swimming

​As I mentioned in a previous post, I have started incorporating swimming into my fitness programme because I hope to enter some swim and run events such as Stroke and Stride over the summer.  I need to be able to swim between 500-1000m in the ocean, freestyle, non-stop.  Improving on my stroke and speed now will mean that I’m not panicking later on.  I thought it might be a good idea to put together a blog post outlining some of the benefits of swimming, as well as some tips for improvement.

Benefits of swimming
o   A great form of stress relief
o   A good type of cardiovascular fitness activity
o   A great way to lose weight, as it burns plenty of calories
o   A good type of exercise to do if you’re large as you’re submersed in water.  Jumping/high energy activities on land may be difficult if you’re carrying excess weight
o   An excellent activity for women who are pregnant
o   Swimming is low impact on joints, reducing the risk of injury or making it a suitable exercise for those in rehabilitation from injuries
o   After awhile, you’ll see improved sleeping patterns
o   It’s inexpensive. Some community pools in Auckland are free
o   It’s refreshing.  You can’t beat the feeling of being in the water
o   It doesn’t matter if the weather is cold, wet and windy as you’ll be indoors
o   In the heat of summer, there’s nothing nicer than swimming in an outdoor pool
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Tips
o   Swim T3 is the place to go for all your swimming needs.  They stock an excellent range of swimsuits, wetsuits, caps and goggles
o   If you’re after a heated 50m swimming pool to train in, you can’t go past the Newmarket Olympic Pools.  I recently won a free one month’s membership and really enjoyed going there, but it’s a bit far so I’ll probably stick to training in a local community pool
o   Work out when the pool isn’t busy and try to fit your swimming in then
o   Take a bag to put your belongings in.  Don’t forget to take a towel and a snack for after the swim.  Sometimes I have a protein shake, other times I have a piece of fruit or a yoghurt
o   It pays to invest in decent goggles.  Until I did so, I found that my goggles always got foggy, the strap broke and they filled up with water, ruining my swim
o   If you wear glasses, look for a pair of prescription goggles.  Being able to actually see properly in the water makes swimming much more enjoyable
o   Wear a swimming cap.  It keeps your hair neatly in place, but you’ll find that you still have to wash it afterwards
o   Swimming can be hard on your hair.  If you swim most days like me, you’ll be washing your hair nearly every day.  It pays to invest in a decent moisture repair shampoo and conditioner to prevent your hair from becoming dry
o   Forget beach attire.  Wear chlorine resistant swimming togs which are made for swimming.  For ladies, I recommend a one-piece suit as they fit best when you’re doing lots of lane swimming
o   Take a pair of jandals to wear in the changing rooms, so you avoid getting athlete’s foot
o   After a long swim, treat yourself to a soak in the spa pool or head for the sauna