Putting His Heart Into It
Board Certified Cardiologist James Fitts, MD, listens to a lot of heartbeats in the course of a busy week. But when he’s doing laps in the Palm Desert Aquatic Center pool, Eisenhower’s Section Chief of Cardiology is only focused on his own heartbeat.
For nearly nine years, Dr. Fitts has been perfecting his freestyle stroke with Masters Swim Coach Ben Hobbins. As of this writing, Dr. Fitts was training for his thirtieth triathlon, the Iron Man 70.3 in Indian Wells/La Quinta in December 2023. This arduous event includes a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run.
Dr. Fitts comes from what he calls “a genetic pool of runners.” In fourth grade, he could complete a 10K. He ran all through high school, college, medical school, and his internship and residency, participating in many marathons along the way. While working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, Dr. Fitts took up biking. As his rides through the picturesque New England countryside grew more frequent, he realized he was just “one sport away from being able to compete in triathlons.”
Always a self-starter, Dr. Fitts decided to teach himself to swim. He participated in two triathlons in New England before moving cross country to join Eisenhower Health. His running and biking times were competitive, but swimming was another story. The first time he took part in a triathlon, he was last out of the water.
Once settled in the Coachella Valley, Dr. Fitts signed up for Palm Desert’s Y Be Fit Reverse Mini-Triathlon. As usual, his swim time was underwhelming. After the race, the event host introduced Dr. Fitts to Ben Hobbins. “Work with him,” the host suggested. “He’ll make you a better swimmer.”
Hobbins has been coaching for more than 45 years. In high school, he lettered in swimming, cross-country, and track and field, and in college, he was an All-American swimmer at University of Wisconsin. After college, he played professional football in the Eurobowl Leagues — the NFL Europe predecessor.
Today, Hobbins coaches the Desert Olympic Tritons, the U.S. Masters swim club, the Tritons USA Triathlon and Triton Tactical Teams he founded in 2013. The Tritons assistant coach is Ben’s daughter, Ashley-Anne, a nursing student and a 10-year volunteer at Eisenhower Health.
It quickly became clear to Hobbins, that as a self-taught swimmer, Dr. Fitts had picked up some bad habits. His stroke needed work. He tired too quickly. Most importantly, he needed to improve his breathing technique. “Swimming,” Hobbins explains, “is all about pattern breathing.”
Progress through practice
After a few private sessions with Hobbins, Dr. Fitts began working out regularly with the Tritons. As a coach, Hobbins strives to understand each athlete’s individual goals and learning style. With Dr. Fitts, the goal is often training for his next triathlon, but every Triton swimmer is different. U.S. Masters Swimming has 50,000 members nationwide. While 10 percent compete, the other 90 percent are swimming for exercise, making new friends, and even learning to swim for the first time.
Both Dr. Fitts and Hobbins are happy to extol the health benefits of swimming, a sport Hobbins refers to as “the fountain of youth.” He has trained people who are dealing with tendonitis, shoulder issues, back pain, joint problems, heart issues and stroke, as well as a variety of injuries.
Currently, Hobbins is working with a stroke survivor and a person with lung disease. Regardless of their general health, his athletes agree that swimming has improved their strength, endurance, and well-being. “The advice I would give to anyone looking into swimming,” says Hobbins, “is to develop a sustainable, reasonable routine. Don’t overdo it. Overtraining syndrome is a real problem with triathletes.”
You don’t have to be a triathlete to overdo your workout, which is why Dr. Fitts emphasizes talking to one’s doctor before starting a new exercise routine. Most of his heart disease patients who swim have always been swimmers. Fitts recommends newbies start by getting comfortable in the water and working with a professional swim coach.
An advantage of swimming for exercise is that it takes the weight off the bones and joints — one reason Dr. Fitts suggests water aerobics for patients with orthopedic issues. He now swims more than he runs. A decade ago, he suffered a hamstring injury while competing in a marathon. Since then, he’s experienced the gamut of runner injuries. “Shin splints, stress fractures, turf toe,” he jokes, “I’ve had everything but plantar fasciitis.”
As a cardiologist, Dr. Fitts is a big believer in the cardiovascular benefits of swimming. He cites a long-term study which found that compared to runners and walkers, swimmers had the lowest rate of cardiovascular events over a period of 13 years. Besides being a terrific aerobic exercise, swimming improves circulation, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, helps with elimination, boosts metabolism, and enhances cardiovascular fitness and efficiency. In addition, swimming helps with stress reduction. Doing laps in the pool is a quiet, meditative activity that allows people to focus on their body, breath, and heartbeat.
To learn more about Eisenhower Desert Cardiology Center, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/DesertCard.
