Welcome to Trying New Things! For our seventh edition, I would like to go back and explain why I started this column, so any new readers can understand the purpose and why they should pop in each month!
Growing up in a house that valued sports and fitness, exercise was implemented into my routine without even knowing it. In college, it grew more challenging to convince myself to go to the gym, and after I started a fulltime job, it has become even more difficult.
Through Forsyth Woman, I have been given the opportunity to try new activities each month and write about my experiences. My goal is to try health and fitness trends so you can decide for yourself if it works for your body and lifestyle. Hopefully, seeing how many ways there are to exercise will encourage you to see it as a fun activity rather than a chore.
For this month’s edition, I tried swimming. It is less of a new skill and more of a workout I tried as well as prioritizing swimming more frequently. I know how to swim well (or so I thought), but I haven’t spent much time swimming laps or going out of my way to jump in the pool.
Swimming Laps
When I first decided to try a swimming workout, I quickly found that it was much more than just jumping in. After looking up a workout online, they generally gave instructions in distance or time organized into sections with short breaks in between.
I knew the reputation of swimmers to be hardworking and precise, but I don’t think I anticipated just how rigorous this would be. Once again, I consider myself a strong swimmer, but actually going back and forth and not straying into a doggy paddle was immensely difficult.
What do you do?
I went for the easiest swimming workout I could find, and even then, it was still a full body and mental challenge.
Warm-Up: For this, I did a 200-meter swim (four laps), alternating freestyle and backstroke. By the end of the warm up, I was already out of breath.
Main set: The directions I had from the workout were to try 10 laps at 80% effort alternating between freestyle and another stroke. After a couple laps, I was just trying to finish it up, mostly with breaststroke.
Warm Down: 100 meters slow to try to slow my heart rate.
Jumping In
As I mentioned previously, I did not just try a workout, but I also prioritized jumping in the pool more frequently. As seen in the photo I included, I have been consistently going on walks (hint: next month’s Trying New Things), then jumping in the pool.
This has been absolutely wonderful – what a relief after feeling overheated in these summer months to be able to jump in the pool. Seriously, jump right in in the clothes you worked out in, and sit in the sun for a few minutes to dry off. I have yet to regret it!
Beginner friendly?
There are two sides to if swimming is beginner friendly or not. On one hand, swimming is low impact. For those who have joint problems, swimming might be the holy grail to being able to workout without hurting yourself more.
For those who are not strong swimmers, or maybe those who may not realize their form is not as good as they thought (myself included), swimming will pose quite a challenge.
One takeaway I did have from this Trying New Things is that I wish I had taken an actual swim lesson before I gave the workout a try. I did not realize how much my form would need improvement after attempting to swim laps; a swim lesson would have assisted me in not exhausting myself due to poor form.
Insight & Impression
Not everyone has access to a pool, so I do want to mention that swimming is not as accessible as some of the other exercises I have featured in Trying New Things. I am fortunate enough to have a pool at my apartment complex, but that’s not the case for everyone.
Overall, I think swimming is worth a try! I think completing a sprint triathlon (750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run) is on my bucket list, but the amount of time and effort that goes into training for swimming is not feasible right now. Regardless, I’m thrilled I prioritized jumping in the pool recently and gave swimming a try.
