As a health science major, I was not healthy at all last semester. My schedule was filled with biology and chemistry labs, discussions, and review sessions that I barely had time to socialize, eat well, and workout. The college transition and heavy workload were overwhelming; however, they should not be excuses for neglecting my wellbeing. Therefore, last winter break, I decided to make a change.
For the first week of this semester, I went to the gym four times a week in the morning. I felt much fitter and stronger, but the muscle soreness often kept me in for days. To deal with that, I went swimming, allowing the current to relax my muscles. Unexpectedly, swimming became a magic cure for my soreness, as well as a time of meditation. It washed away my pain and my stress, allowing me to think and calming me down, especially during the stressful midterm week.
It actually took me a while to find the appropriate swimming time that fits into my schedule and maximizes my energy levels throughout the day. At first, I swam at noon after my morning classes, but it somehow made me tired and made it hard to focus during my afternoon class. A week later, I tried to swim in the morning at 7am three times a week. After about three weeks of doing so, I felt a significant improvement in my mood and learning quality.
One of the main reasons that I prefer swimming over weight training is swimming makes me less focused on my physique. When I am doing weight-lifting, I always keep my eye on the mirror, and it is easier for me to find the flaws of my body. That really distorted my standard of beauty and cast extra stress on myself. With swimming, I only pay attention to the strokes and pedals that make me swim forward, less about how I look and more about how to perform better. It allows me to work out in a more efficient and healthier way.
Another fascinating aspect of swimming is that it takes you away from cell phones, particularly social media. Can you imagine how much time you spend on those likes and comments every day? And most of the time, you don’t even know your followers. When I was working out, lots of people were using their phones between sets, and that just elongates my gym time. However, swimming is a totally different case. I only focus on myself instead of messages and comments, and this personal time just enables me to think a lot more. I will first debrief my daily schedule in my head, plan what time to eat, and portion out the time that I need on every assignment and work. A lot of times, I also come up with inspirations for my drawings, essays, and articles, which increases my efficiency in dealing with work later in the day.
As I mentioned in my last story about my stress-eating habits last semester, I am still looking for ways to relieve stress by gaining psychological satisfaction rather than fulfilling my belly. Swimming is a great way to do this. Everyone is different, and I hope you can find your way to relax and improve your wellbeing in college!
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