Swimming day 502 - Wednesday 20th June 2012

Just seen on BBC news website that a 24 year old man drowned yesterday afternoon in the sea between the piers.  His body was washed up at about 5.30pm; soon after I left the beach.  During my swim I stopped at the head of the pier on my second time around as a helicopter was hovering quite low over me.  I looked up and floated a little bit as it was unusual to see a helicopter that low; then I carried on and swam around and then back to shore.  The news story on BBC news website shows a picture of the helicopter doing a search.  How scary to think that whilst I was swimming around the pier someone else was in the sea near me and drowning; kind of makes you feel a little sick.  It shows how dangerous the sea is; even in a relatively calm and hot day the sea can still be as deadly as ever.

Today
Another 5am start today; certainly earning my salary at the moment!  No swim this morning as expected, but hopefully will finish last meeting by 4pm ish and then (if the weather holds again) will be down the beach and parading my sculptured body in front of the lily white tourists on the beach.

Talking of sculptured bodies, this is a cool article that Bob sent me to read (his way of pretending we look 20 years younger than we are – Bob, even 20 years younger still aint young my friend!!)-
Swimming workout.
A pool might not be the first place you think of going when you're looking to shape up and slim down— but perhaps it should be. No other workout burns calories, boosts metabolism, and firms every muscle in your body (without putting stress on your joints) better than a swimming workout.

And you don't have to be an Olympic gold medalist to get the perfect body. When researchers at Indiana University compared recreational fitness swimmers with non-swimmers, they found that swimmers of all ages had more lean muscle and trimmer waists and hips.

And while swimming may not offer the lace-up-your-shoes and-go convenience of running, all you need are three key items—swimsuit, cap, and goggles—and you're set to hit the water.

Why Water Works
The body-shaping benefits of swimming are the result of a perfect storm of calorie burn and muscle recruitment. An easy swim burns around 500 calories an hour, while a vigorous effort can torch almost 700. And because water is nearly 800 times denser than air, each kick, push, and pull is like a mini resistance workout for your entire body—especially your core, hips, arms, shoulders, and glutes. So in addition to blasting calories as you swim, you build lean muscle, which ignites your metabolism so that you burn more calories once you've showered and dried off.

The irony is that while swimming makes you lean and mean, it's also kind to your body. Water basically neutralizes gravity, so you become virtually weightless when immersed, giving your joints a much-needed vacation. "You can swim almost every day without risking injury," says Joel Stager, Ph.D., director of the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming at Indiana University at Bloomington, who has studied the effects of swimming for years. "You can't say the same for running or strength training."

And that makes swimming something you can do for your entire life—a major bonus because it can literally help you stay younger: "Our research shows that habitual swimmers are biologically up to 20 years younger than their actual age," Stager says. The data, which were presented at an American College of Sports Medicine Conference, revealed that a swimmer's blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular performance, central nervous system, and cognitive functioning are all comparable to someone far younger.