20 North Shore Towers Courier n September 2016 WATER THERAPY ANYONE? In my former life, I was very athletic. I loved to ski, play racket ball, run and swim. I loved swimming the most. I spent hours in a pool. By the time I got out of the water, I was so wrinkled that I could foresee how I would look now. I wasn’t exactly like the graceful swimmer, Esther Williams, of Hollywood; more like Esther Schwartz the klutz from Staten Island. I’m not as mobile as I used to be. My favorite activity now is standing. Recently, my doctor recommended water therapy. He feels it is the easiest way to stay fit. I do feel stiff from time to time. There’s “stiff like a board” or “stiff like baccala.” I’m somewhere in between. Anyway, I hadn’t been in a pool for more than fifteen years. To prepare for this event was like packing for an over-night. I think I have to get one of those little things with wheels on it. I brought a towel for drying by the pool, a towel to stand on when changing, a towel to dry with after the shower, a towel to sit on after I’ve completed all of these tasks and a complete change of clothes. I wouldn’t say I’m compulsive!!! Maybe just a little. One towel I use by the pool is so large that it wraps around me many times, and I look like a mummy. All that’s missing is a sarcophagus. How would I pack that? When I finally get into the pool, God forbid I should get my hair wet. Some people wear every type of “schmatta” available. I don’t. Do you know ducking splashes is an excellent exercise for your neck? I also heard if you wade backwards in the water it’s more challenging. I do it quite well, but I really need a small rearview mirror. Turning around to check who is behind you, is an additional exercise I find helpful to my neck. My fellow/gal swimmers are also trying to recapture their mobility. Some do try, but most of the time they just stand in clusters, splash a little (I think we used to call it the “Coney Island breast stroke”), or talk about aches and pains or the latest restaurant they discovered (Eating is another therapy I could write SENIOR MOMENTS by gloria beck about. Mastication and hand to mouth coordination can be quite helpful when done correctly.). After my intense (?) thirtyminute workout, I go into the whirlpool where I poach myself for five minutes in contrast to those who stay longer and come out boiled. Actually, what is the difference between the two? I spend more time getting prepared and then finishing up, than I do in the water. Maybe I should go “skinny dipping.” At this age, that’s a scary thought! 888.838.0808 Toll Free 844-44-CARES Florida
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