Why do you swim?

gentlygently

I found myself musing on how this has changed over time for me.

To lose a bit of weight / be fitter were both early motivations

Being fitter as Graded Excercise Therapy to help overcome a nasty illness came next

To help keep mentally positive and to demonstrate I am, so slowly (grrr), still getting better - amongst the current ones.

To show off - well, one day, when I can do the laps of butterfly as per my 2015 goal.

Good how one simple excercise can be important in so many different ways...


Why are you all swimming ? Has it changed for you too?

mpeters1965

Good question! I started swimming for exercise when I broke my foot about 10 years ago or so. Some form of exercise has always been necessary to keep my weight in check, for overall fitness and to lower my stress level. That's all swimming was for a long time, maybe 7 years or so. Three or four days a week, just doing laps. About 3 years ago I started actively working to make it better and understand what I was doing and 2 years ago we got a Masters club and it changed for me both physically and mentally. I need to understand swimming better now and even took a coaching certification class, without any immediate intention to coach.

I like being able to say "I'm a swimmer" rather than "I swim". Maybe that's the biggest change.

Ms_J1

I started swimming again a year ago after a 30 year hiatus so I could lose weight and now I swim to keep off the weight and to see how far I can go with it.

When I swam as a child, my best stroke was backstroke and my worst was fly. Now, backstroke is my second worst stroke (breast being me worst) and fly is my second best stroke (free being my best).

And I'm with mpeters on being able to say I AM a swimmer instead of saying I swim.

Macstraw

Although it's normally said as a wiseass comment, I am literally swimming for my health. I started out looking to improve my overall health, especially looking to avoid cardiac & weight related illness (i.e. adult onset diabetes, etc.) issues. I was way too heavy & knew I needed to lose weight, but the health aspects were more important to me. I felt weak & I was stiff all the time, I could feel even slight exertion affect my breathing & I knew it was time to do something about it. I've been a swimmer all of my life, so it was a natural choice to get back into it. I've never been a runner, & after bilateral hip replacement that wouldn't really be a viable option for me anyway. I didn't want to lift because I (mistakenly) associated lifting with getting bulky, which was the last thing I was looking to do. I started out slowly & not all that serious, I would swim for awhile & then find more & more excuses (notice I did NOT say "reasons", because to me reasons are more legitimate & I was just fooling myself at this point) to not go until I stopped completely & then would repeat the cycle again. About 2 1/2 years ago, I decided it was time to commit because, as I got older, I was feeling the effects more & more of a sedentary lifestyle laden with all kinds of crappy food. I told my wife I needed to treat it like a job & get there every day possible. I did, & it wasn't easy at first, but it got better - especially as I was able to do more, started dropping weight, eating better & feeling stronger......

Fast forward to about 2 years ago - I had been feeling some numbness in my feet for a very long time, but it started to get worse & creep up my legs. I had mentioned it to my doctor a few times, but he didn't show any real concern until it started getting worse. The long & short of it - he sent me to a neurologist & I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. There are many different types - Lupus & Crohn's Disease are 2 examples - in essence, the immune system attacks healthy tissue. In my case, it's attacking the nerves. When he tested me (basically Tased my nerves), he was getting no response at all from the nerves in my legs & feet & very little in my arms & hands. It was not only affecting the sensory nerves (causing the numb feelings), it was also affecting the motor nerves which is scary because if I lose them I lose the ability to walk, use my hands - all kinds of things we take for granted. He started me on Lyrica daily & IV immunoglobulin treatments that I get 4 days each month. The only drawback to the IV treatments is I can't swim most of that week because the IV port stays in. There is supposed to be a lot of weakness associated with the type of neuropathy I have, but because I had been swimming religiously I had built up enough strength to stave that off. Since I have gotten a scare like this, it's important for me to stay on top of it - so yes, I am literally swimming for my health.......

stephenrhinton

My motivations haven't changed much as I am less than 90 days into my habit. When I got the Type II diabetes diagnosis I was determined to at least partially manage it with lifestyle changes. Initially my thought was this would be all about changing my food habits, but my doc made an excellent argument why exercise is a very important part of managing blood glucose. His request was just that I start doing 'something' active or 30 minutes every day, and add 5 minutes every two weeks.

I walked for a few days because it required no equipment or commitment whilst I considered my options. I landed on swimming for several reasons ...

1) Most exercises are harder to start as a very large person because of all the extra stress your weight puts on your body and joints. Not so with swimming. My bulk makes me buoyant.

2) I sweat so very easily, and I detest feeling sweaty. Some people say they feel 'healthful' working up a good sweat, I just feel dirty and smelly. I don't sweat in the pool (or at least I don't feel it)

3) Ditto the above with just getting hot ...

4) Minimal equipment investment (although I keep adding bits of gear)

5) I can do it solo, and on my own schedule

6) I found a reasonably priced local gym with a lap pool.

7) Relative to other exercises I can do in the same period it burns more calories/glycogen.

8) It tends to be a great 'overall' workout. It works many muscle groups, incorporates cardio, aerobic, and light resistance elements.

And by the by, I'm up to 55 minutes, down 54lbs, and my doc cut my diabetes meds in half.

AquaticQuests

Initially it was to lose weight. Have always had painful joints even during my high school and college sports days playing rugby, so I preferred swimming so I wouldn't be limping around all day in pain as a result of exercise!
Lost 33 pounds that way with calorie counting and hit what I consider my goal weight (with perhaps another 5kgs if I really pushed it)!

Then I just enjoyed being in shape and exercise, and wanted to keep doing it to help me maintain my weight loss (which everyone around me was expecting to pile back on immediately). So I kept on.

Then after losing the weight, I belatedly came across this swimmers forum on MFP, and decided I wanted to swim correctly, and started incorporating technique changes. I would get astounded by the distances people were swimming on here. I thought I swam distance, but I was shocked by the distances I was reading on this forum, so I started swimming longer distances, no longer content with the awestruck faces at my pool because I could swim 40 or 50 lengths.

Then I swam my first 5km swimathon which was great and something that seemed impossible previously. Then I realised I was swimming long distances but my times were actually quite slow. The first time I did a 5 km it too me 2 hours 11 min. I was happy/ ecstatic to have completed the distance, but now I wanted to be able to swim it faster.

So I bought a stopwatch and started timing my swims and seeking to bring down the times (previously I was content to just cover the distance).

So it's been a journey and the journey continues.

Why do I do it now? I want to remain fit and trim. I want to be able to swim well. I want to be able to swim fast. I want to be able to swim long. I want to swim into my 90s should the good lord allow me to live that long. I live the confidence that comes with this lifestyle! I love the discipline that comes with 4:30 am wake ups (I used to struggle to get up even at 7:30), and seek to translate this discipline and determination into my work life, spiritual life, etc.

So yeah! Swimming is fantastic!

60sPanda

Swimming was my sport as a child - I spent everyday in the pool and was picked for the council swim team at 12/13 but left as I didn't like the coach. My secondary school didn't have swimming on the curriculum so I stopped swimming, only returning to the pool occasionally. I hated swimming freestyle but loved competing in back and breaststroke.

Until 3 years ago I was heavy, but still fit. Used to walk loads, dance (proper sweat inducing physical dancing for 3-4 hours every Friday and Sat night), then took up Kung Fu.

Then the hip replacement happened, which lead to a bout of MRSA and on crutches for almost two years. I still walked, danced less and stopped Kung Fu as couldn't kick. The weight stayed the same (luckily) but I got really fed up with dressing in black and wanted to wear dresses Very superficial I know, but the health aspect wasn't a primary goal but the new wardrobe was.

So I joined a gym and tried the machines and hated it. There was a pool, but I couldn't do breaststroke due to the hip and as I hated free I didn't bother using it. Then I thought sod this, get back into the pool! One exhausting length of free, then rest, repeat. 6 months later I swam a 5km swimathon in two hours dead. Last year took 5 refresher lessons and learnt fly and how to breaststroke with fly legs. Now I am at a 5km in 1 hour and 40 mins, and am trialling for a masters squad!

Swimming every morning has become my life saver. I feel sooo much better mentally (its odd though, but I don't notice the fitness part but I know I have improved). I dropped 3 stone and now wear dresses all the time. Swimming is making sure I keep the weight off and start each day with a 45 min water meditation me time - bliss.

Robertus

As a Freshman in high school, one of the popular kids insisted that I go out for the swimming team 'cause he didn't like being the only Freshman on the team. I talked another friend of mine to come along that night--we were both smokers, but we figured swimming was not hard. After all, I had taken swimming lessons as a little kid. Well, we were shocked at the distances and speed that the real swimmers were doing. The two smokers got one lane all to ourselves. I quit smoking and the other smoker quit swimming. I really had no reason to be there, but over time I did like getting in shape and being part of the team. I wasn't very good but at the end of the year at least I had no competition for the 'most improved' award! And I met one of my first girlfriends on the swim team.

I only swam competitively that one year in High School, but, later on, in graduate school and later in life, I took up swimming again from time to time, especially in the Winter months because I much preferred long distance running in warmer months. A few years ago I even worked my way up to swimming a mile over three sets but did not stick with it once it was warmer outside. Or the chlorine would irritate my eyes, combined with exercise-induced rhinitis, and working too many hours, and an increasingly lazy and sedentary lifestyle.

A pulmonary embolism, major foot surgery (no more running and limited walking), and, all of the sudden, I had a 35 BMI along with high blood pressure and cholesterol. My doctor told me if I kept gaining weight I would die of a heart attack. It still took me a couple of years, and my wife wanting a divorce, before I got serious about improving my health. But, the main reason I swim is not exactly to improve my health, but rather because it feels so great to be in shape again.

NoelFigart1

I think of all these reasons, some all woo-woo New Agey and some logically practical.

The reality?

I like swimming. It feels good to do it. That's really why.

Macstraw

Anybody who is thinking about getting started should read every post on this thread. What should be readily apparent to anybody is that there are any number of reasons to do it, but the end result is the same - we are all healthier, we all feel better, we are all more active than we used to be. These are all great results & I have no doubt that everybody here who sticks to what they are doing will see even more improvements & reap many more benefits. If there's any doubt about whether to exercise or not, this thread should shatter those doubts.....

Chrysalid2014

As well as fitness, for me it's a form of meditation as all I have to think about is breathing and counting. I'm so glad I rediscovered swimming after a 15 year absence.

girlwithcurls2

I never learned to swim well as a kid. I was terribly fearful, having taken lessons as a little kid, always in water I could not even stand in (I was a short, young kid, so 3ft of water was too much.) Then, at age 11, I got pushed in (again, 3 ft of water), and even though I could have just stood up, I was so panicked, it took 3 grown adults to lift me out. I stayed out of pools for the next 20 years. When I did get back in, it was shallow water fitness for one year while I was pregnant.

FF to a running injury I started deep water fitness class and saw all these gorgeous swimmers, gliding down the lanes, breathing rhythmically, turning around and swimming back. It looked so inviting, I thought, "Hey! I'll start lap swimming!" Ha... along with terrible technique, that former fear of water reared its ugly head. Still, the feeling of hard breathing and putting my face in the water causes an incredible internal conflict.

However, I have discovered that I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge of learning a new skill in my late 40s and my hope is to continue to improve, however slowly, so that when/if I cannot run, I will have my swimming. I have learned so much from people at the pool, people here, and just about how strong and fit I feel when I swim. Now I swim because I love it!

juliet3455

Great stuff from everyone.

After 2 lower leg/knee injuries my physio therapist had recommended a break from my normal cardio / exercise routines. Her actual words were " no more contact sports - no hockey - no basketball".
The Irony is that one injury occurred while walking down stairs to get my Suit Jacket and Tie for a Remembrance day service and the other was a repetitive stress injury/torn muscle from curling. Usually the only injuries in curling happen in the Lounge from to many Wobble Pops.

When I started in February 2014 it was an Adult Learn to Swim class as I did not grow up around swimmable lakes, ponds, rivers or swimming pools. So after 1 sessions ( 5 weeks per ) I had learned to swim. Once I learned to swim it was 25 meters to the end of the pool and hang onto the wall to catch my breath. After the second session of lessons I had improved my front crawl to 50m (2 lengths ) , I had single sided Lateral breathing rather than Heads up, added a breast stroke and a rudimentary survival backstroke.

Over a year latter and 3 more sessions of Lessons the improvements in my skills, cardio, strength and balance have been amazing. Seems strange to say that my balance has improved from swimming but you are balancing your body in the water between the rotational loading effects caused by strokes, kicking and flip turns. This has allowed me to add to my exercise routines outside the pool. Running ( recent PB 4km 25:32 ), Downhill skiing ( More Black diamond runs and raw powder tree runs), Cross Country skiing, Curling, backpacking/hiking etc.

needernt

I swim for about 12 years now. I love it. It is relaxing. But if I want to practice professionally I can saw swimming is amongst the hardest exercises.

fishgutzy

Simple. 3 doctors tools me i had to stop martial arts to avoid more for surgery and I'm supposed to limit walking as well.
Luckily i love swimming. I don't use any mp3 player dieting my swims that can take 3 hours or more if I'm doing 5 miles or a 10k.
For me the worst pay off my travel to coca is that i have no choice but to walk. But i don't have more than a couple years until i won't be able to Walk at all for exercise.
But swimming will never stop unless i develop a chemical sensitivity to chlorine. Right now i just have an addiction to chlorine

Bruceapple

addiction to chlorine Agree

stephenrhinton

Meant to post in another discussion. While you can edit your posts, doesn't seem you can deleted them entirely

aliciamariaq

Because I'm a swimmer. My mother made my 3 brothers and I join a swim team when I was 9 years old and I have been on a swim team on and off for the past 42 years, mostly on. Now I do other excercise as well (running, classes at the gym etc) but the lure of the water (preferably chlorinated but the mediterranean is nice too) is just too great.
I quit my masters swim team a couple of years ago when we moved and I have been looking around for a new one in my new town. The main problem is masters swim team practices are usually around 9pm which is not very convenient. I try to swim laps at the pool nearest me (no masters swim team) but can be very frustrating as no one really respects the lane markers for fast, medium and slow lanes. Also, I miss the cameraderie of the team and the structured workouts which are almost impossible when swimming during the general lap swim hours.

exstromn

I started with walking Oct 2014, when January came I joined my local ymca for $1 (membership drive) as a reward for first 30 lbs lost.

I loved swimming as a child and swam on my town's summer swim team. I was usually in the outdoor city pool from 11am to 5 or 6pm, sometimes went home for supper and came back in the evenings with my younger sister:)

My dad taught me to swim off a sand bar in the Missouri river and I enjoyed many summers swimming in the Lake of the Woods in Ontario Canada.

As an adult I stopped swimming as the weight came on, but now I'm getting back to it. I bob like a cork now and am still wearing a "granny suit" but its great to not feel pain in my joints when exercising and its peaceful. I feel good when I come out of the water

I want to buy a new suit before a cruise next January, I have lost 50 and fully plan to loose another 50 by then.