Swimming for fitness (part 4). Everyone welcome.

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

Old thread here

Anyone interesting in swimming for fitness welcome here.
Newbies, experiences, the fast, the slow - we're all sharing, learning and most of all supporting each other.

[missmartini]

@littlecabbage if my timing is right I can do a swim and then there's a yoga class on after it I try to go to. I don't know if it benefits my swimming in any way but I love it! I can only manage this once a week when my boys are away on an over night.

[Parsley65]

Morning all.
Another swim fan here!
I've just got back from my local pool. I go twice a week and swim a mile each time. Not fast. It used to take me 50 minutes, now up to an hour.
The main thing is that I really enjoy it

[Spiderpants]

Hi, another swimmer here. I try to swim 4 times a week in term time, struggling to get back into it after Easter holidays though. Currently try to do about 40 laps in a 25 metre pool, but always lose count!

[Ocies]

Has anyone got any recommendations for goggles? I need some new ones!

[Jocasta2018]

A year ago, I used to swim breast stroke up to 40-50 lengths of a 25m pool but have got progressively worse. Now I struggle with 20!

I was never fast, 55 lengths was my limit & my technique was always unique but it felt reasonably easy. Now it feels like I'm swimming through glue with leaden limbs!

I wondering that because I'm almost through the menopause, I have maybe lost muscle tone. I'm lighter weight-wise than I was last year. I do a lot of brisk walking and have not noticed any major change in my ability but the swimming is awful! I've been on HRT for 28 days now so I'm hoping this might help.

Has anyone else had this problem? I'm going to continue pootling up and down the slow lane for now!

Might post this also in the menopause section but thought that the swim thread might keep me going.

[TriSkiRun99]

Jocasta2018 Have a look at whip kick technique on you tube it minimises impact on hips and knees doing breaststroke. I’ve been on HRT for 18mths love it, given me ME back I run, swim and cycle so I’m fitter than I was in my 30s. But it takes me longer to regain stamina after a break and I’m not as fast as others but I’m fitter

[TriSkiRun99]

Jocasta2018 I’ve also taught myself Front crawl which is much kinder on the body I find than breastroke, so it’s never to late to learn. Effortless swimming on you tube I found really helpful, plus kicking with a float to practice breathing.

[Jocasta2018]

Triskirun99 Thanks for the advice!
I have always had real problems with the front crawl - it is my intention to get 1-2-1 lessons eventually. .
Breast stroke has always beeen so natural for me - when I learnt to swim as a little girl, I could easily swim under water, a kinda breast stroke, but had to learn to swim above water which was hard but I continued with my breast stroke. Today it wasn't natural - mostly in my upper body.
Most bizarre!

[BestIsWest]

I have the opposite problem. I’ve never been able to master breast stroke. Crawl comes naturally although my technique is far from perfect. But with a shoulder out of action I’m trying to learn breaststroke- I cant get the kicking right and I can’t come up for air on every stroke so I’m clearly doing it completely wrong. I’m enjoying it though.

[TriSkiRun99]

Had a really first for me tonight as I went to a ladies swim training session and they taught us to dive ive never dived was always too scared as a kid, but after a sit on poolside dive, we then did the knee dive and then did a standing one and I nailed it. It was such a buzz, I kept my eyes shut though I hadn’t realised until the lady next to me asked me whether I had. I had the biggest grin afterwards!

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

Tri That's fab! Well done. I am also too scared to dive and would love to learn.

[TriSkiRun99]

rights honestly it was far easier than I thought it would be and such a buzz. Start with sitting on side of pool scoot bum to edge the key was arms outstretched with hands in front overlapping each other and head tucked down& in with ears to arms if that makes sense. Then we graduated to one knee on the floor and one leg in 90’ angle same arms, there wasn’t a single belly flop amongst 10 women most of whom were size 14+ and middle aged all really nervous! We were supposed to be doing standing dives next week but as we did so well we had a quick go before being kicked out by the masters session I can’t wait to try again next week.

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

your account has a Calendar Girls feel about it. Do you know what I mean? A crowd of kick ass women giving no fucks and trying something new, encouraging each other. Aww I feel all fuzzy now.

Where do you live? I wanna try. There's no way I'm doing that on my own!

[TriSkiRun99]

😂at calendar girls...I’m not getting my big boobs out in public ..unless my straps break diving..I’m in SW of England it’s all the sea air it’s invigorating.

[tizwozliz]

Our pool has pull buoys and floats but i always take my own. The pool ones are much bigger and too floaty for me. Also my mesh bag with my stuff in is a convenient place to keep my locker key so i don't have to wear it.

Well done on the diving, I think it's much scarier as an adult, used to dive off the blocks no worries as a child, but it always feels awfully high these days.

littlecabbage if you can swim comfortably and breathe every 5 stick with that, there's no reason to breathe every 3 if you don't need to, the less breaths the better. I tend to breathe every 4.

[CorrigansDoorKnob]

I started the day with a 5.30am swim. It’s dark and cold here in the mornings now, and the pool is outside... but.... you never regret a swim once you’re there!

[Cherrypi]

30 lengths today and bought ten swims so I have to go now. Any tips on stopping your goggles steaming up? Nearly crashed into the man lunging in the shallow end of my lane.

[MajesticWhine]

Swam 20 lengths (1km) today - it was lovely and the sun came out.
Re goggles you can rub saliva on the insides (gross I know) which I am told helps prevent condensation.

[Bayleyf]

I'm about six weeks pregnant and KNACKERED. I went for a swim this evening and did about 20 of my usual 60 lengths, and had to stop.

Do any of you ladies have experience of swimming while knocked up? I keep reading that it's good exercise, but I think they mean gentle breaststroke not my fairly speedy crawl.

[Cherrypi]

I'll try that majestic. Thanks.

[tizwozliz]

A tiny drop of washing up liquid, swished round then rinsed also helps with fogging

[TriSkiRun99]

bayleyf you may find your energy returns in the middle trimester, I was a walking zombie for both my pregnancies upto 14wks, then I swam weekly but not lots of lengths and not breaststroke as it messed with my hips, I did mostly kicking with a float or backstroke. I was even in the pool at 41wks+3days doing back stroke when I was the size of a whale. The head lifeguard just asked how I was doing (I was enormous) but I managed 10L then floated a lot. Everyone’s pregnancy is different so just see how you feel.

[Bayleyf]

Tri that's reassuring after 14weeks - thank you!

[MajesticWhine]

I have an ear infection and a perforated ear drum, so no more swimming for me for a week or so. So frustrating

[TriSkiRun99]

Get well soon majestic that doesn’t sound much fun.

Had great time at ladies night again last night with swimming session followed by diving with relays. We all got rather competitive in a friendly way, but as the coach pointed out it was funny seeing all our technique go to pot when we started “racing”. I was guilty of that but it was such a buzz diving off and straight into FC I didn’t come up for air for 2/3 of the length 😂then crashed on the return leg as it was 50m relays. I get why my daughter gets such a buzz out of it now