I Hadn't Earned the Fries Yet?

Jokes on you, I got the soup instead!

So another week has gone by and sadly I was only able to make it to the pool once this week. I was going to go over the weekend, however I woke up on Saturday with everything in my shoulders and neck in so much pain. I spent whole day doing some stretches on and off in order to help get everything to relax once more but I couldn't think of making it to the pool sadly.

Oh well, it did go over well when at the pool at least. Over the week I have still been practicing my breath holds at least out of water and I'm definitely seeing improvement. The longest breath hold I have gotten so far has been a minute! So that's a lot better, however the standard time I can reach is 40seconds, not as much of a jump from last week's 30 but it is still getting better for sure! How has this translated to in the water though where you use up a lot of your energy and oxygen with moving around? My standard time has definitely been 15 seconds, that's becoming no problem for me to reach and I was able to reach 20 seconds a few times if I was smarter about how I used my energy.

My friend had teased me with being allowed a burger and fries if I managed to get to 20 seconds. While the burger was apparently unlocked at 19 seconds, it wasn't good enough to get me the fries, lol. Oh well, I did make 20, and I decided to get soup anyways at lunch.

Ok, side story done, now some tips about using energy.

Don't rush it! Seriously, it's far better when swimming to make the wave your body does slower and fuller. Rushing and trying to get down deeper or to move faster is only going to have your muscles working harder and thus using more of your oxygen reserves. So go slow, give full pumps with your dolphin kick swim.

Stick your arms out in front. You can make up for the dropped speed with putting your arms in front of you, making a sleeker frame in the water. You've probably seen other mermaids doing this when swimming and it really does help you glide through the water faster. Maybe not a breath hold technique but definitely will help if you're doing distance or speed based activities too.

Know which turning method works best for you. So this may take some practice to figure out how to turn best for you. Regardless I think that turning around to the side is rather hard to do in the water. You'll use a bunch of energy just completing the turn and then trying to get forward momentum again. Going to do a front flip or a back flip but not completing it is going to be the best way to turn and go back the direction you just came from. Even then, know what way disorients you and which way doesn't - or maybe both ways don't for you. For me doing a forward based turn makes me dizzy and feel a bit nauseous for some reason, but going backwards does not. So that's what I'll do, flip backwards and start to swim back on my back basically. You can turn yourself back over by doing a half barrel roll too if you want, which I find is useful for staying down in the water anyways, but I just over all struggle with staying down under the water. My body just wants to float, lol.

I don't know if that helps anyone with some ideas or tips to try but I hope so! I'm looking forward to being able to keep moving forward with this. Goal for the next week is certainly going to be making that 20seconds the normal. With luck I'll get there for sure.

In the meantime I think that's all I have for you this week. Not a lot has been going on outside of being a mermaid at the moment and regardless I'm not sure if I want this blog to focus on anything else anyways. So for now I'll leave you this week once again with a message from my mermaid oracle deck.

"The seas are turbulent with change and soon a new power shall arise. A new figure of authority will assert itself in your life, and it is best to prepare - mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and materially. The leader may be in your professional, spiritual, academic or social realm. There may be leadership challenges at your work, a new spiritual leader at your current place of worship (or at a new one), or even a new acquaintance who will become prominent in your personal life. While a change of authority can be stressful or cause conflict for a time, take heart. Once the seas have calmed, life will return to a state of peace and stability. Take the time to get to know this new individual and learn how they conduct themselves. Could they become a role model or mentor to you, are they a cautionary example, or are they telling you it is time to move to calmer waters?"

You heard the mermaids for this week, be open to change and learning from those above us in authority. They might not be right, but listen and learn regardless for there's a lesson to gleam regardless. Happy swimming everyone!