Swimming for fitness (part 2). Jump in!

[rightsofwomen]

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

Everyone welcome.

lljkk I used to go until they were see-through when I was in swim club as a kid. And then you'd wear two of the see-through ones on top of each other, knotting together any torn bits. So I'm not a good person to ask as I'm probably guilty of running them right into the ground.

I also suddenly noticed that my last one was see through right before an event with no opportunity to buy another. It was saggy and transparent. Basically indecent.

ha! Yes, it's the sag-threshold I'm trying to judge.

Yuck, the pool stank again today (wee), I hope I can learn to ignore that. Mostly my sense of smell is useless. It's very annoying to be able to smell things.

I'm also the fastest swimmer most often, lately. Not that I'm any faster, just that the other fast swimmers aren't much turning up! Out doing triathlons?

MyUserNameIsInvalid have you been for that swim? Hope you have!

lljkk Re swimsuit I've been wondering when mine will go. It was a £7.99 ProSwimwear special and I've been swimming in it three times a week for a year now! It still looks ok, but I'd hate for a sudden embarrassing decline!

How dreadful about the pool smell. Our changing rooms and health suite (the sauna, jacuzzi and the small pool) are being renovated over the next couple of months so I'm hoping for good things (it includes upgrading the lockers to take the new £1 coins)! The people who use the health suite pool are all rather cross. They've asked for the small teaching pool to be available but have been refused. Someone thinks it is because they'd have to provide a lifeguard and they don't have to provide one in the health suite because it is classified as a spa.

I had a good swim today. There was someone in the fast lane who I challenge myself to swim against (in the medium lane) which was good to keep my speed up. I don't know whether he realised that I was trying to hard to beat him all the time!

Had good swim just kept going for 40mins, didn't count just kept plowing along mostly FC - was a lot busier than usual for a Monday night but I mostly was able to keep my pace and overtake at the ends.

Did my first ever swim "challenge" this weekend, a 1.5km open water swim. I did not realise everyone else doing it would be a triathlete!

Hi, I've been sent over from _Chat!

I have a huge amount of weight to lose (10+ stone) and wanted to start swimming to start me off for some exercise, I'm incredibly unfit so thought it was the best thing to start with but someone on my other thread said it's not going to do much for weight loss so I'm now unsure!

I had a crap experience last year when I last went, I was obviously to slow for a woman also in the slow lane (I'm really slow ) and got a mouthful of abuse and mocking over my size and it's knocked me a bit and I've not been back since

I hope it's ok to just jump on a thread x

LegoPiece you are very welcome. I am shocked you suffered abuse in the pool. Where I swim people just get on with swimming. Everyone has the same goal really, to get exercise, and nobody notices others and what they look like. Yes, they get a bit annoyed if someone is in the wrong lane and isn't budging but if you follow swimming etiquette then everyone is usually nice to each other. Please give it another go, and hopefully your bad experience was a one-off. And keep us posted on your progress. We will cheer you on very loudly!

These are encouraging reading:
www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/sport/swimming.htm
www.swimming.org/justswim/best-swimming-stroke-for-weight-loss/

Hi Lego,

Good luck with the swimming! I have only been going for a few weeks and I haven't actually weighed myself, but I have already gone down a trouser size. The swimming has made me feel much fitter and healthier, and more likely to take other forms of exercise (e.g. going for a walk) and to eat healthily. What's more, it has improved my self-esteem and has made me happier and more energetic. I love it! Hope it will have the same effect on you.

I'm so sorry to hear about the person who was horrible to you. Most people at swimming pools are not like that, so you were very unlucky to have such a bad experience.

Let us know how it goes. I have a throat infection at the moment so I can't go swimming

Welcome Lego. I'm a slowcoach too and overweight.

Just remember you have as much right as anyone else to be there. Relax into it and once you've done a few lengths and are in the zone you won't care anyway.

Cross post with SingingAvocado's words of wisdom!

Yikes...gonna have to re-think my life dramatic

With going back to school and my babysitter older son being in Barcelona for a week, I've struggled to get out to swim. Only swam once last week and the week before.

My babysitter older son is going to Uni in 10 days.

I think I will have to do my sport in the day when DS2 is at school or in the evenings he's with his Dad and then work in the evenings.

Anyway just done 1K.

Race (running) this weekend and half marathon the w/e after.
New job starting soon - off to Hong Kong end of Oct!

It's all go!

Lego, I think you said on other thread that your windows to swim are pretty fixed, but it's still worthwhile to ask at the pool if any days-sessions-times are quieter than others. After 8pm & Weekends will probably be quietest, for instance.

Welcome Lego. Any exercise will help you lose weight and tone up.
I'd say if you are quite overweight then swimming is ideal to improve your cardio-vascular health before you start something higher impact.

Overall though, if you enjoy it then it is most certainly the exercise for you.

Regarding swim times, I've often noticed one lane roped off during casual/family swim sessions. They're not as calm as regular lane swim sessions, but at least you know you're safe in a lane!

Hi Lego, welcome to the pool! I'd also check if there are any women only swimming times. A few of our local pools offer these sessions for women who for whatever reason can't or don't want to swim with men present.

Thanks all

I'm not worried about men being present tbh (it was a man that made sure I was ok last time, gave me a hug in his trunks then gave the woman an absolute bollocking!) but I do have limited time to swim due to work so I'm going to give them a call and see if any of those times are v quiet

Thanks all, I feel a bit more confident now

Yes, that's what I was thinking, it might be a quieter session.

Thinking of men and women and politeness, the rudest swimmers I've encountered recently were a group of 3 women who jumped into the fast lane which I'd had to myself to that point. Complete lack of lane etiquette - all three somewhat slower than me, to the point where I needed to pass them on a regular basis (every 3-4 lengths I was passing someone), and not one of them stopped at the wall even when I was right on their heels, which is the normal thing to do at the pool where I swim. Worse, they stood around in a group at the shallow end blocking the wall so I couldn't do a tumble turn. I'm rarely the only person in a lane and am often the fastest swimmer, and have never encountered anything quite like this lot. Luckily I shouldn't have to put up with them again, it wasn't a time I normally swim at as I had a day off work.

Forgot to say, I'm just over 23km on the Channel challenge as of today. I think I am actually going to make it! I have to finish by the 29th as DH is away the 30th and it's a Saturday so I'll be in full kid wrangling mode all day.

Rights my DS is off this weekend but that will leave me with no DCs at home .

Also starting a new job in October, this means no more popping to the pool in the lunch hour. Said pool will now be 50 miles away. Unfortunately I took out a year's membership in January so going to be out of pocket there.

Hello all! Can I join? i'm three months pregnant and because of tiredness haven't done any exercise for that whole time. Want to get back into it now as i'm feeling a bit better so thought i would start with swimming. Was away at the weekend and did 50 leisurely laps so was pleased with that.

But i'm not a brilliant swimmer and am worried i and going to inadvertently annoy others after reading this thread - what are your bugbears that i should avoid? i try not to be splashy and stick to the slow lane, and always wait at the end if people are faster than me....

Oh Best [hugs]
I have my younger DS for a while at least.

Will you still be able to swim in the evenings?

whyhas Of course! Everyone is welcome here. I think as long as you are considerate and aware of others then you'll be fine. Being splashy is OK, isn't it? Congrats on your pregnancy! A swim thread baby...we haven't had one of those.

@rightsofwomen thank you :) i have to confess to being irritated by really unnecessarily splashy swimmers so i try to minimise the splash!
Hoping to go again tomorrow, have signed up at my local leisure centre and i work from home so can sneak out during on busy times

Back to Situation Normal: I wasn't even the fastest in the medium lane, today! Tiring early morning swim... turns out I did 2050 m says Swimtag.

I'm going to aim for 50 leisurely lengths again today, trying to ease myself into it initially.