Benefits of Being a Water Baby

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Outfitted in a sleeveless wetsuit, I stood on the eastern shore of our local inland Teal Lake and surveyed my strategy for swimming the nearly 2.5 mile length along the shoreline.  The water was cold, but at 69 degrees, much warmer than Lake Superior on this June Sunday.  I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, summoning the mindset I had cultivated during the past several months of lap swimming in an indoor pool.  I had swum this distance recently, and reassured myself that I was more than capable of completing this training swim. 

Jennie & Rob before training swim/kayak adventure

In the past, I had swum this distance for 2 Ironman triathlons, but that was many years ago.  Today it meant something different.  I had overcome significant challenges in my personal life and health, something I treasured.  Although I was training for the late July Teal Lake Swim event to benefit diabetes services, my deeper motive was proving to myself that I had reached a better place of reclaiming my life and health.

This post is meant to inspire you with whatever meaningful goals you are trying to accomplish in your life, whether this means achieving better health, writing a book, or making it through some rough patch in your life.

The post will also address some of the myriad of benefits of exercising or just being immersed in water.  This could be a natural body of water, a swimming pool, a flotation tank, or your bathtub.  My July – September 2024 post The Cold Plunge covers the health benefits of cold water exposure; this post will discuss the benefits of being in water irrespective of temperature. 

Introducing Teal Lake

Submerging myself into the choppy water, I embraced the refreshingly cool temperature.  After a few quick stretches and spotting my husband in his kayak, I began.  For the next hour and a half, I swam consistently through choppy and calm conditions, shallow and deep water, places where I could or could not see the bottom, and stroking through the plant life that grew up to the lake’s surface.  I chose my course along the shore about 25 yards out from the shoreline. 

Entering a flow state, I focused on swim techniques that I had regularly used in the pool: bilateral breathing; lengthen, glide, rotate; right-left symmetry through my arms and shoulders; staying on top of the water; and a minimal but steady kick.  I experienced both blissful and rougher patches during this training swim.  Phrases like “just keep swimming”; “stroke after stroke”; “you are fine, you are safe”; “you can do this”; and “the time will pass and you’ll be there” ran through my mind and helped neutralize any anxiety, fear, and doubt.  The otherworldly music soundtrack that typically runs through my head shortly into a swim session reliably appeared like my own personal radio. Thoughts of my son Michael waiting on the other end also kept me going.

To the degree possible, I took in my outside environment, watching it change from highway to a short peninsula to a wealthy neighborhood with a floating dock.  I saw kayaks and paddle boards.  Every once in a while, I checked to make sure my husband was still there on my right.  He was unfailingly there, providing me assurance and watching over the conditions.  

Although I was sighting regularly to determine my location, direction, and the conditions, I did come up 2 or 3 times for a few seconds to orient myself.  The last of these times, Rob encouraged me to swim towards his truck parked at the opposite shore, swim towards our son Michael who was waiting there in the distance.  I was overcome with excitement and gratitude, shouting “we’re almost there!” Indeed, I could see the truck, and Michael stood at the shore. 

Eventually, I swam into shallower water and found my footing in the slightly mucky conditions.  I was a little wobbly from the cold but elated, nonetheless.  I changed into dry clothes, anticipating a welcome hot shower upon arriving home.

At this point, the event itself was less important than having finished this training swim along a slightly longer course with the support of my family. 

Here is how the Teal Lake Swim Event actually went…

My family and I arrived early for the event.  The Negaunee side of Teal Lake was swarming with participants, supportive family and friends, and the volunteers that made the event possible.  My husband was able to kayak alongside me once again. 

It had been awhile since I had participated in any athletic event.  The field was full of strong, seasoned swimmers.  It was a warm, sunny day, and at 73 degrees, the water seemed much warmer this time around.  There were 3 staggered start times for the “short & sweet” race, the 2.25 mile beginner race, and the more competitive advanced 2.25 mile race which I had entered.

The start of Teal Lake Swim

What a fantastic experience this was!  At various times along the way, I felt elated and challenged.

Overcoming the Obstacles

There were 3 main obstacles, all of which I managed to transcend.

Shortly after the start, I managed to inhale some water.  This almost never happens to me, so it was a complete surprise.  Having underestimated the chop and the level of performance anxiety I would experience, I had not rotated quite enough to get a breath full of air.  Quickly recognizing this, I stayed calm and allowed myself to cough enough under the water and re-establish consistent bilateral breathing.  No problem.

The second obstacle came in the form of another swimmer.  I was making efforts to be steady and consistent in charting my course, giving myself and other swimmers plenty of space.  However, there was a male swimmer on my left with an erratic, thrashing swim stroke who repeatedly swam into my space, like a bug continually flying into a light at night.  I narrowly missed being swum into several times, having to veer to the right to avoid this.  I finally managed to drop him.  My husband later commented that he had noticed this annoying situation as well.  Second “obstacle” overcome!

Thirdly, although a consistent swimmer, I did find it challenging to stay on the exact course that would have guaranteed the shortest point-to-point route.  With only 3 large buoys to orient swimmers along the course of the entire distance, swimming straight down what was the center line of the lake lengthwise proved a bit ambiguous.  I did stop a few times, doing my best to lock onto the straightest line to the next buoy.

The kayakers, in retrospect, did “bookend” a passageway for swimmers, which was the most incredible feeling!

Throughout most of the swim, the field had spread out sufficiently to give it the feel of being one’s own personal swim, and that it was.  Before I knew it, I could see the western shore of the lake and picked up the pace a bit. 

There was a celebratory air present as I exited the water a little less than 90 minutes after the start, ushered along by a volunteer who took the timing chip off my ankle and handed me some water.  I looked up, and there was our son!  This meant the world.  I wanted him to be proud of me.

The Vast Rewards

I placed second in my age group, earning me a bath towel with “Teal Lake Swim” embroidered on it.

The less tangible and arguably more important rewards included greater belief in myself physically and mentally, resilience to translate to any area of my life, gratitude for my swimming ability, the knowledge that my race fee contributed to a good cause, a goal for next year, and inspiring my husband enough that he bought a wetsuit and swim buoy in order to open-water swim with me!

I was reminded of how athletic events can mirror our lives, navigating through both expected and unexpected challenges.  And the rewards available for showing up in your own life – just for trying.

I was surprisingly energized and restored throughout the rest of the day.  In addition to my improved emotional state, I attribute this to many of the following reasons.

Being immersed in any water provides the following benefits:

-       It increases venous return, helping the body to return deoxygenated blood to the heart and improving circulation.

-       It helps the body eliminate excess water, reducing water retention, bloating, and swelling (this is one reason you experience an increase in urinary urgency after being in the water!).

-       The light massaging effect the water provides to the lymph system in the skin stimulates the immune system.

-       Water temperature can be used to support the body. Cool to cold water can be a powerful way to soothe soft tissue inflammation and offers many other potential benefits. Warm to hot water can provide relief for arthritis- or fibromyalgia-related pain/stiffness and can be deeply relaxing as well.

-       The breathing patterns used while swimming, particularly the long exhalations, tend to balance and calm the nervous system.

-       Water provides a perfect medium for exercise, especially for anyone with mobility or balance issues.

-       Exercising in the water potentially increases cardiovascular fitness if swimming laps or performing other water exercise and regulating the breathing.

-  The hydrostatic pressure on the chest cavity when immersed in water increases lung capacity as you are literally inhaling against resistance.

-       Greater levels of exercise intensity can be achieved in the gentle, supportive medium of water with almost no associated “teardown”.

-       Being in the water is the perfect complement to and antidote for land-based activities that are harder on the body like running and biking.

-       Aquatic exercise works the entire body and core.

-       An increase in strength can be achieved, as the resistance of the water is encountered when moving in any direction.

-       Lap swimming is perfect for introverts (like me!) to enjoy solitude.

-       For anyone with mental health issues, swimming can occupy the conscious mind, promoting a flow state, reducing anxiety, and putting problems on the “back burner”.

In stillness and flow, healing awakens. Trust the water - it remembers what your body forgot. - Unknown

Salt Water

Earlier this summer when I began writing this post, I was in Pawley’s Island, SC with my family.  We have been fortunate enough to vacation to this special place together regularly since my childhood.  One of my favorite activities at the beach is being in the ocean with my family. 

Pawley's Island, SC just before dawn

Navigating through and playing in the waves immersed in salt water has an almost primal restorative effect.  Additionally, as is the case with any natural ground water, being immersed in the ocean and having bare feet on the ground confers a grounding effect, rebalancing the body’s electrical system.  Ocean water contains a variety of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and calcium.  These can be absorbed through the skin and potentially benefit skin health and muscle soreness.  One can also enjoy greater buoyancy in salt vs fresh water, providing a sensation of greater lightness in the body.

Find Your Own Version of Being a “Water Baby”

How might you access the benefits of being or exercising in water in your own life?  What techniques or strategies discussed in this post can you apply to a challenging situation you are facing? 

#openwaterswimming #enduranceswimming #overcomingchallenges #aquaticexercise #waterimmersionbenefits