The gym has never been the sort of place I like to be. 1 don't have fond feelings for the smell of sweaty bodies. 【小题1】 I have long been troubled by arthritis(关节炎).

A few months ago, I had a medical examination. As suspected: 20 pounds overweight and high blood pressure. The prescription? Exercise. The thought of sweating it out in a gym only made me feel more powerless over my body. I felt bad for myself. And then I got angry -----at my condition and my laziness.【小题2】 I decided I wanted to invest in my health. But how?

I was raised in New Jersey and spent summers "down the shore." I had always found water to be healing (治愈的).【小题3】 I loved that feeling, so I decided the pool would be my best bet for exercise. And, not for nothing, the National Institutes of Health says water is one of the best fitness choices for folks with arthritis. So I marched over to the pool during my lunch break.

Three lanes (泳道). Twenty-five meters. Two other swimmers in the water. One was swimming so fast that I thought I accidentally joined a master’s group. The other one was swimming along, carrying tiny water weights. And then there was me. I jumped in and swam a lap.【小题4】 I sucked it up, and did another. Sure, it was hard, but I wasn’t tied to a machine. I was just moving through the water with ease. I fell in love with the water.

I will likely never be the fastest person in the pool.【小题5】 With each swim, I get stronger, more efficient, and more graceful. Exercise stopped feeling so annoying when I decided to work out for my health.