Swimming -- wow!

[Alexandra 55]

I've recently started swimming for exercise, and have to say I am really loving it. Though always a Water baby, the very idea of swimming back and forth and back and forth never appealed to me AT.ALL. Booooorrrrring, I thought. No music!

Until this last couple of weeks. For some reason, upon catching a whiff of the pool-chlorinated air last time I was in the Y locker room, I got the urge to swim a little. The thought didn't leave me, and in the last two weeks--during a time of incredible professional stress--I thought I'd give it a whirl.

It's remarkable! Using all my muscles, non-impact, no sweating (!), really stretching as well as contracting and getting decent cardio as well, it's pretty miraculous. I'm totally NOT a jock, and literally can't do more than two laps of crawl before my arms start to scream, but without pushing myself too hard I actually can do 25 laps of breast, back, and side stroke. The next day I feel really nicely worked out, and there's no question it is a great way of managing stress.

I hope I can keep this up! Anyone else start slow with swimming? How is it going for you now?

[areellady 1]

Oh, I LOVE these comments on exercise. It DOES make you feel a ton better. It is strange how although it makes you feel so good, physically and mentally, that most of the time we have to push ourselves to find time to do it.

I used to swim a couple of years back, and I could only do it slowly too, but it does feel good. I was a turtle too!!! Slow and steady, steady and slow they say.

[jmarruda 22]

I love swimming too, I just wish I had a pool near me to do laps!

[mylapspirit 2]

Yup, swimming for me is the best exercise I do for myself. Back and forth is a little boring but if you set a goal like a number of laps that you want to accomplish it makes it a little more fun. We go to my mom's house in the summer where she has an inground pool and I spend hours in the pool and it has always helped with my weight loss(even though I always manage to put the weight back on)(as I am preband). One year when I lost 88 pounds I was swimming everyday, following a 1000 calorie diet, and I was losing a pound a day. The best thing about the pool is that it is like that movie Coccoon where the old people jump in and then they feel like 30 years younger. That's what the pool/swimming does for me. :ranger:

[Alexandra 55]

I'm really hopeful that I can keep this up, at least a couple of times a week. It's great!

[OH Juli 15]

I've too started to laps...more because I am bored while my DD is taking swimming lessons. I'm not a proficient swimmer, but I hear it's great for regulating breathing in other sports...like running and biking. I love to bike and I want to run when I get under 200 lbs.

I'm good for about 15 minutes of bad form lap swimming.

[TerriDoodle 6]

I use swimming to mix up my cardio...I guess I swim 2-3x a month in the lap pool at my gym. Man those lanes are LOOONNNNGGGGG!! I swim 2 laps then 'rest' at the end of the lane with some Water aerobics...2 more laps...then more aerobics, etc. I do enjoy it but I'm not very good at it. I think I'll go swimming tomorrow!

[Alexandra 55]

Still at it, happy to say. Now I'm up to 30 laps in 30 minutes and that's where I'm going to stay for the time being. Surgery is in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS and then I won't be able to get back in the pool until after Labor Day, so this is a mark I'll be interested to see if I can hit again after that.

It's still boring, but 30 minutes is no time at all and before I know it I'm done. And it feels great the next day.

[Iluvharleys 15]

I use swimming as my daily exercise. I have a pool in the back yard, so it's the easy way for me. I love swimming and I don't have to make myself do it!

[Dani-X 0]

Funny story about swimming.... I jumped in my friend's pool a few weeks ago for the first time after being banded and sunk like a rock!

I was used to having my body fat be enough to keep me afloat. No more!!! I had to tread Water again to keep me from goin down. It was awesome!

I wish I had better access to a pool for laps because I'm developing a knee issue from something I'm doing... swimming is just therapeutic on so many levels.

[babygrl1234 6]

I love swimming. I actually had the kids at the city pool today though there was no lap swimming. I have not done laps lately though I competitively swam for a year when I was in high school. I didn't do too badly considering I was by far the biggest girl out there. DH and I are going to join a gym in October and I am really excited to be able to get back to it.

[Terranne 0]

Swimming is an awesome exercise and if you don't like lap swimming then most places will offer fitness classes too. I love lane swimming, I started after my first child swam 6 days a week for an hour and followed a low cal diet, lost 35 lbs in 3 months! We're in a small town so are times and locations are limited but the indoor pool is to open up after the Sept. long weekend and I'm planning on starting right away. It may seem a bit boring but if you concentrate on your breathing, counting and such the Water is a very relaxing sound and can totally take your mind off the fact that you are exercising. Not to mention the no sweating part of it, I hate sweating.

Happy swimming

[Alexandra 55]

I went again yesterday, and discovered that swim fins can really change the experience. Turns out my (relatively) small feet weren't doing enough work--I wasn't kicking efficiently--and that's why my arms got so fatigued after just a couple of laps of crawl. With swim fins my legs do a lot more and better work (and I can feel it in my legs), so my arms get a bit of a break. And since I can cover more distance faster, there's more gratification in counting laps.

[TerriDoodle 6]

I went again yesterday, and discovered that swim fins can really change the experience. Turns out my (relatively) small feet weren't doing enough work--I wasn't kicking efficiently--and that's why my arms got so fatigued after just a couple of laps of crawl. With swim fins my legs do a lot more and better work (and I can feel it in my legs), so my arms get a bit of a break. And since I can cover more distance faster, there's more gratification in counting laps.

HEY!!! That's cheating! LOL!

[whosyadaddy 0]

I love swimming too! Being soo overweight i feel terrible in a gym. I started swiming at the y before work. Have to get there at 5am but it is so worth it.

I dont sweat and its easy on my joints. I reward myself with 20mins in the hot tub after. By the time i leave for work at 6.40am i feel great!

I was just bandand this week and im desperte to get back to it.

Hopefully after my week check up he will let me get back to it!

Lets keep it up swimmers!

Funny thing is i am 32 and everyone else in there at 5am is easily over 60! But they all love me.

It is a little embrassing getting in and out the pool being so big, but hey, at least im doing it.