I have experienced what feels like a seasonal low pressure zone - I am unusually tired early fall, after the long hot summer and all its activities. When I feel sluggish and unmotivated, and I find myself daydreaming about lying down in the afternoon to take a nap - I know I need to find a way out of this paper bag.
Exercise is good for it, but it takes a while for most forms to re-energize me. There is a sudden solution to these doldrums -it's a bit like electroshock therapy for people suffering from debilitating depression. It is: putting on a wetsuit, jumping in the cold water and going water skiing.
Exercise is good for it, but it takes a while for most forms to re-energize me. There is a sudden solution to these doldrums -it's a bit like electroshock therapy for people suffering from debilitating depression. It is: putting on a wetsuit, jumping in the cold water and going water skiing.
One has to be prepared for this. The layering depends on the degree of cold. Today it's a thick wetsuit top, and a 3/4 farmer-john (sleeveless) over that for the hips and legs.
I know the water is going to feel extremely cold, but I don't shiver in anticipation of it. My warm body does not know the shock it is about to feel. It works well because there is no slow warm- up, no easing in - it's jumping off the back of the boat and plunging into the cool lake. Immersion is instant. There is no going back. One last check of equipment is needed. The rope is hooked on the correct length loop. The speed control is set. I have an orthopedic insert in my ski boot.
I know the water is going to feel extremely cold, but I don't shiver in anticipation of it. My warm body does not know the shock it is about to feel. It works well because there is no slow warm- up, no easing in - it's jumping off the back of the boat and plunging into the cool lake. Immersion is instant. There is no going back. One last check of equipment is needed. The rope is hooked on the correct length loop. The speed control is set. I have an orthopedic insert in my ski boot.
Water ski gloves are important. Clinchers - with a cheater dowel in the grip are popular, but I prefer Pro Wraps, which have a Velcro connection around the wrists. I'm breaking in a new pair, so the next day I will feel extra soreness in my triceps.
Vest tight, handle in hand, I hop off the back of the swim step. Cold water slowly, then more quickly, invades my wet suit.
In a few seconds the rope tightens up and I am pulled out of the water. There is pressure on everything - my arms, my hands, my legs - I'm weight lifting, I'm playing football - in an instant. The cold water has made me instantly awake, all my senses stimulated - I feel alive again, when I couldn't make myself wake up and shake off the funk.
The feeling stays in my body after I'm done. It has warmed my system, has made the juices flow. There really isn't anything that duplicates this feeling, this rush of energy. I will feel tired but better the next day, even with my aches and pains, sore shoulder, etc. If I didn't have this, I'm not sure what would take its place for me. Do I have some form of clinical depression? Is this just a normal cycle of ups and downs, the human biorhythm? I'm not sure, but I resist trying to find a pill for it. The sun is coming out, and it's going to be a beautiful day. I hope you, as well, have a passion for something that re-energizes you when you need it.
The feeling stays in my body after I'm done. It has warmed my system, has made the juices flow. There really isn't anything that duplicates this feeling, this rush of energy. I will feel tired but better the next day, even with my aches and pains, sore shoulder, etc. If I didn't have this, I'm not sure what would take its place for me. Do I have some form of clinical depression? Is this just a normal cycle of ups and downs, the human biorhythm? I'm not sure, but I resist trying to find a pill for it. The sun is coming out, and it's going to be a beautiful day. I hope you, as well, have a passion for something that re-energizes you when you need it.
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