The Y-Factor with Christian McLean

I know what you're thinking - how can a kids game be beneficial to your health? The truth is, most children's games do possess qualities which will positively effect your body and mind. But, as we latch onto these last weeks of summer, while everyone else is caught up with Bridgehampton polo, maybe the age-old pool favorite "Marco Polo" is a game on which to focus.

We all know the rules. One person is IT and they must travel around the swimming pool with their eyes closed bellowing "Marco" as the other players respond "Polo" and swim like mad until someone else is caught.

Swim for your life - the first and most obvious benefit is physical activity. Anything that gets the heart pumping and the muscles working is usually good for you, but swimming in particular is a wonderful way to get a low-impact workout. While the monotony of swimming laps may drive you nuts, by disguising your physical regiment as a game, you will expose your body to a fitness regime without even knowing it. Also, the varied swimming patterns will work on more muscles groups than simply performing the crawl.

Anaerobically, it helps as well. Anaerobic exercise occurs when the muscles of the body perform with depleted oxygen levels. The underwater swimming creates a perfect environment for such a workout. Once the oxygen is gone, the muscles use creatine phosphate and/or lactic acid for the needed energy to perform and in turn, helps build power and muscles- don't stay under too long though.

Fish-Out-of-Water - escaping capture by climbing out of the pool and running to another part of the pool and jumping back in before IT can shout "Fish-out-of-water" works a second group of muscles. First a warning: it is dangerous to run near a pool, as you could slip and injure yourself. Apart from the inherent danger of falling, the FOTW maneuver can give your triceps (the back of your upper arms) a nice little workout. On land, only a small percentage of people can lift themselves up simply with the use of their arms, but the buoyancy created in a pool allows the human body to lift itself with greater ease - though it isn't exactly easy. Face the edge of the pool and place your hands on the corner and push yourself up. Or have your back facing the pool's edge. You will then proceed to lift yourself out, much like performing a dip. This technique will isolate the triceps muscles even more.

Getting Caught - the fear of becoming IT is constant. Throughout a game of "Marco Polo," the mind experiences various phases of emotions. Most interesting of these is the flight or fight mechanism which occurs when you are being hunted at close range by IT. Your mind recognizes on a conscious and subconscious level that you are in danger. You must flee. It is the tapping into of one of the most primal of our response mechanisms. The exercise of this system allows us to evaluate our body's reaction in a controlled version of being in danger.

If the body stands still, frozen with fear, this is more than likely the same response that will occur when a real threat occurs. On the other hand, if the body takes off in one direction or the other, then expect that response in the real world. Allowing your conscious to work alongside this basic response system is your goal. It is a way of problem solving and survival.

"Marco . . ." - this game is the closest we get to sonar. We send out a sound and another sound bounces back. Though moving around a pool with your eyes closed is disorientating, it is also a way to challenge your understanding of spatial relationships with regard to sound. With your eyes closed, you must utilize your hearing to guide you. Remain stationary the first few times you yell, "Marco." After a minute or two, you will begin to understand the distance and location of the responses. Moving will challenge your auditory stills, but the longer you play, the better your development of a keen ear will be.

Just like you've come to learn that children's books are not just for kids, children's games have great benefits for adults. So next time a couple of friends are lounging around the pool, boring each other with talks of investment portfolios, get a little game of "Marco Polo" going. The reversion back to childhood may be just what your body and mind need.

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