Have you ever felt your body isn’t keeping up with your favorite workouts? Movement must evolve as we recover from injury, or are getting started with a movement routine; finding the proper exercise can make all the difference.

In this episode, we dive into the journey of adapting fitness routines to support long-term health. Our guest, Melanie Lindell, shares what she’s learned about movement—specifically how swimming can be a powerful, whole body workout that strengthens the body and provides a multitude of wellness benefits while protecting the joints. She discusses the importance of embracing new forms of exercise, trusting expert guidance, and allowing movement to evolve. Today’s inspiring podcast is just a preview—be sure to listen or watch the full episode exclusively on the BariNation Community to discover how minor adjustments can lead to lifelong wellness.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• (00:00) Opening and intro
• (01:29) Melanie’s story of pivoting her movement and fitness journey 
• (05:11) Looking at swimming through a different lens and the safety it provides
• (08:57) Accepting current body image and trying something new
• (10:25) Choosing swimming as a lifelong fitness routine

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• As the body changes, certain forms of exercise may no longer be sustainable. Exploring alternatives like swimming can provide long-term support for joint health and overall mobility.
• Swimming offers a full-body workout that enhances cardiovascular health, reduces stress, and minimizes the risk of injury. Its accessibility across all fitness levels makes it a valuable form of movement.
• Embracing new fitness routines requires a willingness to adapt and learn. Investing in proper techniques and trusting expert guidance can lead to long-term success and enjoyment in physical activity.

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RESOURCES:

• BariNation Website 
• Join the BariNation Membership community meetups to support you on your journey with obesity treatment. https://barination.com/pages/join-our-community
• Want to see bonus content? Head over to https://www.patreon.com/BariNationPodcast to get more and support the podcast for as low as $5 per month!    

GUEST RESOURCES:

Instagram: @myroux_n_why

Website: https://lindellcounseling.com/ 

https://barination.mn.co

BIOGRAPHY: 

Melanie Lindell, LMHC is a professional counselor who has spent the last decade working in the area of trauma and abuse. It is her deepest belief that we were all created for relationship, that we want to be known and loved and have the ability to freely know and love others. Her passion is helping clients work through maladaptive survival strategies/patterns learned and replacing them with adaptive strategies that help them thrive. She is a bariatric patient, having had Roux-en-Y on August 23, 2019. Her recovery process was atypical and led to additional surgeries, several complications and a long season on a feeding tube and learning to eat again. She serves in BariNation as a Support Group and Meetup Leader, tapping into her expertise and patienthood to guide members through the ups and downs of bariatric life. 

ABOUT:

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April Williams: [00:00:00] Hi,

Melanie Lindell: welcome to BariNation, where we support the bariatric community with humor, humility,

Natalie Tierney: Our goal is you leave us today feeling hopeful, inspired, and ready to live your best bariatric life.

And today's conversation is about exactly that. Well, we set out to have a 10 minute conversation and we ended up talking for 60 entire minutes. So today you're going to hear the first 10 minutes of this extremely powerful movement. episode. [00:01:00] If you would like to watch or listen to the full 60 minutes, you can find it in the BariNation membership community.

Hi, Melanie. [00:01:30] Today's conversation is really about how we pivot our movement journey, either because of age or circumstance. We all know that right as the disease progresses, so does our life [00:01:45] age and things happen that maybe require us to look at movement a different way and to start moving our bodies in different ways.

Melanie Lindell: Well, I think first of all, um, it wasn't my idea. And, and I think that's part of it is sometimes the information comes to you and you have to figure out what do I do with that?

And, and he said, you know, I know how much you love to move. And I'm also aware that your, your knees, you know, eventually you're going to hear from your orthopedic that you're going to need bilateral knee [00:02:45] replacement. And my concern for you is that at some point, just like if someone retires without a plan, that it could drop you into a depression.

And he looked at me and he goes, well, that can be taught, you know, my daughter's doing that right now. And I'm like, yeah, she's like 10. You know, how old his daughter is, but I know she's young and, and so, but he got in my head enough to go, like, I know he's right. And I've had [00:03:30] five knee surgeries on my right knee.

Right. And, and so I thought, okay, well. He's done so much for my life. I trust him [00:04:00] immensely, you know, and all that, at least give a nod in this direction. So I wrote the Bainbridge Aquatics, you know, center here on the island where I live and just said, Hey, here's my situation. Do you have anybody? I was just thinking like private lessons.

Like, you just feel like, why don't I know how to do that? But I also have to remember the only time I ever had formal swim, like swimming lessons was in fifth grade because back at the time. Our school, like the [00:04:45] school district I was in, they required everybody past swimming in fifth grade, like to like past fifth grade.

And so the idea of reframing that swimming could [00:05:15] become fitness, like, just took a little bit. And then as I was in the lessons, about four lessons in the coach, her name was Jamie. said, you know, you really should consider joining the, the Bainbridge Aquatic Masters team. You know, you hear the word master, I'm like, [00:05:30] oh, please, like I'm barely can get my face in the water.

Like it's more technical [00:06:00] than I ever imagined because again, I scuba dived, I tubed, I water skied, you know, like there's, there wasn't a sense that like form really matters here and it really changes. But one of the things I was really surprised after I kind of got over, like, I don't know [00:06:15] how to do all four strokes yet.

I'm working my tail off. and I'm also the more, [00:06:45] most relaxed I've ever been. There's something that like physiologically, I did some deep diving on this cause I wanted to know, like it literally lowers your blood pressure when you get in the water, you know? So like the cardiovascular benefits, you know, all this stuff, but there's something that [00:07:00] happens in the water is like the, the noise, the world's noise just goes away for those.

And, and so I think that that. Aspect of it. And part of the argument my surgeon had is that this is a, a form of fitness that you can do for the long haul. He goes, there's far more people in [00:07:45] the pool in their seventies, eighties and nineties, and there are out running half marathons and he's right. Right.

And what I found [00:08:15] so interesting is my lung capacity, even in my running, has grown immensely from my time in the pool. And so I think it's just this space of, we all need to be honest, we all are getting, we're going to get old, right? And, you know, and injuries [00:08:30] can happen, you know, just different things or old injuries way back in the day, they come haunting many years later.

And, you know, and yes, I had to get [00:09:00] over some of the like the body image stuff of like loose skin and being in a swimsuit and all those things, but like once I got in the pool, even that noise went away, you know, and so it's kind of this, it's a, it's a battle of like [00:09:15] acceptance, like. I knew he was right.

And, um, and just, you know, was really proud of that. And that was a neat thing to be able to say, I listened. to you. And [00:09:45] then I also took the time to learn. And I would say that's the key thing of that bridge is when you're going to try something new, like invest in someone helping you do it right. Because I'm way more efficient now and isn't necessarily about always burning [00:10:00] calories or this or that or the other, but I actually enjoy it more because I'm gliding through the water a whole lot better because I learned how to breathe right.

Like swimming as a primary fitness, especially as I [00:10:30] continue to age. And I've always known a while since my twenties that I would need at least my right knee is, is on a ticking time bomb that needs to be replaced. So I think that's, will you take a risk? Will you invest enough to like learn how someone teach you, [00:10:45] you know, and then, you know, just be willing to give it a try.

Natalie Tierney: Join us@barination.mn.co.

And just remember at the end of the day, you've got this. We've got you. And we'll see you next time. Bye [00:11:30] everybody.