Swim Tips? (asthma & shoulders)

[Miranda]

I've done a couple searches and foud some info, but just looking for some more help being new to the pool...

Asthma...

I have asthma. I am struggling on how to breath freestyle with my head in water. I just can't get enough wind. (Btw, I do take my albuterol inhailer as a prevention before I work out.)

One of the life guards told me to breath out underwater. Given it one try so far. I'll practice more. Hungering for air is a very deep seated fear as an asthmatic. Mechanically, I've been told what to do... but my body just doesn't want to play along*sigh*.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get over this problem?

Shoulders...

Just my right shoulder is killing me (btw, right handed). I read part of this can be fixed by technique and rolling more. But, is there anything else to help? Special stretches? Anything? I have enough other stuff not swimming related that's messed up, I don't want to injury myself there.

TYIA

[bmccasland]

So I don't currently swim, but I have both other problems...

Asthma - have you talked to your doc? Do you ONLY have the albuterol inhaler? I found that didn't work for me, and was put on Flovent (daily) and Seravent (pre-work out). Which significantly improved my ability to breath. You need to tell your doc that you're having trouble swimming and breathing at the same time. The swim strokes are efficient, so that you can get the air your body needs, so long as your lungs are cooperative.

Shoulders, yes there are various stretches, I did 2 months PT after one of mine locked up for no apparent reason. Can your doc refer you to a PT, even for a couple of sessions? I'll have hunt on the 'net for the movements I was told to do - as in most things in PT, the exercises seem so simple, until they're YOURS.

[Veronica]

How often are you turning your head to breathe? Are you breathing on one side or bilaterally?

Veronica

[salsabike]

Miranda, in the swimming thread you mentioned maybe taking a lesson or two. It would be well worth your while to do that in order to get comfortable with exhaling under water--there's just not enough time when you turn your head to exhale AND inhale. Gotta do the exhale part under water. I think a few lessons might be fun for you and would make you feel much more at ease. Re shoulders---I also had shoulder pain when I restarted swimming last year. Rotating AND keeping your elbow high during the recovery part of the stroke should help with that pain.

[Miranda]

So I don't currently swim, but I have both other problems...

Asthma - have you talked to your doc? Do you ONLY have the albuterol inhaler? I found that didn't work for me, and was put on Flovent (daily) and Seravent (pre-work out). Which significantly improved my ability to breath. You need to tell your doc that you're having trouble swimming and breathing at the same time. The swim strokes are efficient, so that you can get the air your body needs, so long as your lungs are cooperative.

Shoulders, yes there are various stretches, I did 2 months PT after one of mine locked up for no apparent reason. Can your doc refer you to a PT, even for a couple of sessions? I'll have hunt on the 'net for the movements I was told to do - as in most things in PT, the exercises seem so simple, until they're YOURS.

Thx for mentioning that good point about the medicine. I have other meds I take besides my albuterol.

As part of my asthma action plan (knowing exercise is one of my triggers) I take my albuterol inhailer 15mins before to help open things up. I have a couple kinds of allergy meds I take twice a day.

I finally conceeded to taking Advair twice daily. First I used the powder diskus and it gave me mouth sores (even with rinsing as recommended). Now, I take the Advair in an inhailer form.

I have some side effects still, but the mouth sores went away. I tried going off of Advair to see if I really needed it. My inflamation came back.
I think I never realized how much inflamation I had before without it.

I have heard of the two medicines you take, but not sure if they are similiar to Advair? Advair contains both a steriod to reduce inflamation, and a long acting broncho-dialator.

Unfortunately, emotional upset can trigger my asthma too. Maybe I'm getting myself worked up too much and this doesn't help with swimming. When I'm on the bike, I'm ok with the help of my meds.

Even for having asthma, I think I am pretty cardiovascularly strong. And my lung capacity tests show "good" when I've done them at the doc's office. Sometimes I really wonder how much endurance fitness skews their test. I need to ask the doc that one next time I go.

About the pt... that would be good. We have to meet our deductable again being new year. Which is a bummer.

My mother had a repair surgery for a really badly torn rotator cuff once. I took care of here post-op. Man, that was a long nasty recovery.

[Miranda]

How often are you turning your head to breathe? Are you breathing on one side or bilaterally?

Veronica

After reading here, and a tip from one of the pool life guards, one breath to three strokes. I'm trying to alternate sides as I seem to understand this is best for a number of reasons.

[Miranda]

Miranda, in the swimming thread you mentioned maybe taking a lesson or two. It would be well worth your while to do that in order to get comfortable with exhaling under water--there's just not enough time when you turn your head to exhale AND inhale. Gotta do the exhale part under water. I think a few lessons might be fun for you and would make you feel much more at ease. Re shoulders---I also had shoulder pain when I restarted swimming last year. Rotating AND keeping your elbow high during the recovery part of the stroke should help with that pain.

Thx for the tip about the shoulder pain. One of the guards didn't really have that tip, so that is certainly helpful information from here.

Salsabike... I know you are right about the lessons. I was hoping I could get it on my own. I feel so self-conscious. It's like trying to give a public speech nekkid.

Anyone I have met in the pool has been as nice as can be. I think swimmers must work out all their stress with their heads under the water lol... they are in Zen mode.

After reading your post earlier, I did call the gym about the price of private swim lessons. They are normally sold in a set of 4 lessons. When I go in this week I'll have to look up whose in charge.

This is dumb of me, but it gives me a pain in my stomach thinking about it. I don't know why. Being able to not do it at all is even dumber.

[alpinerabbit]

You, your shoulder, and you zen attitude are worth about 4 or even 8 lessons.
Add about half a year of patient practice, just technique, on your own. Just one or two or later three lanes at a time.

Soon you will be going upp-and-down-and-upp-again without even worrying about the breathing stuff.

[dex]

Salsabike... I know you are right about the lessons. I was hoping I could get it on my own. I feel so self-conscious. It's like trying to give a public speech nekkid.

...

This is dumb of me, but it gives me a pain in my stomach thinking about it. I don't know why. Being able to not do it at all is even dumber.

I'll second, third, or whatever the suggestion for lessons. It's well worth the price, and the anxiety over getting up the nerve.

I didn't really "get" bilateral breathing until I took a weekend TI clinic late last fall, despite swimming (and lifeguarding) for years. But once whatever needed to "click" into place for my brain and my body to coordinate all of the actions, I haven't had any problems with it.

As for being self-conscious, the thing I learned at my clinic is that *everyone* was self-conscious--all the way from the guy who had finished two Ironman races to the woman who was just starting to exercise again and hadn't been in a pool in fifteen years. (And then there was me--trying to get over my fear of the fact that a video camera was about to pointed at me in my swimsuit...fat kids and swimsuits, I'm tellin' ya.)

Anyway, all of that to say that it's totally worth it to take lessons. Promise.

[eclectic]

Miranda
I am a swimmer
I am asthmatic
I can relate

I started swimming again about 7 years ago after a VERY long hiatus. Luckily I started swimming under an amazing coach (she just got back in Jan from Guam where she was a coach for the USA jr Pan Pacific team) Just had to put that plug in She is a coworker of mine at the school I teach at.

ANYWAY if you really want to learn how to swim and to do it correctly take some lessons from a reputable coach, watch Total Immersion videos, AND buy a good swimming snorkel for about $30. Swim w/ the snorkel until you have the body roll, arms and kick memorized, that totally takes care of the asthmatic panic that can set in. Wearing swim fins helps a lot too.

Now after 2 years off I started back in Sept and wore the snorkel and zoomer fins again for 3.5 months and I was swimming 3-4 days per week - I just dropped them in Dec. Today for my last 500 I put the snorkel on again because I was wheezing.

Re shoulder pain. I am guessing this isn't a repetition injury. Again - learn the drills and concentrate on them before trying to do the full stroke. Once you get the body roll down, your arms will come out of the water better, and eventually the breathing will come naturally. My guess is right now you are working way harder than you need to because you aren't efficient yet.

Wear the snorkel, do lots drill laps, get efficient, then learn the breathing - it works.

[eclectic]

I forgot to add re the breathing under water. Did you take any lessons when you were a kid? Do you remember the old bob and breathe?

just stand there, take a breath, squat down under water, breathe it all out, stand up take another breath, squat and breathe out. Just repeat that slowly to get used to breathing out under water.

Another way to do it is hold onto the side of the pool w/ both hands, float your legs back, put your face in blow out, roll to your side trying to leave one ear in the water, roll back face down, breathe out.

BUT still wear the snorkel when doing the drills and doing the full stroke - the breathing will come naturally later on believe it or not - I have seen it work time and time again.

BTW keep us informed of your progress

[salsabike]

This is dumb of me, but it gives me a pain in my stomach thinking about it. I don't know why. Being able to not do it at all is even dumber.

Believe me, a lot of us totally understand this feeling. Here's what I always conclude: I may look stupid out there but I would feel far, FAR stupider if I let that stop me from doing this.

I began much like you last year--just started swimming again after years of not doing so. I hadn't had actual freestyle instruction since, like, 1967 or thereabouts. After a few months, I realized I really needed to relearn the freestyle, and I started going to a Sunday pool clinic here taught by a swimming coach. It made all the difference, believe me. I did my first two sprint tris last summer. I spent the fall swimming only once a week and concentrating solely on getting my body to memorize correct form (and also going to the PT to work on getting rid of the shoulder pain! Which I did). And working hard on EXHALING fully in the water so I can use my breathing time to inhale fully.

Now I have the form reasonably correct and can start working on speed and endurance. Am working with a tri coach now--which is a blast, by the way.

Here is a book that might help: Slow Fat Triathlete, by Jayne Williams. You don't have to be slow or fat to benefit from this book! She's VERY funny, and she's very good at inspiring us all to just forget about how we look, and just go do it anyway.

[Miranda]

Ladies, your post of info and support mean a lot. I truly appreciate it. It gives me the courage to "just do it".

As far as swim lessons as a child, that was not happy...

I didn't and couldn't complete them the one time my mother signed me up at the park pool.

I was so sick with my allergies, asthma, and my tonsils were majorly infected blocking most of my air way. I just remember the few lessons I survived getting singled out and yelled at because I was the only "crybaby" (as I painfully recall it being explained to me) that wasn't "tough enough" to keep my head in the water like the rest of the kids. Nice eh?

While awaiting my surgery to get my tonsils out, my TomBoy self managed to climb a tree I couldn't take and broke my arm that required casting. With that mess, there was no more swim lessons, or even riding my new bike I had just gotten. I was 7 years old. That was a heck of a summer.

Well... I'm not 7 anymore. And it's way past time to get over it.

[Miranda]

You, your shoulder, and you zen attitude are worth about 4 or even 8 lessons.
Add about half a year of patient practice, just technique, on your own. Just one or two or later three lanes at a time.

Soon you will be going upp-and-down-and-upp-again without even worrying about the breathing stuff.

I read your post yesterday and thought... she's totally right. The cost of seeing the doctor and PT would be way more than the lessons if I really injured myself. Sometimes we need another head to help point out the financial logic and justification of it. Oh... and I have gotten just a taste of the Zen from merely kickboarding--I like it.

[Miranda]

...It's well worth the price, and the anxiety over getting up the nerve...
As for being self-conscious, the thing I learned at my clinic is that *everyone* was self-conscious...
Anyway, all of that to say that it's totally worth it to take lessons. Promise.

That makes me feel better about the self-conscious part. I believe your promise.

Miranda
I am a swimmer
I am asthmatic
I can relate


ANYWAY if you really want to learn how to swim and to do it correctly take some lessons from a reputable coach, watch Total Immersion videos, AND buy a good swimming snorkel for about $30. Swim w/ the snorkel until you have the body roll, arms and kick memorized, that totally takes care of the asthmatic panic that can set in. Wearing swim fins helps a lot too.

Wear the snorkel, do lots drill laps, get efficient, then learn the breathing - it works.

Many years ago I went snorkling on vacation. When I first put my face in the water, I panicked. But, it quickly passed and I was ok. I never would have thought about that! Thank you so much. It really helps give me some perspective that someone as experienced as you can still wheeze. It gives me hope.

I forgot to add re the breathing under water. Did you take any lessons when you were a kid? Do you remember the old bob and breathe?

just stand there, take a breath, squat down under water, breathe it all out, stand up take another breath, squat and breathe out. Just repeat that slowly to get used to breathing out under water.

Another way to do it is hold onto the side of the pool w/ both hands, float your legs back, put your face in blow out, roll to your side trying to leave one ear in the water, roll back face down, breathe out.

BUT still wear the snorkel when doing the drills and doing the full stroke - the breathing will come naturally later on believe it or not - I have seen it work time and time again.

BTW keep us informed of your progress

Childhood swim lessons were not so happy. I'm thinking maybe I'd better tell the teacher to start from scratch. AND I am going to tell her about the snorkle tips too.

Believe me, a lot of us totally understand this feeling. Here's what I always conclude: I may look stupid out there but I would feel far, FAR stupider if I let that stop me from doing this...

Here is a book that might help: Slow Fat Triathlete, by Jayne Williams. You don't have to be slow or fat to benefit from this book! She's VERY funny, and she's very good at inspiring us all to just forget about how we look, and just go do it anyway.

Thx for sharing your story with me. I'm up for reading any books that would help. I just hate not knowing which book is good. I'll look for this title. I'm a goof-ball normally (when not freaking out about breathing swimming). The humor part will be welcomed.