Tanya R.Fagetan
The world is your classroom! Keeping the mind active, expansive, and creative is the way to a soulful and purposeful life. Nancy and Rich Ferris have been SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) residents for over 13 years enjoying the amenities, clubs, classes, and more. Highlighting Nancy Ferris is a real honor for me. She is a GRITS Girl (girls raised in the south). Her home state, Tennessee, is the setting for her debut novel, ‘The Long Haul.’ She taught water aerobics for 30 years, including here at SBR. Her passion for water aerobics/fitness and knowledge of the benefits this activity has on our bodies and souls is remarkable. She, as a sage, is an example of continuing to develop and grow well into the golden years. Blending writing with her professional experience as a master instructor is a treasure. In her free time you may find Nancy in the pool exercising, antiquing, or in a Chair Yoga class. The following was written by Nancy K. Ferris.
‘Water Works’
All life must have H2O. My life has revolved around water for decades, saving my sanity by cleansing my soul and drowning my sorrows. But when it comes to sharing my temple with unclean water, I am a snob and a purist. That includes oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks, ponds, and puddles. Simply put, they are unclean bodies of water.
Weird creatures lurk and live in the above mentioned environments, like alligators, sharks, snakes, and leeches. Water can be tamed if contained, purified, and warmed up so it cannot freeze. Yes, water can shape shift from liquid to frozen in the form of ice, snow, sleet, or back to rain on command from mother nature, causing much shivering and discomfort. Sneaky stuff.
Gotta go with an indoor swimming pool; chlorinated, heated, filtered, and four- to five–feet deep with clarity, to see my feet on the bottom. That makes me happy, and exercising in water keeps me healthy. Let me tell you a small part of what I found out.
Buoyancy and gravity are opposing forces contributing to a sink or swim result. Archimedes Principle is: When standing in water, you are subjected to the downward vertical force of gravity and the upward vertical force of buoyancy. Yoda would say; ‘Let the Force be with you!’ Science says: the submerged body’s loss of weight equals the weight of the fluid displaced by that body, resulting in practical weightlessness. If the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy are aligned, the body will be stable in the water. When equipment is added, water will become buoyancy resistant affecting muscle use for toning and endurance. Our center of gravity is between our waist and our chest, forcing us to straighten our spine and use our core muscles to maintain vertical balance while moving the water. Posture, balance, toning, and stretching are improved. Moving through water exerts hydrostatic pressure on lower extremities according to Pascal’s Law and aids venous return to the heart, preventing blood from pooling there.
Water works in so many ways for a lifetime of injury–free exercise. It prevents the pounding our joints receive when we walk, run, jump, and leaf through life on land. Do your aging body a favor and get wet and wild! Ask a friend to walk in water with you at a beautiful pool. Remember; old friends never die, they just wade away.