The Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) issued a ruling over the summer stating that, beginning in 2010, only suits made from “textiles” that do not create “air trapping” effects will be allowed in competitive events. But there’s still a lot of debate going on as to what exactly constitutes a permissible swimsuit. And in the meantime, these “supersuits” have wormed their way into the layswimmer’s turf.
My take on this is simple. I think it’s silly to be constantly obsessed about shaving one or two minutes off of your swim time unless you’re an Olympic athlete or a serious (read professional) competitor. What this means is that you’ve allowed a hypercompetitive mindset to subvert a health and fitness one.
So go ahead and get one of these if you want to be the fastest person in your swim lane. Just remember one thing, though. You’re still mimicking a hamster on a wheel – you’re just doing it faster.
The researchers recommend a diet of more “whole” foods such as fresh vegetables, fruit and fish. What I find also particularly interesting in the piece is the following:
Firstly, the high level of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables could have a protective effect, as previous studies have shown higher antioxidant levels to be associated with a lower risk of depression.
Secondly, eating lots of fish may protect against depression because it contains high levels of the sort of polyunsaturated fatty acids which stimulate brain activity.
I believe what they’re referring to is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid that appears to have neuroprotective effects. This is why I strongly push taking a fish oil supplement. And EPA is not limited to fish sources, either. EPA is also present in lean meats harvested from livestock that have been grass-fed versus grain-fed.
We gained an hour due to Daylight Savings Time, so the sun was already up by the time I reached Ladder #1 at 7:00am. The water temperature came in at 50F after an initial false (but hopeful) reading of 55F. The air temperature was a bit crisp at 35F, but there was no wind and lots of sunshine to take the edge off of the cold.
I decided to go with my thermo gear (5mm gloves, 5mm hood, booties) due to the air temperature, but I probably would have been fine in just a wetsuit and a thicker swim cap. The out-and-back to Oak Street Beach was flawless, and the lake was clear all the way to the bottom.
The Ochoas were out at Ladder #1 doing a training run, so I stuck around a bit and had some tea after I got out. Given the ample sunshine, I didn’t experience any afterdrop and wasn’t really cold at all. If it wasn’t for the 35F air temperature, this would have been a carbon copy of a mid-May morning.
