Swimming with mom

Couple months ago when she returned to Vancouver, my mom asked me to take her swimming. Last Saturday I finally had the time and a healthy body to go with her.

Swimming is the only exercise doctor recommends her which is better for her knees. Mom's not too old, but she's been complaining about sore knees. Swimming can strengthen her knees without putting much stress on them.

Now that I think about it, I do not recall swimming with mom at all. She doesn't swim, by the way. I guess that explains why. Anyway, here we were at Kensington's community centre.

It was a fairly new facility. We got in, mom and dad passed an application form to the reception and got a free pass with their photo on it. Somehow they were eligible for free admission year round.

There's a 25m pool, a family pool with water slides, a whirlpool, and a steam room. Mom spent most of the time in the shallow area of the family pool. She exercised her knees while keeping herself afloat using a lifesaver secured on one leg. It doesn't look like a lot of exercise, but she needed a break after 5-10 mins.

We tried the whirlpool and steam room as well. There are quite a number of people, mostly kids. I was surprised to see a 'universal' changing room section there too. It's a brilliant idea for families or even friends who do not want to go separate changing rooms for male and female.

I swam for about 20 mins in total. Mom seemed to have enjoyed her first 'swim' ever. Now that she is familiar with the place, she will go with dad as she wants without having to wait for me to be available. In fact, after that swim, I also want to go more often. Swimming was fun and very relaxing. That keeps my mind clear, and that's what I needed now.