Shoulder shruggs are not just for dancing anymore

i love a good dance party...in fact, i think i spent the majority of my 20s living in Philly being a total scenester and cutting a major rug.  there are all sorts of moves i default to like:

• driving the car
• the hand dance
• the Brooklyn stomp
• twiggy knees
• men's jacket removal
• grabbin' the tie

if i wasn't writing this entry in my pjs from bed, maybe i would take some photos to demonstrate all those moves, but then again i might be afraid you'd copy my moves and try to claim them as your own.  anyhow, a few of those moves incorporate a shoulder shrug keeping time to the beat.  well, last night i learned a shoulder shrug can not just help you keep rhythm, but it can also help keep you afloat and swimming powerfully.  who would have thought?!?

so here is your exercise - not a dance move at all...please, please, please never do this on the dance floor.

1. stand up straight and tall
2. shrug your right shoulder while rotating it towards your chin
3. hit your chin with your shoulder (okay, maybe you will need to move your chin a tiny bit unless you have some crazy flexibility)
4. move right shoulder back to neutral while shrugging left shoulder and rotating it towards your chin
5. repeat, repeat, repeat

now see how that feels? it should feel a bit like that when you are underwater.  your shoulders will be rotating, your body will naturally roll a little bit.  now all of a sudden it's way easier to breathe on both sides.  amazing, right?!?!  in no time you will be swimming like a champ



Now I just have to figure out how to make the breathing part easier.  i understand the form...but i'm still getting way out of breathe after 50m.  hopefully in time i'll build up the ability to maintain a slow steady pace and build the lung strength too so i don't feel like i'm gasping for air.  last night swim coach Karen and our guest coach Lucas were telling me about breathing out slower and exhaling all of the air just before you turn to the side to take a breath.  hmmm...

other thing on my mind is joining a masters swim program.  the one we heard from last night said there is usually only a handful of people in the class so that means a lot of attention and help while you are learning to swim or learning to perfect your swimming.