Swimming
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kshama2001 wrote: »rachelecosse wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »rachelecosse wrote: »If you plan to swim lengths regularly, it gets old reaaaaallllll fast, so maybe treat yourself to an underwater MP3 player. Mine was £50 from Sony, and is the only reason I have managed to go swimming four times a week all year without dying of boredom.
Ya, if I plan to swim longer than 30 minutes I use one. The ones I've tried are a little fussy. What brand do you use?
I have this now: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043CUQU0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
Got this for a lot less than current list price but it died after a year or two, which may not be a bad lifecycle for these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T8H582?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
This is mine: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Walkman-NWZW273S-Waterproof-Swimming/dp/B00I05EFO4/ref=dp_ob_title_ce (I have it in white because that makes me feel a little like Olivia Pope). It's cordless, so no wires to get caught, and the width adjuster holds it on to my ponytail without goggles or a swimming cap. The buttons are tiny, but stand-y out-y so not too tricky for me, and the ear bits fit in my ears even though I have teeny ear canals. (Genuinely the best £50 I have ever spent in my LIFE and my favourite thing I own.)
I only do twenty minutes of swimming at a time, but I get bored really fast and start dawdling and checking out the guys and looking at the babies and don't get a proper work out if I don't use it.
No wires!
/drools/
That one looks a little like mine. Best money I ever spent.
OP, I'm a terrible swimmer, so I water jog. The weight's been melting off me ever since I started. I'm lucky I've found a gym near me with a deep water pool to continue doing this when our swim club closes.
I disagree with the person who thinks exercising in the water isn't a fat burner. It works almost your whole body.
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lol just lolMostlyWater wrote: »It's not a great fat burner.
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I'm not a very confident or competent swimmer but my advice is:
1. Don't forget your swimming costume! (I did this in uni after building up the scary visit to the pool. Swimming fail.)
2. Wear clothes that are easy to get in and out of. (Cursed skinny jeans many a time.)
3. Use the time in the pool to plan and think of other things. (I like to zone out if I'm jogging and plan my weekend outfits or meals or job applications.)
4. Go with a friend. (Can make you commit to turning up at a specified time.)
5. Or don't go with a friend. (It's about you! Be free and independent.)
6. Don't wear non-waterproof mascara. (In case you're going at the end of a day with your day makeup still on.)
But mainly the first one.0 -
oh my gosh--swimming is the best. I like the meditative nature of it and the fact that I don't need a bunch of equipment/stuff--I have short hair so I don't bother with a swim cap so all I need is the suit. I always grab suits when I see them on sale at sports stores whether I need one or not--I think the most I have ever spent for a pretty good speedo racing suit was $40. mind you, I am not a great swimmer, I just love it. I use a kick board for free style but I can do back stroke on my own. those are the only two strokes I can do. I count laps--I think 36 is half a mile and I can do that in about 30 minutes. I don't have any underwater music--part of what I like is the quiet. see what works for you, but it was my understanding that swimming is in fact a great fat burner plus all over workout.0
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Swimming is the best! I love swimming laps, just back and forth, focusing on my breathing. Very relaxing and a good workout.
Thanks for posting the links to the calorie counters, but they show something vastly different than my heart rate monitor. My HRM says I've only burnt about 400 calories after an hour of laps (I'm slow and focus on endurance), but the calorie counter says I burn 700! Surely the HRM is more accurate?0 -
rachelecosse wrote: »If you plan to swim lengths regularly, it gets old reaaaaallllll fast, so maybe treat yourself to an underwater MP3 player. Mine was £50 from Sony, and is the only reason I have managed to go swimming four times a week all year without dying of boredom.
I had no idea such a thing existed! I'm absolutely going to add that to my swimming gear.
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My favorite swimming drill with new swimmers is 75 kick/swim/pull drill. Swim one length of the pool just kicking with a kick-board, then leave the kick-board on that side and swim back to where you started freestlye/front crawl, then swim back to your kick-board using only your arms (again using the freestyle stroke)
I like this drill because it allows for rest between harder sections and allows you to build your endurance gradually.0 -
Great tips here! Never thought about audio books in the water! This would help the boredom factor immensely!0
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hobbeskastiel wrote: »TeresaMarie2015 wrote: »I was recently restricted to either swimming, biking, or elliptical by my dr - because of foot problems. I have never liked swimming - but I probably should admit that I don't like being seen in a swimsuit so that's probably most of the issue
Well I've dropped almost 55 pounds this year - and I bought a swimsuit. Let's see if I take the plunge!
I swim in shorts and a t shirt. Do what ya gotta do!
Please don't! You should never wear street clothes in a swimming pool. The detergents that you use to wash clothing are horrible for the water. I started swimming at 300 pounds and had no problem finding a Lands End swimsuit that fit me. Most pools would kick you out for not wearing proper swim attire.
I love to swim. I do 2-4 miles a week, mostly backstroke. My mile (5280 feet, NOT a swimmer's mile) PR is 31 minutes. I am pretty much always under 35 minutes/mile, even if I am loafing.0 -
megomerrett wrote: »I'm not a very confident or competent swimmer but my advice is:
1. Don't forget your swimming costume! (I did this in uni after building up the scary visit to the pool. Swimming fail.)
2. Wear clothes that are easy to get in and out of. (Cursed skinny jeans many a time.)
3. Use the time in the pool to plan and think of other things. (I like to zone out if I'm jogging and plan my weekend outfits or meals or job applications.)
4. Go with a friend. (Can make you commit to turning up at a specified time.)
5. Or don't go with a friend. (It's about you! Be free and independent.)
6. Don't wear non-waterproof mascara. (In case you're going at the end of a day with your day makeup still on.)
But mainly the first one.
ALL makeup should come off before you get in the pool. This is what the cleansing shower is for--you need to get all dust, pollen, dirt, sweat and cosmetics OFF of your body before you get in the water. Your hair must be wet and your face must be scrubbed. I keep makeup wipes in my gym bag just for this purpose.
Most pools drain the water *maybe* once a year. Anything that you put in the water STAYS in the water that the rest of us have to swim in.0 -
I would love to start swimming for exercise. I just got back from the lake and actually got in the water for the first time in about 12 years. It was so much fun and I forgot how much I loved being in the water (I grew up with a pool in the backyard). However, at the moment, I do not have access to a pool. Where do you all go to swim? Your local YMCA?
Also, since it has been so long, my swimming skills could use a little work, but I can still swim. I am just worried about doing laps and disturbing others around me with my splashing. I am no graceful dolphin in the water.....LOL. I am just not familiar with the "etiquette" in a lap pool.0 -
I prefer an aqua class too.0
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I would love to start swimming for exercise. I just got back from the lake and actually got in the water for the first time in about 12 years. It was so much fun and I forgot how much I loved being in the water (I grew up with a pool in the backyard). However, at the moment, I do not have access to a pool. Where do you all go to swim? Your local YMCA?
Also, since it has been so long, my swimming skills could use a little work, but I can still swim. I am just worried about doing laps and disturbing others around me with my splashing. I am no graceful dolphin in the water.....LOL. I am just not familiar with the "etiquette" in a lap pool.
If it's anything like my pool, everyone is friendly, as long as you don't splash, spit water, and make sure you follow the swimming direction on the signs! (i.e. clockwise/anticlockwise). The pool I visit is run by the council - the facilities are basic, but it's the biggest pool in the town and is always spotless and the perfect temperature.0 -
YAY! swimming thread!! Swimming DOES burn calories... i was a long distance swimmer in high school, so i have a bit of knowledge in the area... i hadnt swam LAPS in years before i started up at my gym in January this year.
- Start slow! build up... do a couple extra laps each time... and if some days youre more tired, do what you can.
- I am very pro kick boards! if you keep yourself at a slightly challenged pace, you can keep your heart rate in the fat burning zone, no problem. swim laps till youre warmed up.. push yourself for a few laps to get your heart rate up, then grab a kick board and just do laps kicking for a while. then start over with the slow lap swimming.
i can usually burn between 300-340 calories swimming laps for 45 minutes. eventually, youll get there! best fully body cardio.
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I would love to start swimming for exercise. I just got back from the lake and actually got in the water for the first time in about 12 years. It was so much fun and I forgot how much I loved being in the water (I grew up with a pool in the backyard). However, at the moment, I do not have access to a pool. Where do you all go to swim? Your local YMCA?
Also, since it has been so long, my swimming skills could use a little work, but I can still swim. I am just worried about doing laps and disturbing others around me with my splashing. I am no graceful dolphin in the water.....LOL. I am just not familiar with the "etiquette" in a lap pool.
Don't worry about what you're doing in your own lane, but maybe call the facility to find out when are the best times to go to make sure you won't have to share a lane.
I swim in the pond at Mom's, but if that wasn't available and I could tolerate chlorine, would use the Y, yes. My Y posts the pool schedule on their website plus has handouts and I can tell I'd want to avoid when the pool team was practicing, etc.
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I would love to start swimming for exercise. I just got back from the lake and actually got in the water for the first time in about 12 years. It was so much fun and I forgot how much I loved being in the water (I grew up with a pool in the backyard). However, at the moment, I do not have access to a pool. Where do you all go to swim? Your local YMCA?
Also, since it has been so long, my swimming skills could use a little work, but I can still swim. I am just worried about doing laps and disturbing others around me with my splashing. I am no graceful dolphin in the water.....LOL. I am just not familiar with the "etiquette" in a lap pool.
Call around, some gyms have pools too. The Y near me is actually the most expensive pool option! I belong to an LA Fitness that has a pool, and I'll be switching over to a gym attached to a medical facility that has 4 pools this fall.
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. I am just not familiar with the "etiquette" in a lap pool.
If it's anything like my pool, everyone is friendly, as long as you don't splash, spit water, and make sure you follow the swimming direction on the signs! (i.e. clockwise/anticlockwise). The pool I visit is run by the council - the facilities are basic, but it's the biggest pool in the town and is always spotless and the perfect temperature.[/quote]
I would add:
-if your stroke is slow/bad, practice in the lane set aside for water aerobics/walking
-don't run on the pool deck
-don't jump or dive if the pool is shallow/those things are prohibited/people are swimming laps
-don't scream or have loud conversations (everything echoes in the pool)
-don't hog the lane (they are meant to be shared--do not swim down the center and take up the whole lane)
-enter the pool at the correct end; never enter the pool in the middle while people are swimming
-never stop in the middle of a lane; if you can't swim a whole length, don't get in the pool during lap time
-do not pull, sit on or try to jump over the lane lines (always swim under them)
-do not jump on or in front of other swimmers
-do not wear street clothes, makeup or perfume in the pool
-do not use/steal/move other swimmers' personal equipment
-do not leave garbage/debris on the pool deck
-do not photograph or videotape other swimmers without permission; in the US, this is illegal in private gyms
-DO supervise your children closely and avoid bringing them to lap swim times unless they are swimming laps)
-DO be clean (take a cleansing shower; do not pee in the pool)
-DO treat all shared equipment with respect and put it away when you are done
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My daughters were both swimmers and they were always very lean and fit.0
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I miss swimming SO MUCH (ruined my shoulder with competitive backstroke and butterfly). Here would be my advice:
-Switch up the workouts. Don't just swim back and forth for an hour (unless you like it, in which case totally do that) but do some laps, some sprints, some different strokes, etc to keep your mind busy.
-KICK. It is possible to swim "easy" and not burn a ton of calories, and the way to do that is to not use your feet. Remember the kick is as important as the stroke and it's what burns the most calories. Grabbing a kickboard and working with it will burn way more calories than just pulling yourself down the pool freestyle will.
-Hydrate. Swimming is lovely because you don't feel sweaty, but that doesn't mean you aren't sweating! Stop and take water breaks.
As for etiquette, if you have questions just ask. Try to stay in your lane - "drifters" are a pain in the butt but nobody notices splashers
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PeachyCarol wrote: »I would love to start swimming for exercise. I just got back from the lake and actually got in the water for the first time in about 12 years. It was so much fun and I forgot how much I loved being in the water (I grew up with a pool in the backyard). However, at the moment, I do not have access to a pool. Where do you all go to swim? Your local YMCA?
Also, since it has been so long, my swimming skills could use a little work, but I can still swim. I am just worried about doing laps and disturbing others around me with my splashing. I am no graceful dolphin in the water.....LOL. I am just not familiar with the "etiquette" in a lap pool.
Call around, some gyms have pools too. The Y near me is actually the most expensive pool option! I belong to an LA Fitness that has a pool, and I'll be switching over to a gym attached to a medical facility that has 4 pools this fall.
Ya, the Y is by far the most expensive option around me. On the plus side, they do offer reduced rate scholarships for those who qualify.
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