So I’ve begun swimming again. It’d been 11 months since I last exercised, and long hours in front of the computer coupled with some serious viola practicing and performing left my back a hyper-extended slab of concrete.

I am not a good swimmer. A humiliating experience being the absolute, hands-down worst swimmer on the team when I was a freshman in high school calcified my dislike and active avoidance of swimming for nearly three decades (at the same time contributing to the likely calcification of my neck, shoulders, and back).

But my body demands I do more than treat the symptoms of non-activity. I don’t enjoy swimming and distract my mind during the laps counting strokes, memorizing my lap times, and measuring and remembering my peak and recovery heart rates.

What I do love is how I feel after I swim. My neck, shoulders, and back feel more limber and relaxed, and my body feels tired without the jarring and resulting stiffness, tightness, and pain other exercises can impart.

The pool is close – about a mile away, and is relatively inexpensive, so the convenience is great.

Hopefully the convenience and immediate relief I receive will keep me coming back.