Taking Care of Myself is a Part-Time Job

I have a part-time secretarial job at a local Baptist church, and some semesters I add a second job when I teach a class at the university. The more I learn about human anatomy and physiology the more I believe that taking care of myself is an additional part-time job. Other people might be lower maintenance than I am. I have enough chronic conditions (depression, obesity, face herpes, plantar fasciitis, back injuries, etc.) that I have to keep an eye on that it takes quite a bit of energy to keep them all in check. For most of 2012, I didn't teach, so I only had one part-time job. I was able to do a pretty good job of taking care of myself. I stayed healthy (after the intestinal infection), learned to swim, lost 15 pounds, and felt really good. Then in November I took over a composition class when the chair of the English department died. During the 2 months from the time I started teaching until I got back from Christmas travels, I had gained back 10 of the pounds I'd lost, caught a respiratory ailment, and felt like a mess. Yes, Christmas isn't great for weight loss, but I was already in a downward spiral by the time the semester ended. I have developed the opinion that I cannot work two part-time jobs and take care of myself properly, especially when I'm trying to develop healthier habits. It's like three part-time jobs. So I'm glad I'm not teaching this semester. I've already had time to cook healthy meals and go swimming every couple days. I feel much better. And I'm looking forward to a spring semester and summer of good health and good habits. And gardening season is coming soon!

Swimmingly

How's my semester going? Great so far! I'm not teaching and am enjoying the break. And I've stayed healthy so far.

My big excitement this semester is the wonderful swimming schedule. I get to swim six days a week! And I've really improved. Tonight I swam for an hour and a half. At one point I did 4.75 laps without a break. I could have done many more, but I stopped to help a guy get his goggles from the bottom of the deep end. I was swimming very slowly, but I swam steadily and didn't feel tired. That's a huge improvement in stamina, efficiency, and confidence. And I'm now fitting into pants I haven't worn in a year or more. This is what I hoped to accomplish last semester. Well, that and more cooking and cleaning. I'm still working on the cooking and cleaning.

Different Strokes

In June I finally started swimming lessons. I learned to swim with my head out of the water when I was in elementary school, so I know how to swim. I want to be able to swim with my face in the water because it's more efficient for lap swimming. After about a month of lessons, my instructor told me that I knew the technique but I wasn't making progress because my problem was all in my head. After I came home from one lesson crying--I was supposed to pretend that I was swimming to rescue someone at the other end of the pool, and I didn't make it--I considered that I might need therapy before I could be a good swimmer. Instead I decided to learn other swimming strokes. Perhaps the freestyle isn't my stroke. I could already do the backstroke, so I started learning the breaststroke. I had taken my instructor's advice and had watched YouTube videos about swimming. In addition to getting some good tips, I discovered that one company makes a swimmer's snorkel. Instead of sticking out at the side of the head, the snorkel comes up straight in front of the nose. It allows swimmers to practice proper form without worrying about breathing. AHA! Practice without worry! Maybe I could get out of my head. So I ordered a snorkel from Amazon, and I love it. I can feel myself making progress. When I swim in the mornings, I do several laps with the snorkel and then a few laps without, and I can tell a difference in both my freestyle and breaststroke. And with enough oxygen, I'm finally developing some stamina. I'm still not a great swimmer, but I'm getting closer to my goal of efficient lap swimming for exercise. And even if I never get really good on my own, I now have a snorkel to help.