Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 125 posts

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#41

Post by kpU8efre7r »

dpeck wrote: post #30
flocial wrote: post #8

>Ever the philosopher of the pool, Igor smiled and said, “You are all confused! Speed is not the goal; it is the result of perfect beautiful technique.” >What really mattered to Igor was excellence — the efficient stroke. Once you mastered that, he argued, speed would follow naturally. Speed was simply the welcome side effect of swimming well. >I’ve been thinking lately that there’s a lesson here that goes beyond the…

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

One of my favorite phrases from my time in the service.

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#42

Post by nradov »

delibes wrote: post #25
hjk05 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They exist and they are very annoying compared to regular old 50m lanes. You end up having to constantly overcompensate to one side (obviously) but also you suddenly have to either burn in a constant bias to your technique (bad) or be constantly aware of the boundaries, which ruins the normal flow of pool swimming. They are fun for families and kids who only ever do one or a half round, but if you like swimming just…

How about a pool in a rotating orbital space station? Just keep swimming forwards and slightly uphill :) Just don't lose the fake G or you could be the first person to drown in space.

That was a plot point in the movie "Passengers".

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#43

Post by nradov »

entee wrote: post #18

Just finished swimming a race from Alcatraz to shore, it's just the best high. I do tons of endurance sports, but swimming is the most reliable in yielding that euphoric feeling. I think it's due to it being essentially forced mindfulness meditation. Though you could swim with music, I don't and that means it's just my thoughts for 30-60 min (watch the thoughts, can't do anything about them right now). I'm forced to…

Congratulations on finishing the race!

Have you seen the documentary "Kim Swims" about the first woman to swim from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco?

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#44

Post by LanceH »

hjk05 wrote: post #22
iamgopal wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That just gave me an idea of circular swimming pool.

They exist and they are very annoying compared to regular old 50m lanes. You end up having to constantly overcompensate to one side (obviously) but also you suddenly have to either burn in a constant bias to your technique (bad) or be constantly aware of the boundaries, which ruins the normal flow of pool swimming. They are fun for families and kids who only ever do one or a half round, but if you like swimming just…

Regular pool, open two lanes, swim laps (up one lane, down the other). It's done with two lanes, so there is enough room to pass. I've seen it done this way several places.

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#45

Post by ec109685 »

hjk05 wrote: post #22
iamgopal wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That just gave me an idea of circular swimming pool.

They exist and they are very annoying compared to regular old 50m lanes. You end up having to constantly overcompensate to one side (obviously) but also you suddenly have to either burn in a constant bias to your technique (bad) or be constantly aware of the boundaries, which ruins the normal flow of pool swimming. They are fun for families and kids who only ever do one or a half round, but if you like swimming just…

If the pool was long enough, that wouldn’t be an issue. Thanks for the excellent post.

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#46

Post by AtlasBarfed »

entee wrote: post #18

Just finished swimming a race from Alcatraz to shore, it's just the best high. I do tons of endurance sports, but swimming is the most reliable in yielding that euphoric feeling. I think it's due to it being essentially forced mindfulness meditation. Though you could swim with music, I don't and that means it's just my thoughts for 30-60 min (watch the thoughts, can't do anything about them right now). I'm forced to…

Triathlons:

Swimming is the sea Cycling is the air Running is the earth

You learn to appreciate and respect them all.

Swimming is birth: thrown into an unfamiliar environment, you struggle to find your way Cycling is youth/midlife: You have your footing, now you speed through life with ease Running is old age: slower than you were in your prime, you learn persistence as your body weakens.

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#47

Post by cryptozeus »

I do swim, run and bike all the time. Best thing about swimming is that you are totally by yourself without any distractions. When running or biking you end up getting distracted with music in your ears or other people on road. Swimming is very meditative specifically for this reason. Most of all very little impact on the joints.

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#48

Post by Engineering-MD »

AtlasBarfed wrote: post #46
entee wrote: post #18

Just finished swimming a race from Alcatraz to shore, it's just the best high. I do tons of endurance sports, but swimming is the most reliable in yielding that euphoric feeling. I think it's due to it being essentially forced mindfulness meditation. Though you could swim with music, I don't and that means it's just my thoughts for 30-60 min (watch the thoughts, can't do anything about them right now). I'm forced to…

Triathlons: Swimming is the sea Cycling is the air Running is the earth You learn to appreciate and respect them all. Swimming is birth: thrown into an unfamiliar environment, you struggle to find your way Cycling is youth/midlife: You have your footing, now you speed through life with ease Running is old age: slower than you were in your prime, you learn persistence as your body weakens.

I feel your analogy needs a fourth sport to complete the 4 elements. But what sport would be represented by fire? Perhaps competitive shooting (gunpowder=fire)

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#49

Post by SkyMarshal »

entee wrote: post #18

Just finished swimming a race from Alcatraz to shore, it's just the best high. I do tons of endurance sports, but swimming is the most reliable in yielding that euphoric feeling. I think it's due to it being essentially forced mindfulness meditation. Though you could swim with music, I don't and that means it's just my thoughts for 30-60 min (watch the thoughts, can't do anything about them right now). I'm forced to…

Swimming is the lowest impact on your body too. Anything involving running includes frequent jolts to ankles/knees/hips/lower back.

Cycling on standard bicycles concentrates pressure on your genitals and the nerve-dense region areas around them, and puts some pressure on the lower back.

Swimming can cause unique injuries to shoulders if your form isn't right, but otherwise is very smooth and low-impact.

Re: What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness

#50

Post by caminante »

SkyMarshal wrote: post #49
entee wrote: post #18

Just finished swimming a race from Alcatraz to shore, it's just the best high. I do tons of endurance sports, but swimming is the most reliable in yielding that euphoric feeling. I think it's due to it being essentially forced mindfulness meditation. Though you could swim with music, I don't and that means it's just my thoughts for 30-60 min (watch the thoughts, can't do anything about them right now). I'm forced to…

Swimming is the lowest impact on your body too. Anything involving running includes frequent jolts to ankles/knees/hips/lower back. Cycling on standard bicycles concentrates pressure on your genitals and the nerve-dense region areas around them, and puts some pressure on the lower back. Swimming can cause unique injuries to shoulders if your form isn't right, but otherwise is very smooth and low-impact.

I was surprised to learn from a friend that he needed shoulder surgery due to swimming exercise.

Can you share any resources or personal thoughts for maintaining form that avoids injury?

Post reply on HN