The survival skill everyone should learn..

I wrote in my previous entry that I've started to learn swimming late last year and I'm still getting the hang of it. I can now swim but I still need to practise my strokes and techniques in order to become a better swimmer. Here's 12 reasons why you should take up swimming. 

Article courtesy of Health Assistant website.

We all know that it takes years of practice to be likeMichael Phelps who is collecting golds in the Olympics and breaking world records, but like Michael Phelps we too can enjoy swimming as our sport and benefit from it specially in our health. So we should start a sport like swimming. Here are 12 reasons why swimming is good for our health:

1. Swimming supports our health, boosts our immune system - The water temperature, which is in all cases of swimming training, lower than the average body temperature of humans which should be 36 to 37degrees Celsius. The difference in temperature loads the work rate of the cardio-vascular system. With the ability to adapt to those temperatures, We achieve a solid resistance to diseases, like flu and colds. It also influences our breathing (the colder the water the harder the breathing), which is a health benefit especially for patients (or swimmers) with asthma problems.

2. Improve Breathing -The water pressure, which is exerted onto the human body (skin) increases with greater depth of the water.This effect will influence the blood circulation through the human body and improve one's breathing as this pressure concerns the lungs.

3. Swimming is a sport for rehabilitation of injuries, and after operations, as the special gravity condition in water allows people to execute movements with lesser body weight

4. Stress Management - We are experiencing a more and more hectic daily life and swimming supports the relaxation and recovery, which leads to a more balanced lifestyle

5. It's part of the physical education and water safety - In schools swimming is a part of curriculum. Everyone who wants to Scuba Dive or do White Water Rafting has to be able to swim.

6. It's a social sport - we can swim with friends or family enjoy the water and bond with your friends and love ones.

7. Swimming is a full body exercise - It tones our entire muscle spectrum and it works as our fitness.

8. Job requirement - Some jobs require the know-how to swim.

9. Low risk of injuries - It is a sport where, if we are a beginner or an expert, there is very little risk of injuries.

10. It's an affordable sport. - specially if you are near the beach

11. It's a substitute to other sports - especially to running as it trains one's upper body.

12. It's a competitive sport - Master's, Open Water, Triathlon.

Once bitten twice shy

What is the most dreaded thing that could happen to a Standard One kid at school? Yes, that's right - tertukar kasut sekolah!

A couple of days ago after the school bell rang, signalling the end of the school's morning session, I saw little B walked towards me and the first thing he told me (nonchalantly) was that his shoes got mixed up with someone's else. I asked him what happened and he said there was a dental check-up going on and they had to take off their shoes in the Bilik Kesihatan during check up and that's where the shoes got mixed up. Apparently he knew they weren't his shoes and he had no choice but to wear it. He felt uncomfortable wearing them coz the shoes were slightly bigger than his feet and a little worn out. He had no idea who took his shoes. 

The next day after sending him off to his classroom, I took the arduous task of asking every one of his classmates if they had their shoes switched. As expected none of the kids confess. I wasn't sure if they understood what I was saying or they must have freaked out seeing me harassing everyone in the classroom with my repeated questions of "Ada tertukar kasut dengan B tak?" and whenever I see the same particular brand  of my son's shoes I would take a closer inspection and stare at those kids' eyes and they just shook their heads off weakly without a single word murmured. Those poor kids must have thought that little B's mom is one annoying terrifying lady! 

After some tedious interrogations, I finally realized that he is not getting his shoes back and he's stucked with them for the rest of the year. Even after politely requesting his class teacher to make announcement, none of his classmates ever going to own up. Maybe the kid who unwittingly or deliberately took his shoes must have liked them so much that he or she decided to keep them. Oh well so be it then.

Luckily, little B has another pair of shoes. So the first thing I did after this incident, I took a black marker pen and wrote his name with bold capital letters on the inner lining of his shoes and on the outer sides. I just hope that the markings won't fade so soon.