The Story of How I Swam 100m Butterfly in My 60s—The Brain Hasn't Given Up Quite Yet—

The Story of How I Swam 100m Butterfly in My 60s
—The Brain Hasn't Given Up Quite Yet—

When I finished swimming 100m butterfly in the pool, I was the most surprised person of all.

I was out of breath. My arms were heavy. My shoulders were screaming. Yet, strangely, I felt happy.

I learned to swim during physical education in elementary school. I had opportunities to swim after that, but I only learned the crawl on my own. I was never a competitive swimmer, nor was I particularly good at swimming.

I never imagined that I, at over sixty, would end up swimming 100m butterfly.

I decided to try the butterfly a few years ago.

At first, I just tried to imitate what I saw.

However, when I actually tried it, it was completely different.

In my mind, I was a graceful dolphin, but on the water's surface, I was just thrashing about. I wasn't moving forward. It was painful. It was embarrassing.

In my head, I was Michael Phelps.

In reality, I was a seal on the verge of drowning.

Even so, it was fun.

That was when I started watching YouTube.

One was a training video of Michael Phelps.

The other was a video titled "A Shaw Way to Fly – Alexander Technique Butterfly."

I watched the videos of the world's top competitive swimmer and the detailed explanations on how to use the body over and over again.

Of course, just watching the videos didn't mean I could suddenly swim.

Even though I thought I understood it in my head, in reality, I was still thrashing about on the water's surface.

Still, it's a strange thing; as I watched them repeatedly, my sense of it began to change little by little.

From Phelps' videos,

I was amazed, thinking, "Can a human really swim this well?"

That was the surprise I received.

On the other hand, from the Alexander Technique videos,

I made the discovery of, "So this is how you use your body."

That was the discovery I received.

One is a video that shows me the pinnacle.

The other is a video for returning to my own body.

That is how I feel about them.

From there, I spent two years teaching myself.

At first, it was 5 meters.

Next, it was 10 meters.

Eventually, it was 25 meters.

It was truly little by little.

Once I could swim 25 meters, I got greedy.

I wanted to get a little better.

So, I started going to a swimming school.

I had the instructor look at my form and correct habits I hadn't noticed myself. Then I would swim again. Just when I thought I had mastered something, I would find a new challenge.

It was a cycle of that.

Two more years passed.

I earned a Level 2 Swimming Proficiency Certificate.

And so, I became able to swim 100m butterfly.

Looking back now, there is something that surprises me even more than being able to swim 100m.

That is the fact that my brain was still learning.

Recently, I learned the term "cognitive reserve."

It is a concept of building up surplus capacity and reserves in the brain.

It is the idea of creating leeway in the brain's network through reading, learning, creative activities, and acquiring new skills, and it is also attracting attention in the field of dementia research.

In fact, psychologist Denise Park and her colleagues at the University of Texas at Dallas conducted a study where they had elderly people learn new skills such as photography and handicrafts.

As a result, they reportedly saw improvements in memory compared to a group that only socialized with others.

It seems the brain likes "slightly difficult new challenges."

When I learned about this study, I couldn't help but smile.

That is because, for me, that "slightly difficult new challenge" was exactly the butterfly stroke.

Furthermore, the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention also reports that learning, intellectual activities, and social participation play an important role in maintaining brain health.

Of course, I am not a researcher.

However, there is something I can say from my own experience.

The brain hasn't given up yet.

Even in your sixties, you can learn new movements.

You can learn new sensations.

You can discover new worlds.

You still possess that kind of power.

That was a very happy discovery.

Lately, I have been:

Creating music with AI.

Writing on note.

Reading new books.

And swimming.

None of this is to compete for results.

Nor is it to chase after profit.

I do it because it is interesting.

I do it because my curiosity is stirred.

As a result, the way I see the world is changing little by little.

In my last article, I used the phrase "reigniting life."

Now, I feel like I understand that meaning a little better.

Reigniting life is not about aiming for some grand success.

It is about being able to do something today that you couldn't do yesterday.

It is about learning one thing you didn't know before.

It is about challenging yourself to do something you thought you couldn't.

I believe it is all about those small, steady accumulations.

When you reach your sixties, you tend to set limits on yourself.

It's too late.

It's impossible at this point.

Sometimes I think so.

But my brain was different.

At the very least, it hadn't given up until I became able to swim 100m butterfly.

And even now, it continues to learn new things.

Day by day, I realize a little more.

Day by day, I update a little more.

Perhaps that is what 'reigniting life' means to me.

#60s
#Swimming
#Butterfly
#CognitiveReserve
#BrainActivity
#HealthyHabits
#SecondHalfOfLife
#SecondYouth
#note
#ReignitingLife