“Buoyancy, floating, weightlessness. Freedom. These are the words we use to talk about swimming. Is it a coincidence that this is also the language we use to talk about the lightness of being, the wellness of being, that we strive for in this corporeal world?”
― Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim
Beyond a mere exercise regime, swimming effects our wellbeing in every sense of the word - from physical and emotional health to spiritual well-filling, to confidence boosting, and a catalyst for all kinds of visible and invisible reactions throughout our systems - all for wealth (non-monetary; oh-so much better than that) untold.
“When we dive underwater, the spleen contracts as part of the mammalian diving reflex, shooting its supply of oxygenated red blood cells into circulation around the body. The heart rate slows, and blood vessels constrict, directing blood flow away from the extremities and toward major organs. These energy conservation measures kick in so we can use available oxygen more efficiently,” writes Bonnie.
“Seawater is so similar in mineral content to human blood plasma that our white blood cells can survive and function in it for some time. I delight in my mental picture of this, the not-so-fanciful notion that we have seawater circulating in our veins.”