I recently wrote about getting my first gym membership which includes membership to the pool, after over a year of trying to go to swim more regularly. Ever since I went to the EDS specialist about 3 years ago and she told me that, in her opinion, if I went to the pool to swim every other day, I could live without pain, I tried to make going to the pool happen regularly, but it simply didn’t.
There just were so many impediments to my going to swim. This list goes through the different impediments I had, and what I did to get rid of that excuse for going to the pool. And once I decide to go to the gym, fortunately most of the excuses were no longer relevant, but I’ll share a few things that helped there.
So the first thing that was stopping me from going to the pool was pain.
My ears hurt me whenever I swam underwater. I could maybe swim for 10-15 minutes and then I simply couldn’t tolerate it anymore; I was in such pain. So then I swam with my ears out of the water, which helped, but then left my neck in pain. I tried using ear plugs, but, if anything, they made it worse.
I went to an ENT trying to figure out the source of the problem. He figured out that I had GERD and put me on medication, and said that the pain in my ears was probably referred pain because of the connection between the ears and the throat. But while it might have helped a tiny drop, that treatment was not enough for me to be able to swim without pain.
After about 2 years of frustration, I went back to another ENT and explained to him the issue. He looked in my ears and said that he could see I have TMJ issues because of my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. The doc said that the whole area was inflamed and pressure on it made it worse. Without even my telling him, he mentioned that my ears probably also hurt me a lot when it was cold outside, which made me know he knew exactly what it was talking about, since that was an issue I’ve dealt with for years but didn’t pursue answers for. The doctor suggested taking Bengay or Voltaren cream and rub it around my ears, on the spasmed muscles there (I had never realized how much pain I had there until I did that) to help relax the muscles, before I swim, and voila, that was the answer. I now can swim without having ear pain. Miracle.
This was the biggest impediment stopping me from swimming.
Another thing getting in my way was bathing suits. Putting on a wet bathing suit was annoying, and they didn’t dry so quickly, and putting them in the laundry each time was something I didn’t feel like doing, so my friends gave me the simple suggestion of getting more bathing suits, so I can use a dry one while the other is hanging to dry. Such a simple solution.
Then there was an issue of timing and energy. Finding the energy to leave the house was a big issue; just getting myself up and out the door is enough of an impediment. So I made the decision that I’d go to the pool when I already would be leaving the house. So each time I go to therapy or physical therapy, or other errands, that is when I try to fit in going to the pool. Amazing what a difference that can make.
Not being able to see at the pool is annoying; I bought myself prescription goggles. But the ones I had weren’t sealing enough to stop water fully from dripping in. Fortunately I was recommended this pair of prescription goggles on a swimming forum, the Speedo Vanquisher, 2.0, and since it is adjustable with different nose pieces to allow you to position the eye pieces better, it’s working well.
Then I had another issue. I’d swim and then my body would hurt. My back would be in spasm. My arms would go numb. I’d have to have my physical therapist work on me after I went to the pool many times. Swimming was supposed to be the exercise that was safe for my EDS body, but even it injured me.
I asked my physical therapist if she had any suggestions for exercises in the pool that wouldn’t hurt me, but she said it wasn’t her area of expertise, so I went to a hydrotherapist that specializes in EDS. It’s a good 2 hour drive to see this hydrotherapist, but all I needed was her to see my body, how it worked, what my problems were, and for her to give me exercises to do that would strengthen the muscles that were spasming, without pushing them too hard causing them to get injured.
I now have an exercise routine that I do in the pool meant to strengthen, and I’m able to do it without pain. It meant modifying how I swam, though. I am not able to do laps with a full range of motion in my arms, because that was causing impingement of my nerve, so she figured out strokes that were safe to strengthen my shoulder muscles without causing me problems.
She also has me not turning my neck to breathe when I swim, since that was causing problems for my neck and back- she had me get a snorkel and swim with that, so my head was facedown. I bought a snorkel that goes over your face instead of to the side, and is held onto your head with a band. I specifically bought a size small snorkel, so that my mouth wouldn’t have to be opened wide to fit in the snorkel, since that would irritate my already sensitive jaw.
I do her exercises, and when what she did got too easy for me, I went back to her to get a harder set of exercises to do. They ended up being too challenging for me, for the most part, after I got an injury, so I switch off between the easier and more challenging exercises depending on how my body feels.
Being bored at the pool is another issue, so I wanted music to make it easier to keep at it. But regular headphones hurt my hears; I can’t handle anything either in my ears or over them, so the usual swim headphones don’t work for me. Amazon had a really expensive pair of bone conduction waterproof headphones that hook onto your goggles, but the cost was really prohibitive. Fortunately, I found a much cheaper pair of bone conduction swim headphones which play music for me without hurting anything, making swimming a pleasure.
With all these things to take to the pool, it meant a pain to pack for the pool each time. Friends suggested leaving what I can in the car so I don’t need to take things in and out each time. So I bought a mesh bag, so any water that might remain on items can evaporatee, and I now keep a bag in the car with the Bengay, earphones, goggles, snorkel, a silicon swim cap (so it isn’t something else I need to dry), 2 in one shampoo/body wash, and flip flops. (Renting a locker to store my things there isn’t currently an option since there’s such a long waiting list for lockers, but now I’m at least on the list.)
I keep a waterproof bag (so I can take my swim things home without getting everything else wet) with a set of swim stuff in the house, so I can take it easily with me while the other stuff is drying, and I got a backpack large enough to hold both the mesh bag and the waterproof bag.
Ah, but one more thing. Doing my exercises one day, I wasn’t careful and hit my knee on the bottom of the pool. Ever since then, my knee has been problematic, and it has been months. Sometimes it hurts too much to be able to swim. So I tried taping my knee, and while it works well not in the pool, the tape comes off in the pool. So I ordered special waterproof kinesiology tape, which I use in the pool when my knee is being especially problematic.
And with this, swimming was so much easier, which is when I got my pool and gym membership.
But now I needed to figure out how to remove impediments to going to the gym.
I bought myself bone conduction headphones to use at the gym (the pool ones don’t work since those hook onto goggles) so I can watch movies or shows while exercising so I don’t get bored.
I get way too hot and sweat a ton, but dress modestly. So clothing at the gym was challenging. I bought myself modest breathable exercise tops and exercise leggings for larger women, and then bought myself a comfortable skirt to wear over it. Voila.
And now, when I go to the pool, I first go to the gym and use the reclining bike, treadmill, or eliptical machine, often two of them, to get in some cardio, since my swimming is very gentle and doesn’t get my heart racing… before going to the pool to cool off and do exercises to target specific problematic muscle groups.
I now need to figure what to take with me to the gym each time, what I can leave in the car, etc… but that is a work in progress.
And lastly?
I got diagnosed with asthma officially a few weeks ago, and now realize that my getting so out of breath from working out isn’t just that I’m so horribly out of shape, but actually exercise induced asthma. Last time I went to the gym I used my inhaler before I started, and there was such a difference. Yes, my muscles felt tired by the end, but I could breathe the entire time, and it made me realize I wasn’t nearly as out of shape that I always thought. I can’t wait for future exercise sessions while being able to breathe.
I know everyone’s body is different, but hopefully some of these tips will help you, if you also want to go to the gym or pool but it’s hard to make yourself go.
Do you ever find it challenging to go exercise? What do you do to make it easier?
Any tips on how to handle packing a bag for the gym? What is in your gym bag?
