Natural Support for swimmers in chlorine
Swimming was brand new to me when I started training for triathlon. Humbling, and hard. But also really meditative and empowering.
The squad I went to three times a week, was held at the local olympic sized pool, which was a standard chlorinated one. I loved swimming in the open water for km’s, but to get the speed and efforts work in, the pool was where I would go.
Swimming itself is one of the best exercises for health & emotional wellbeing. It’s particularly effective as a mood stabiliser because of the combination of stroke mechanics, breathing, & repetitiveness.
It’s a whole-body meditation in motion.
For those with anxiety & depression, research shows it can be as powerful as daily doses of Zoloft (but err, without the horrific side-effects).
But pool-swimming gifts us a bit of a ‘fecktangle’(?) when it comes to health, as the chemicals used to keep the water clean are also key mood DE-stabilisers which exacerbate anxiety, depression, immune disease & digestive issues.
This is because they (chlorine + bromine) kill beneficial bacteria in the gut and on the skin. 80-90% of serotonin (a feel-good neuro-transmitter) is manufactured in the gut. + because the skin is permeable (things ‘get through’), it means that we get hit from the inside out + the outside in.
It’s well worth mitigating the cost the body pays for submerging in these chemicals on a regular basis.
Ways to ease back on the damage chlorinated water does to the body:
Vitamin C: Vitamin C not only neutralizes chlorine & helps the body repair the damage from chlorine exposure. I use the LIPOSOMAL VITAMIN C which offers high bio-availability to the body.
Taurine: Taurine is an amino acid that can bind to chlorine and remove it from your system. It will stay in your system about 48 hours. So take Taurine in the morning before going for a swim for max effectiveness. I use the Taurine 500 60t from Orthoplex
Wash with natural soap & detoxifying essential oils. Wash with a pure-castile liquid soap + add lavender oil to it (10 drops per 100ml) & showering directly after you jump out of the pool.
OR add lavender essential oil to liquid coconut oil and use that to wash the body off with a shower mit.
Detox with chlorine absorbers:
Add 1/2-2 cups Epsom salts to the bath. You could in a 1/2 tsp of vitamin C powder to make it super effective. Add a few drops of your fave essential oil. Good detox oils are lavender grapefruit & bergamot.
These will reduce chlorine exposure and protect you inside & out.
You’ll feel better, look better & perform better!
