Swimming is a widely believed exercise that significantly contributes as an antidote to cardio-vascular morbidities. And there is adequate scientific evidence supporting this assertion. In one example, the authors present the advantages of swimming in a meta-analysis.

But is swimming for everyone? The answer is a resounding yes for those motivated people with swimming pools or who have access to beaches. Unfortunately, most people can either not afford this “luxury” or are disinterested in this type of exercise.

During my pre-teen years, I lived in a community where there was a river with a “catchment” area where people went swimming. My cohort was particularly interested, with many actively involved. The strategy they used to learn how to swim was quite interesting. Many of them hung on to one branch of a tree on the riverbank and kicked their legs while learning how to float. For the motivated and ambitious ones, this was a “no-brainer.” After practicing this strategy for several weeks, many of them became swimmers.

I tried it several times and was not as fortunate as my peers. I finally dropped the idea after several unsuccessful attempts. The distance between where I lived, the location of the river, and the “freezing” water contributed to my withdrawal. And hence, I missed one great opportunity to become a swimmer.

Several decades later, I neither tried learning how to swim again nor had access to any swimming facility. That was until the late eighties when I went to graduate school. The institution offered free swimming lessons to full-time students. And as it happened, two swimming sessions after my enrollment, the free-swimming classes were no longer available. And this change applied to everyone who registered for the first time during that semester. Swimming to me then became an unaccomplished dream.

Fast forward. Several years ago, I visited my family doctor frequently for check-ups. During some of those visits, my doctor, on many occasions, told me my blood pressure (BP) was high and that I was also pre-diabetic. He said, “I was developing a black person’s” disease! This continued until, at some point, he prescribed BP pills for me. I reluctantly accepted them, convincing myself that these tablets were not for me. I started taking them very hard through exercising and other relevant interventions to make my BP normal. In the meantime, I stopped taking the tabs.

And interestingly, one day, my doctor called, and the first question he asked me was, “are you still taking your BP pills.” And my answer, of course, was no. In response, his remark was, “good for you.” He further explained that the tablets had negatively affected my potassium level and that continuing to take them was no longer advisable.

Since I stopped taking the pills, I have increased my activity level this time, including jogging. My BP remained at an unacceptable level of 160 systolic. In the meantime, my cardiologist had now prescribed medication for diabetes. With the same degree of reluctance, I resented taking the tabs. Within about one month, I reduced my weight and improved my diet. And that took care of this chronic disease. My greatest challenge after these two “successes” was to sustain those efforts. And that is where swimming has played an invaluable role.

In February this year, I visited Uganda, where I lived and worked several decades ago. My hotel had a swimming pool and a trainer. This time once again, I was determined to pick up swimming. So, I arranged and recruited this guy as my trainer. The first week, he put me through the basics and gave me a life-saving jacket to enhance my efforts and build my confidence. I did this for one week, after which I tried to float and swim. I still felt heavy and unprepared. The trainer encouraged me to continue trying to float while using the butterfly method. After several attempts, I could swim half the length of the swimming pool. I was then on my own and have since improved remarkably. This time, I swim across the pool for thirty minutes daily. And since I established this routine and walking a daily average of 4 Km, my BP has fallen to under 110 systolic, with my sugar level at 6.4 on average. And the high BP and sugar levels are now history!