestyle, doing the chore stuff of practicing kicking, trying to sprint occasionally, etc. -- all of that stuff requires a lot of effort and it's forced me to think about my health, my diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure -- and to actively work to improve them -- as nothing else has for the past 35 years. The simple fact of getting into a swimsuit and walking into a pool with others forces me to think about overweight and diet. Perhaps most of you in the USMS can't relate because you've swum continuously for years, but as a middle-aged guy, getting back to it after a very long layoff, I must say that swimming has been a big help already.
I haven't been able to do quite as much swimming as I'd hoped. My 17 year old son has been wanting me to teach him about lifting weights, and as I did a fair amount of that in my football and rugby days, I'm in a good position to teach him. So I'm only swimming 3 days a week, rather than the 5-6 I'd hoped for. Getting into swimming more often will have to wait until my son goes off to college. I could do that now I suppose but I do love spending the weight-training time with him.
BUT -- since this is a forum regarding health issues, I must say that I think that the simple act of getting back to swimming, even to the limited extent I have, is already helping me. Lap swimming on a regular basis, and trying to do a good swim workout, maintain a good pace, practice strokes besides freestyle, doing the chore stuff of practicing kicking, trying to sprint occasionally, etc. -- all of that stuff requires a lot of effort and it's forced me to think about my health, my diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure -- and to actively work to improve them -- as nothing else has for the past 35 years. The simple fact of getting into a swimsuit and walking into a pool with others forces me to think about overweight and diet. Perhaps most of you in the USMS can't relate because you've swum continuously for years, but as a middle-aged guy, getting back to it after a very long layoff, I must say that swimming has been a big help already.
