Benched: Height Matters

Once again, kudos go to The Corporation of Delta for the thought that was given to the benches in the women’s change room at the Sungod Recreation Centre.

Before the renovation, the benches were quite low. (You can see the old one in the background, to the left.)

The renovation that was done to the facility included adding some taller benches.

Why a facility should consider having higher seating options:

1. For someone who struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, it is difficult to get up from low seating.
2. Since swimming is excellent therapy post hip replacement, you want to ensure that your patrons are safe. For three months post-surgery, you are not allowed to exceed ninety degrees. If the benches are low, a patron may choose to stand while changing. This could increase the risk of fall.
3. Many patrons use swimming as therapy for an injury. Dependent upon the injury, they may find that a higher bench helps, and even encourages them, to get in the swim. If it is so daunting to get changed, they may become discouraged before they even start.

If your facility doesn’t have benches of varying heights in the change room, perhaps it’s time to write a letter, politely making that request for inclusion and safety, not to mention fitness; for all bodies and abilities.

What are the benches like in the change room at the facilities you frequent?

Related posts:

• Swimming Pool: A Design to be Emulated and Celebrated
• The Dirty Down Low.

La Passeggiata

There is a wonderful Italian custom known as La Passeggiata, or “little walk”, which occurs before dinner. (In Italy, the custom is to eat dinner at a later hour than what we do in North America.) It is an occasion to stroll, visit, see and be seen.

One of the marvelous aspects of culture is that it can be adapted. Why not cultivate your own passeggiata, whether it be before or after dinner.

It doesn’t have to be for long, or for far, but it should be regular. Cultivate the passeggiata habit, reduce that inflammation, reconnect with your family, friends and neighbours and partake in a mini cultural exchange. You could even drop by your local barista’s and say “Buona sera! Come stai?” (Good evening. How are you?)

Image courtesy of Revati Upadhya.

Swimming Pool: A Design to be Emulated and Celebrated

When the Sungod Recreation Centre in North Delta, B.C. was remodeled, they integrated a ramp into the beautiful and aptly named, Sunshine Pool.

The design of this ramp is brilliant. It allows people in wheelchairs and those who are mobility-challenged to enter and exit the pool without assistance. The ability to be independent, when so often a mobility disability requires asking for help—a lot—means a great deal to me.

In another facility I once visited, it was incumbent upon the swimmer to ask the lifeguard to wheel the stairs into the pool. This request was accompanied by an unspoken attitude of “You don’t look disabled, so why are you wasting my time and energy?” The Walking Disabled is a term I use to refer to people such as myself, who at first glance, don’t act or look disabled, unless you start paying attention and notice the gnarled fingers, the crooked toes, the mechanical movements or the adapted walk.)

As a former competitive swimmer, I also appreciate how the integration of the ramp doesn’t interfere with the placement of the lanes for competitive swimming.

Kudos to the Corporation of Delta for designing a facility that raises the bar (ramp?) for accessible facilities!

Related post: The Dirty Down Low.

How easy is it for you to enter and exit the pool at which you swim? Are you able to do so independently? Is that important to you?

What Suits You – A Giveaway

Lycra. Nylon. Striped. Print. Solids. Cross-Back. U-Back. Bra. Shelf-Bra. Two-Piece. As my aquatic years float by, I’ve had more than a gym bag full of suits.

This morning as I jumped—yes, jumped into my suit!—I realized how easy it was to put on my new BeanSport® Tank, courtesy of L.L.Bean.

A U-Back with Shelf-Bra (too much information?) is what suits me best. (Pun intended!) For appendages that are ravaged by the destructive forces of rheumatoid arthritis, the U-Back doesn’t require the twisting and wiggling, gripping and pulling that is de rigeur with some of the other models.

Over the years, many of my favourite swimsuits have been L.L. Bean U-Backs. I don’t know how they did it, but they were able to improve on an already great swimsuit! Did I tell you that I love this suit?

What’s even better, is that thanks to the generosity of L.L. Bean, one of my lucky readers will have the opportunity to get in the swim with their very own BeanSport® Tank! (Please click on over to LL. Bean and choose your style; you’ll want to be ready when your name is drawn from the hat!)

All you have to do to take part in this giveaway is to leave a comment describing your favourite swimming spot.

You have until midnight PDT, on Monday, April 30th, 2012 to get your name into the hat.

This offer is open to anyone with a Canadian or U.S. mailing address.

In case you don’t know how to swim, here’s a post to help get your feet wet: Overcome Your Fear and Get in the Swim.

* Congratulations to Nan, who was the winner of my previous L.L. Bean giveaway!

** There’s still time to enter the Gadget Tuesday Giveaway.