Swimming, Swimming, In the Swimming Pool!

I don't know if any of you ever went to summer camp when you were younger, but the title of this post comes from a camp song from my youth. I went to Girl Scout camp, and there were a plethora of songs sung around the campfire each night, but for some reason this one stuck with me.  The original song goes a little something like this:

Swimming, swimming, in the swimming pool,
Some days are hot, some days are not,
in the swimming pool.

However, we also sang a parody of that song that I liked better and is the one that I remember most:

Swimming, swimming, in the swimming pool,
Some guys are hot, some guys are not,
at the swimming pool!

Anyway, my original point is that I'm getting really excited about being able to swim again. I went swimming on Monday evening and again today after work, and I'm feeling really good about it.

Things I love about swimming:

1)  First of all, the endorphins. I haven't been able to do aerobic exercise lately, so this is great. It's a major mood booster!

2)  Exercise! Did I mention that I really need the exercise after several months of little to no physical activity? I've gone up a few pant sizes since February, and I'd definitely like to go back down to normal sometime in near future. Ideally, I'd like to be fitting back into my old pants and clothes by November, and I think swimming combined with more vegetables and self-control in the food department will help me reach that goal.

3)  It's a very diverse activity. I used to be a lifeguard and did swim team my senior year in high school, so I know quite a few different strokes: freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, etc.  It doesn't get boring when you switch strokes every other lap and make use of the kickboards, pull buoys (those little odd-shaped floats you put between your legs to focus on strengthening your arms only), and flippers.

4)  It's free! The pool I go to is free to all DC residents and military families. So, I just flash my military ID and get to swim without spending a dime on membership, which is super nice, especially when you know the exorbitant price of gym membership in the DC area.

5)  I think it's helping with my post-surgery foot recovery. My foot didn't hurt as much Tuesday or today, and I'd like to credit that to my swim session on Monday night. My podiatrist actually did say swimming is great for recovery; so I'd like to think this improvement isn't all in my head

6) My pool is conveniently located next to the biggest Whole Foods in the VA-MD-DC area (that I've visited). After exercising, the Whole Foods hot bar, with labeled vegan entrees, is a welcome dinner option. They also have delicious vegan bakery options, like multiple vegan bakery options: muffins, scones, etc. It takes me about an hour to get home. So if I want to eat before 9 or 10 pm, I probably should eat some dinner before I hop on the metro. 

Aside: Whole Foods in Falls Church: Please take note and hop on labeling the vegan options on your hot bar. It would be much appreciated by your faithful customers, such as myself. And if you would offer a vegan muffin or two in your bakery section, that would be totally awesome!


Also, I would totally share a picture of myself in awesome swim gear to accompany this post.  (I treated myself to a new swim cap, goggles, and a sportier swimsuit back in July when I started getting into swimming before my surgery, so I look like a serious swimmer now.) But let's be honest: that's just a look that nobody needs to be sporting outside of the swimming pool facilities!

Recovery Time

I recently had surgery on my foot to remove two Morton's neuromas (painful nerves bundles between my metatarsals) from my left foot, so I haven't been doing a lot of anything. Well, that's not entirely true. I have watched A LOT of Netflix (mostly Lost Girl and Malcolm in the Middle), watched several movies, played games on my cell phone, talked on the phone a lot, read six books, worked out a bit, and worked on some Russian Rosetta Stone lessons. For those of you who don't know me, I speak Russian and Spanish, but my Russian is really rusty. So my awesome husband got me Rosetta Stone for my birthday in May. I also went to a bridal shower and my grandma's 80th birthday party this past weekend, which was a lot more hopping around on crutches and social interaction than I've had in the past couple weeks.

Since I am not allowed to put weight on my foot, my workouts are pretty limited and running is most definitely off-limits. However, I rediscovered this awesome Tiffany Rothe Seated Workout video! I've been doing that video almost everyday once or twice and then doing arm weights and crunches. I haven't been able to run since mid-February, and I've put on about 25 pounds, which is really frustrating, especially since any cardio that involved standing on my feet was really painful with the neuromas. Also, now, as per the doctor's orders, I'm not allowed to put any weight on my foot whatsoever. However, I've been putting some extra effort into eating more healthy foods (and a lot less) with a focus on fruits and vegetables and also making it a priority to workout each day. I've lost four pounds in the last few weeks! So I'm headed back on the right track!

I also wanted to post a link to an awesome blog I discovered today called I Heart Running. It's written by a vegan marathon runner who lost 30 pounds after going vegan and starting to run, and she's pretty neat! Her dream is to run 50 marathons in 50 states, and she's well on her way! This link is to a post about running barefoot in Virginia Beach. I'm excited for my foot to heal so that I can finally start running again in a few months! Until then, it's seated workouts for me. Womp, womp, womp! :(

I'll see you soon, and let me know in the comments section what you've been doing to keep fit this summer, and if you have any suggestions for seated workouts!