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Introduction! New member, and new to swimming!

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MarissaTriesAgain
MarissaTriesAgain Posts: 766 Member
in Social Groups
Hi all! Someone in another group referred me to this group, and I am glad I found it!

My name is Marissa. I'm 5' 7", 25 years old, and currently 318.6 lbs as of my bathroom scale yesterday morning. My ultimate goal weight is around 180 lbs, so I have quite a way to go!

I never really considered swimming for weight loss, but my doctor recommended that I swim as my main form of exercise until I hit about 275 lbs to reduce the stress on my back/knees/ankles. I am so glad he did! It is a fantastic feeling to be able to work out without feeling like I'm falling apart! I've been going 3-4 times a week after work at Gold's Gym.

I have already seen quite a difference in my form and my stamina! I believe it is a 25m long pool, and I have been doing about 8 to 10 lengths of the pool each work out, in about 20 minutes.

I'm looking to continue to work on my form, adding in more lenghths every week. It will be a good feeling when I can swim two lengths back to back without having to take a break in between!

I love that I don't feel frustrated during my swimming workouts. I feel motivated, and like it is something I can stick to. I almost never feel that way about an exercise, so I'm glad to have found this community!

I will be going through and familiarizing myself with some of the techniques used by others who swim for weight loss, and can't wait to continue to get better with every swim :)

Replies

  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
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    Welcome to the group, and to an awesome sport-for-life!

    There are some great video tutorial series on YouTube, if you're on the hunt for technique pointers. :)
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Welcome to the chlorine club! I love swimming for many reasons, but chief among them is the wonderful mermaid feeling of weightlessness and the fact the I HATE sweat!
  • mpeters1965
    mpeters1965 Posts: 370 Member
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    Hi Marissa! Welcome to the cult, um, I mean club. Yeah, club. If you haven't already, read the recent "Swimming for Weight Loss" thread we had going. There is a great breakdown of a plan to help you in there. Best of luck. You can do it.
  • MarissaTriesAgain
    MarissaTriesAgain Posts: 766 Member
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    mpeters1965 wrote: »
    Hi Marissa! Welcome to the cult, um, I mean club. Yeah, club. If you haven't already, read the recent "Swimming for Weight Loss" thread we had going. There is a great breakdown of a plan to help you in there. Best of luck. You can do it.

    I definitely will! I've been doing a half way decent job on my own, but it is hard to find advice geared towards weight loss and not competition level swimming!
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Welcome Marissa! You're in the right place. You'll find a fun and varied group of people (varied goals and skill levels, not fun levels, lol)... I'm a new swimmer too. Coming up on my 1 year swimaversary. I have added aqua fitness classes (deep water) to my workouts as well. They are a great way to mix it up, but still get that no impact, chlorine filled workout in. Just keep swimming and you'll get there!
    ~Curly
  • MarissaTriesAgain
    MarissaTriesAgain Posts: 766 Member
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    girlwithcurls2 wrote: »
    Welcome Marissa! You're in the right place. You'll find a fun and varied group of people (varied goals and skill levels, not fun levels, lol)... I'm a new swimmer too. Coming up on my 1 year swimaversary. I have added aqua fitness classes (deep water) to my workouts as well. They are a great way to mix it up, but still get that no impact, chlorine filled workout in. Just keep swimming and you'll get there!
    ~Curly

    Thanks! I'm really looking forward to progressing! There is an aqua fitness class at the Gold's Gym I swim at, but the only day of the week I would be able to go, they only do actual exercise for about 20 minutes, and the rest is water volleyball.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Chlorine addiction is a wonderful thing :)
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Marissa Welcome to the Water Rats/Chlorine Addicts/Swim Cult .........
    Every swimmer started out slow and built up there endurance and technique.
    I love the colder water as it keeps me nice and cool.

    So if you are able to find a pool that has some Adult Learn to Swim/Stroke Improvement Lessons you should try to work it into your schedule/budget. My local community pool is pretty decent for a small Hicksville Town in Northern Canada as they usually have 3-5 lesson sets available during the year and will split the groups based on skills. I managed to get in 3 sets this year and what a difference the little tips and techniques have made to my swimming.

    Don't be afraid to ask any of the lifeguards for tips as most of them ( at my pool anyway ) are certified swim coach's and they are always willing to give little pointers. If you see someone in the pool doing drills don't be afraid to ask them " what is that drill you are doing and how does it help improve swimming technique? ". If your pool has Swim Fins and Kickboards learn where they are stored and search the net for swim videos that show different drills for them.
    Sometimes it just feels Gooooood to put the fins on and do a few superfast lanes without thinking about technique.
    Happy Splashing Marissa.

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