Underwater Puppies

Image source TheFrisky.com

I have a lot of weird talents. Clapping with one hand, splits, synchronized swimming, oyster shucking, and most of all, staying underwater for a freakishly long time. Since I can’t fly sans plane, there’s something about diving in and floating in the water (breathing or not) that really clears my head.

According to photographer Seth Casteel’s new book, Underwater Puppies (naturally, the follow-up to his bestseller, Underwater Dogs), baby pooches have that same blissed out feeling when doggie paddling beneath the waves.

In his book, hitting shelves today, Casteel plops little pups into H2O and photographs them as they adorably make their way through the water, some more confidently than others. In the process, he gave over 1,500 puppies their first swimming lessons. Squeee!

It has become clear that I missed my calling in life. Seth, need an assistant?

Posted by Mary

Splishing and Splashing to Olympic Stardom

Loyal m.blog readers already know about my (not-so) secret past as a competitive synchronized swimmer.

For those of you who were unaware until this point (stop snickering), my tween and teenage days were spent in the pool toggling from synchronized swimming to high school speed swimming practices (literally hopping from one pool to another). As a result, my talents were super weird (still are) – think crazy lung capacity, abnormal flexibility, the ability to blow bubbles from my eyes (gross, I know), and the competence to change from a bathing suit to regular clothes on the pool deck without flashing a single soul. The stuff of legends.

Although it’s not the most high-impact or rough ‘n tough of sports out there, I still hold true to the fact that synchronized swimming is the most challenging, result-baring exercise I’ve ever done. Harder than spinning, more difficult than boot camp, and way tougher than Zumba (duh). So when the summer Olympics begin every four years, you know what I’m watching.

This year, Team USA’s synchronized swimming crew is one badass group of gorgeous mermaids athletes. These talented ladies spend hours practicing their skills upside-down, without breathing, all while launching themselves and each other into the air with a goal of making it all look easy. It’s not easy.

So, in an attempt to increase the badass status of you, our m.blog community, it’s time to learn some tricks of the trade, starting with the ballet leg, a staple in the synchronized swimming sphere. Practice every day and you could splish, splash and flip your way to Olympic stardom.

The Ballet Leg:

(Image source Synchroism)

• Step one: Skulling. It’s best to practice this on land first. In the water, lay flat on your back (cardinal rules: head to the ceiling, toes pointed!) and let yourself float. This is called a back layout. Bend and raise both elbows so your palms are facing behind you (like below). With your hands cupped, move your forearms in towards your sides and back out over and over. Don’t stop (or you’ll sink…). You’ll be skulling for the entire ballet leg, and throughout your potential Olympic-bound future, so get used to it. Hence the sweet biceps on these gals.

• Step two: Slowly bend your right knee while dragging your toe along the front of your left shin. Stop when your knee and thigh are perpendicular to your body (your right toe will land just below your knee cap). There should be space for air under your knee at this point, but we can work on that. If you feel yourself struggling to stay afloat, drop your arms lower and scull further under the surface to support your hips.

• Step three: Here’s the hard part: Slowly straighten your right leg, keeping your thigh still and toes pointed until your right leg is sticking straight up to the ceiling, forming a 90 degree angle with your body. Keep skulling. Don’t freak! You might sink at this point, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Pop back up to the surface and try, try again.

• Step four: Without making a big splash, lower your right calf back down to the bent-knee position you were in before, keeping your thigh still, arms moving and toes pointed.

• Step five: Hang in there! It’s almost over. Gently straighten your right knee while sliding your toe across your shin until you are in your back layout (arms still moving in and out), just as you began. Lay here for a few beats and then take a well-deserved bow!

Welcome to the Olympic track, baby! Pretty soon you’ll be doing THIS!

Posted by Mary

Image source Everyday Minerals

All the Cool Kids Are Doing It…

Ready for the weird fact of the century? From age ten through my high school graduation I was a competitive synchronized swimmer. That’s right, wipe that floral bathing cap, sideways dive image out of your head, I’m talking three hour practices four days a week with strength trainers, Pilates instructors and lap coaches. Laugh all you want, but to this day swimming a synchro routine is the best workout I’ve ever had. The sport may have granted me a rockin’ bod and a ridiculous lung capacity as a teen, but synchronized swimming wasn’t exactly what the cool kids were doing in high school.

Of course, now that I’m a few years out of high school and I’ve (reluctantly) left the sport, synchronized swimming is all the rage in the entertainment industry. Marie Claire writer Erin Flaherty took a stab at the sport for a glamorous beauty feature in the July issue and reported that while trying Hollywood’s latest obsession she “nearly drowned.” The Aqualillies, a team of synchronized swimmers featured in Flaherty’s article, are being hired left and right to perform at parties all over LA.

I’m jealous. The nerdy sport that consumed my free time in high school is now actually cool.

So while I kick myself for not going to a college with a synchronized swimming team, I dare you to give the newest exercise trend a shot. Local clubs and teams to join for a swim can be found at Esynchro.com, and I promise it’ll be a workout like no other. Kate Moss tried it and reported that it made her exceptionally toned (like she wasn’t toned before?).

Oh and any casting directors out there looking for bathing beauties for upcoming movies…give me a call. I can still hold my breath well beyond normalcy and perform a killer rocket split.

Posted by Mary