Swimming for fitness (part 2). Jump in!

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We've filled up the first Swimming for fitness thread, so here is the new one.

Everyone welcome.

notcitrus the arena clip is good, comes on a rubber string so if it falls off it's still round your neck...

I woke up exhausted and low this morning and thought just give aqua a go and do a few lengths after with no presuure.

I managed 1k at a steady pace and really enjoyed it! I think it really energized me too and turned my day around. I can't remember when I joined this thread (6ish weeks ago?) But I wouldn't have just knocked 1k out when tired then!!! Im so happy.

I'm not fast though . I'm v fat and weak. I hope I'll improve as I get stronger.

Did 1k in 30 mins 58 seconds today, hopeful of breaking the 30 min barrier soon, especially as I had to stop a few times as my goggles were letting water in. Time for a new pair I think!

Well done Rahul! I'm about 40 minutes at the moment!!!

That's great caterpillare well done, exercise has always been my mental health saviour in life and just going is better than not but 40mins is great be proud

rahul that's speedy, it's frustrating when your googles start leaking, I've got a great pair of mirrored ones and they now started misting n dripping 😞

It is definitely a mental health boost. I struggle in that area and this has definitely helped :) I'm so glad I decided to join.

Oh hissy that sounds scary! You did well getting back in for another swim.

I've decided to go for a trial swim session with my local tri club. I'm nervous!! Just hoping they're not all super duper swimmers and there's a few other numptys like me!

Those of you who swim longer distances - how do you cope with the hunger? Swam 3km today - been ravenous ever since!

Swimming is about 600 calories an hour. I always swim first thingsi usually have breakfast when i get home or lunch after my class on wednesday of 2egg on toast.
Was going to go this morning but overslept as classes start at 9. I have my old dutch pancakes to work off

Had a really good swim today after taking youngest as DH collected her so I got 40L in under half hr. I was super pleased the first 20L I alternated front crawl 1L then breast stroke 1L the most FC I've done so far and my pace is picking up abit without panic breathing which is what was happening.

Cannot wait to go for a dip later! Hot hot hot! Also need to get a bit of practice in as I'm going to the tri club swim session on weds, feel nervous already!

Good luck bee, I said to my DH yesterday I'd really like to do one Tri before I'm 50 got a couple yrs to work on my swimming front crawl, I've built up the running this year and I could already cycle but it would be a real challenge putting it all together. There are quite few tri folks at work and one said she finds the transition from swimming to cycling hard as she gets that dizzy fatigue feeling when you first get upright out of the pool. I'd find that really hard.

I think today is the first day ive felt desperate to get in the pool, which was cold and wonderful!
Goggles and nose clip all behaved, but unfortunately I managed to get backache, dislocate an elbow and then get cramp, so took about 50 min to do my 1k with lots of stretching.

I did find someone's ring on the pool bottom and fetched it up, so hopefully it was the owner who took it from the end of the pool.

Can I join please? I'm not a good swimmer, but I am very enthusiastic. However, I am also very slow! (I don't seem to have much power). I can only do breaststroke, and on a very good week will go to the pool 5 times. I had worked myself up to swimming a mile each time, proper breathing underwater etc, etc.. but the rest of my technique was so appalling that I was hurting myself, and so cut back to doing 1k. To remedy the situation I have taken some swimming lessons with a lovely, desperately patient teacher, and my breaststroke finally has a glide component (albeit an extremely slow one, but I'm keeping the faith that it will improve if I don't lose heart)...however my first session of swimming 1k with my "improved stroke" I managed to hurt my neck, so have been out of commission all week. I was very apprehensive heading to the pool this morning but I focused on relaxing in the water, (I've read a lot about this over at swimming without stress), and managed to almost do the 1k without re injuring myself, so am feeling more hopeful and very thankful for it. Rubbish as I am, I really do LOVE to swim. One day it will be a bit more effortless, fingers crossed.

Welcome FatGirlWithChocolate – you sound like you are doing amazingly well already. How lovely to have you join us.

Ouch … bruising from hitting my arm on the end of the pool when finishing a length of backstroke. I've also got red rubbing marks where the swimming costume arm holes rest!

Have you guys seen the Wetiquette discussion on Radio 4? I am trying to find a link.... saw it on my Facebook feed.

Here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p056f6xp

Ouch, Avocado, I couldn't see your pic b4 on other screen.

Welcome FGwithChocolate. Just remember, you're swimming laps around the people who don't get off the sofa. :)

Got under 30 mins for 1k yesterday, woohoo! Not sure what to aim for now though. Been trying to find someone who offers swimming lessons to improve on technique, but not having much luck so far

Ouch avocado hope the bruise fad quickly, I smiled at the radio4 wetiquette comment. It's starts young my DD swims in a club lane with mostly young boys age8-10 and they are in her words "very splashy Mum and don't move over when I tap their feet but try to out swim me..." she really struggled last night but I did smile as I saw her put her head down & plough past one of them. She a tiny dot compared to some of the tall ones it's teaching her a lot about standing up for herself in life
I had a nifty 20min last night with lane to myself before the swim club took over for training. Still working on my frontcrawl but steadily building my confidence with breathing, and speed abit more now.

Just back from my first swim session with the tri club. It was great! And I wasn't the only novice thank goodness. Did way more than I'd ever do on my own so I'm definitely going to go again. My arms and shoulders are gonna be pretty sore in the morning they're pretty sore now!!

We've been away and I haven't swum in just over a week. I was tired and achey and told myself "just do the aqua and see how you feel." Then i thought id aim for 20 lengths. I was ache and not enjoying it. Around 20 lengths magic happens in sure. I ended up swimming 40 and it just feels amazing. It's lovely when the world just feels at peace :)

I was still 1 length a minute. Whatever I do it seems to stay that!!!

Had a lovely swim today. The "improved" stroke felt a lot more natural this time, though I do find that when I realise that I am swimming better over thinking it kicks in and I lose it somehow. Need to concentrate on not thinking about it and just letting it happen naturally (please, one day!). Best thing was that DH was at the gym while I was swimming (overlooks the pool), and I got him to watch me do a length..he says that he can see the difference, and that I look much faster, even though I feel slower. Was really happy with that.

I discovered the joy of frontcrawl arms tonight with a kick float between my legs. It was fab I rattled of 6L straight away as my heavy cycling/running legs were supported I just focused on breathing and arm angle/entry and for a couple of lengths something clicked them of course I started overthinking it again and spluttered onto my back to breathe but I'm really making progress. I watched one of my DDs swim teacher doing 4arms to one breath so not breathing both sides. As I can't breathe on one side at the moment as my neck is too stiff so I've been doing 2arms but I felt I could do more. So I'm gonna try the 4strokes and breathe on Sat and see how that feels.
Well done caterpillar for finding the zone I struggle normally with first 15L fighting for breath before I "relax" into the water.
bee the tri session sounds good
fatgirl I'm the same I'm really working on an elbow out arm on my FC and it's slowly feeling better then I flipping overthink it again and forget to breathe!