For five years, 83-year-old David Metzger has been swimming to beat Alzheimer’s Disease, and he’s been winning the battle.

Since Metzger was given his diagnosis, he’s been swimming twice a day, and it truly appears that his diet and lifestyle changes have slowed the effects of the disease.

He’s hoping that staying active and eating well will keep his memory sharp for as long as possible.

Metzger is a lifelong swimmer, but Alzheimer’s changed the reason he gets in the pool.

“I learned how to swim when I was five years old in Connecticut. We lived on the Housatonic River,” Metzger said. “I like to swim, but I do it because I have Alzheimer’s and it’s just good for my mental approach.”

When he’s not swimming, he plays memory games like Rummikub and eats nutrient-rich foods shown to improve cognition, like blueberries.

But he can swim twice a day because his senior living home, Seascape at Naples, Florida, boasts an 80-foot heated pool.

“When I swim on my back, I look up at the sky, and I thank God for this life and pray for certain people and things,” Metzger said. “It’s just a very relaxing, peaceful thing.”