For vigor and vim, go for a swim

I always look forward to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, because those are Arthritis Foundation sponsored water aerobic class days. A group of 20 to sometimes up to 30 of us - mostly women - gather at 8:30 a.m. on those days to enjoy 45 minutes of moderate aerobics. Many of us arrive early - some as early as 7 a.m. - to swim in the deep end of the college pool, as a warm-up to the aerobics session.

Today, the pool was a bit chilly at 82 degrees. We are older women, many of us in our 60s and 70s, with a few younger ones, and at least one lady who is in her mid-8os. Most of us have physical complaints, ranging from arthritis to hip and knee problems. Several who have had hip and knee replacements are using the aerobics class as therapy, at the recommendations of their doctors. Others of us are plagued by such maladies as fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism. So a lot of us get chilled easily.

We ladies prefer an 84 degree pool...and we're in heaven when its 86 degrees! That doesn't happen often, though, because the athletic swimmers who use the pool very early in the morning would suffer in water that warm. So the maintenance folks try to compromise by keeping the water at 83 or 84 degrees.

Whatever the water temp, after I'm in it, I feel like a kid again. I love swimming, and I love how invigorated I feel afterward. It energizes me for the whole day!