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Ideas please!
gentlygently
Posts: 752 Member
We are getting a puppy very soon and that will mean my blissfully uncrowded 9.30am morning swims will be hard for a bit. ( And it may well be best to focus on walking/cycling with dog in the mornings anyway, even if he becomes used to being left home alone fairly soon.)
I have health issues and still usually need rest after lunch. The pool gets way too crowded for a tempting swim as soon as school is out. There is lane swimming again 7.30 ish onwards - but I usually fade in the evenings....and I have no idea how crowded it will be.
i have to 'make' myself swim. I am not addicted to it like some of you lot, though I recognise it is great for my body, mind (and really importantly for my foot fasciitis!). I think of it as a chore/task that is occasionally a true pleasure. I really don't like crowded swims.
Some background - for those who don't know. I am in slow but steady recovery from Chronic Fatigue - coming up to 3 years now. Swimming has played a big role in the recovery. One recovery goal has been to swim in the evenings. Others have been to swim 1k in 30 mins, and to do a mile every month. I am a lot better, and swimming has been part of the picture but I have to make any changes in a very graded / aware of stresses way or I relapse. I have not made progress on all these goals for a while whilst building back up other areas of my life and also getting back on my bike. So eg evening swimming if I am not feeling good will simple make me more unwell. Or continually added one more length. Or pushing the pace too much.
A typical swim for me is 1k with lots of drills and different stokes as just doing free bores me rigid. For 35-40 mins. Sometimes longer. Usually the morning when I am family reliably fresh. I have had lots of lessons, and am income poor right now.
So ideas on helping me to keep swimming going at a time when it would be way, way too easy to drop it would be really welcome....
Yes I can tell I am in a mental rut here - worried by the impact of the dog (as well as excited to have one!) given my swimming mojo is not high at the mo anyway, and my chronic fatigue is really wearing to live with...and has clearly ground me down a bit on this issue.
Ideas or other encouragement would be really welcome.... Thanks.
I have health issues and still usually need rest after lunch. The pool gets way too crowded for a tempting swim as soon as school is out. There is lane swimming again 7.30 ish onwards - but I usually fade in the evenings....and I have no idea how crowded it will be.
i have to 'make' myself swim. I am not addicted to it like some of you lot, though I recognise it is great for my body, mind (and really importantly for my foot fasciitis!). I think of it as a chore/task that is occasionally a true pleasure. I really don't like crowded swims.
Some background - for those who don't know. I am in slow but steady recovery from Chronic Fatigue - coming up to 3 years now. Swimming has played a big role in the recovery. One recovery goal has been to swim in the evenings. Others have been to swim 1k in 30 mins, and to do a mile every month. I am a lot better, and swimming has been part of the picture but I have to make any changes in a very graded / aware of stresses way or I relapse. I have not made progress on all these goals for a while whilst building back up other areas of my life and also getting back on my bike. So eg evening swimming if I am not feeling good will simple make me more unwell. Or continually added one more length. Or pushing the pace too much.
A typical swim for me is 1k with lots of drills and different stokes as just doing free bores me rigid. For 35-40 mins. Sometimes longer. Usually the morning when I am family reliably fresh. I have had lots of lessons, and am income poor right now.
So ideas on helping me to keep swimming going at a time when it would be way, way too easy to drop it would be really welcome....
Yes I can tell I am in a mental rut here - worried by the impact of the dog (as well as excited to have one!) given my swimming mojo is not high at the mo anyway, and my chronic fatigue is really wearing to live with...and has clearly ground me down a bit on this issue.
Ideas or other encouragement would be really welcome.... Thanks.
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Replies
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Hmm not a lot of ideas. How would it be if you just took a day at a time and gauged energy levels and flexibility of commitments, and swam when the opportunity arose?0
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Would having a swim buddy help you enjoy it, and have that accountability factor as well? Plus then you can share ideas for workouts, get feed back on stroke technique, etc.0
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Gently, I wish I could be your swim buddy. We have more in common than not... I do agree with emma that maybe taking it one day at a time might be realistic. But go into each day with a plan to swim. Let yourself off the hook if it's just NOT going to work/happen. This helped me (as a beginner swimmer who rarely had a good swim day, but could only improve by continuing to go, lol). I still have to play mental games with myself to remind myself how much better I feel when I go, even though I don't feel like going. I would try to go as often as you can muster while you get through this. Taking puppy breaks might rejuvenate you when you can get back to morning swims.
Hang in there. I feel for you.
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Thanks everyone. All really wise and helpful suggestions.
I have decided to put a shout out to my known swimming friends, and also at my Meeting (bit like church) where I might find some new buddies.
I also talked the prob thru with hubby and kiddie, and we've incorporated into our planned new schedules me leaving for an eve swim 1x a week the same time as they leave for the evening puppy walk ... And hubby has moved his yoga class so I can swim with my daughter when she has her eve class rather than pup sit.
And I may go in the car - I usually walk/bike, but hey if this helps make eves possible .... And not expect myself to do a 'big' swim.
As ever, writing out a problem on MFP helped me think it through, be open to change, calmly. So thank you for listening and suggesting.
Yes - I've often thought we would make good swim buddies Curly! X1 -
The dog needs to adapt to YOUR schedule-- not the other way around0
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Quite agree!
However it is a puppy and I want to train it to be left (not increase the likelihood of separation anxiety by leaving it too long too early).
Hopefully I will be able to leave it for good chunks of time pretty soon! But until it is ready....0
This discussion has been closed.