Rating: 1.5/5

This was not what I expected…in an unfortunate way☹ The author waxed poetic but, in my opinion, lacked the prose and tact to inform and/or inspire. The stories are a hodgepodge of personal swimming anecdotes, empirical facts about water and the benefits of swimming, and references to famous swimmers. The book felt disconnected without any real focus. Almost stopped reading this book entirely.

Insights:

• [personal]  Don’t come into a book with expectations. It sets you up for disappointment. I have revealed my own personal bias
• Our physiology and biology adapts to our environment. Tsui gives the example of the larger spleen size of marine mammals compared to land-based mammals, mainly used to draw oxygen for extended periods of time under water
• Effortful exercise like competitive swimming can simultaneously be effortless when athletes are “in the zone” or experiencing “flow” – the “optimal state of mental performance”

Favourite Quote:

…the moment where you begin, when you commit yourself is the scariest moment.