People often describe the installation and use of the Endless Pool in life-transforming terms. Regina Sellers, a 68-year-old resident of Texas, is such a person. Not only does she no longer require a wheelchair or a walker, Regina has won four gold medals in Senior Olympics swim competitions for athletes 55 years and older. In the process, she has lost weight, gained energy, and has better circulation, especially in her legs and feet.
/f/76838/533x400/adb1951ff4/guzjnlintwslurbehtao.jpg "Regina does the backstroke in her Endless Pool")
Also like many devotees, Regina took a serendipitous route to Endless Pool ownership. Not a swimmer when she was younger, she first took up the sport – "in order not to go crazy" – at a local pool, in San Antonio, while caring for her ailing mother. Over and above renewed vigor and emotional well-being, the effort produced the first of her gold medals. When her mother's health improved, she and Regina moved back to Spring Branch, more than 80 miles to the north.
Without swimming, though, "I just felt lost," recalls Regina. "And I gained a lot of weight, and my feet hurt, and I could hardly walk, and I decided I had to do something. We saw the ad for the Endless Pool," and the rest, as they say, is history.
Her husband completed construction a year ago last August of a room specifically for the pool, and Regina has been using it virtually every day since. She keeps the water temperature at about 90º, and her routine consists of 45 minutes of aerobics with a friend, followed by a 1,000-stroke swimming workout.
/f/76838/533x400/175f180b8f/m3rilv2ptgshl2ywdybl.jpg "Regina's Endless Pool room")
Not everyone develops Regina's proficiency in swimming, but her experience demonstrates convincingly why it is a great medium for starting an exercise program and how the Endless Pool helps. The water's buoyancy relieves stress on joints and connective tissues, even as its 600-to-700-times-greater-than-air resistance accelerates metabolism and boosts endurance. The combination of variable resistance and easy access also promotes optimal comfort levels and an incremental approach to conditioning. Just ask Regina. She has now set her sights on winning a national championship, though she feels no sense of urgency. In fact, she says, "I think I'll wait until I'm 70. It'll be more fun that way."