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Mona90Alien
Mona90Alien Posts: 13 Member
in Social Groups
Hii,

I've always loved to swim when I was younger but I picked up running rather then swimming. I always thought it was a hassle to get undressed and to get that hair wet every time....
BUT now my knees hurt frequently (I'm only 24) and I ran into old family members who had knee trouble and even a knee transplant I kinda started to think I might rather swim for my knee's sake then run.... (I already took glucosamine which helped but it doesn't do miracles) .
Soooo HERE I AM
How do I get started...... Any advice on a training shedule ?

Thanks X

Replies

  • Linda_Jaques
    Linda_Jaques Posts: 13 Member
    I started swimming again after a 15 year break about 3 years ago. My first venture into the pool was rather harrowing, I went late at night, when it wasn't very busy and not many people would see the size of me! LOL That first night I did eight lengths of breastroke, stopping after each length to get my breath back. I had decided that the way forward was to increase the number of lengths weekly. I went four to five times a week and did the same eight lengths and then increased it to 12 the following week. I continued this way for months, and the increases were taking less than a week the fitter I got. After 4 months I was swimming 120 lengths, this was in a 25m pool. I lost 4 stone (56 pounds), just by swimming and eating healthily, I didn't count calories. I had to buy several swimming costumes along the way. I still swim now and have joined a triathlon group. I now do front crawl and that has helped me lose even more weght. Every journey starts with one small step or in this case a stroke or length, There were times when I felt llike not going, but I forced myself to do it as I wanted the rewards so badly. In the water you are weightless and there is no strain on your joints. I have arthritis and can honestly say the only time I am pain free is when I am up and down the pool. Start slow and build up and you will reap the rewards.
  • Mona90Alien
    Mona90Alien Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks, what an inspiring story! Got me all excited to start swimming!! :-D
  • dickrocketjones
    dickrocketjones Posts: 78 Member
    What helped me the most when I started swimming was a training snorkel. I purchased mine through swimoutlet.com. It helped me build endurance by allowing me to go multiple laps nonstop. It lets you really concentrate on smoothing out your stroke without getting out of breath. When I would get gassed doing a regular freestyle I would put on the snorkel and I would do several laps with the snorkel emphasizing my form. It really seemed to help and I was able to add distance quickly. good luck
  • ImaWaterBender
    ImaWaterBender Posts: 516 Member
    I started swimming, as opposed to my typical pool activity of just bobbing around and walking, back in Feburary of 2013. I watched some Youtube videos, especially this one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMSE65dWcl8

    In which people who don't know how to get their face into the water without drowning, learn to swim. I started with bubbling in the water and eventually got comfortable with having my face in the water.

    My goal has always been to keep things simple. I tried using some gear, such as flippers and gloves, but they bothered me and the gloves actually made my wrists ache.

    I have a timex underwater watch (called an Ironman), Mack's ear plugs and speedo goggles. I also have a toy called a Finis Neptune music player, which is awesome and attaches to my goggles.

    I choose to exercise by time, rather than laps. This is because as I get faster, if I am still keeping to the same time, I will do more laps. I gradually increase my time.

    I started out with freestyle and then eventually learned the breast and butterfly stroke.

    I strive to enjoy my time. I try to have my routine streamlined:

    I have a mesh bag, which carries my Ion Shampoo to get rid of chlorine, a coconut type conditioner, a bar of soap in a soap container, some razors, ear plugs, a nylon speedo swim cap (plastic ones pull my hair!). The mesh dries nicely and does not build up any icky mold or mildew. I have some extra hair ties in there and an extra cap in case mine gets lost or ripped. Hair management is so important. The more the hair is loose in the water, the worse the chlorine bothers it.

    Plus, who wants to take a breathe and get a mouthful of hair? :noway:

    Whatever you do in the pool, you will find that you burn a lot more than walking or anything else. For the same measure of activity, water exercise burns much nicer because of the resistance of the water. Enjoy!

    You can friend me if you need a swim buddy. Or anyone who wants another swim buddy.
  • rom838love
    rom838love Posts: 20 Member
    Swimming is such a great way to exercise while being easier on the joints! Glad you are willing to try it again. Yes, it can be annoying to prepare beforehand and with the wet hair and stuff, but I just use it instead of my normal shower time, so my hair is getting wet anyway!
    It depends on where your skill level is at. Linda has a good point with just working your way up. You can increase distance, time, or try to decrease the amount of breaths you take in a length, or try to kick more, or focus on your arms more. I like ****rocketjon's idea of using a snorkel. If you're not good at breathing in the beginning it can be really frustrating to do freestyle. The snorkel allows you to still get cardio in and not worry about if you can get your head out or not. However, there can be a learning curve for snorkel use to not get water up your nose, so it depends on if you're willing to deal with that.
    Once you get comfortable, you can go to somewhere like swimplan.com to get swim workouts (or just Google it).
    Make sure you mix it up or you might get bored quickly, or could develop shoulder problems if you don't stretch or do different things. Try to learn several strokes (YouTube is a great resource!) to vary your workouts.
    Also, aquarobics/water aerobics is wonderful for something different. See if your local pool has it, or look up videos of exercises and do them during a free/open swim. You can run, jump, and do different exercises in the water and have less impact (shallow water) or no impact (deep water with/without a flotation belt) compared to on land.
    Have fun!
  • kbullfrog
    kbullfrog Posts: 3
    Congratulations, what an inspiring story!
  • kbullfrog
    kbullfrog Posts: 3
    I am fascinated by the use of the swim snorkel! I had never heard of it until recently.
  • ImaWaterBender
    ImaWaterBender Posts: 516 Member
    Swimming is such a great way to exercise while being easier on the joints! Glad you are willing to try it again. Yes, it can be annoying to prepare beforehand and with the wet hair and stuff, but I just use it instead of my normal shower time, so my hair is getting wet anyway!

    I haven't showered in my house in a month. It's all done at the pool.
  • rom838love
    rom838love Posts: 20 Member
    Bullfrog, snorkels are awesome! But if you're going to get one, I suggest not going with the general side snorkel that you normally think of or see when you go vacationing somewhere. The best ones (that I have found, although I'm always open to more input) are the ones that go straight over your head.
    This is the one I've had for 10 years and like: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/finis-swimmers-snorkel-1221/?color=39094
    It helps with proper head and body position, even hand entry because your arm won't hit it. It also can help relieve neck/back pain from turning to the side while breathing. I only train with it about a third of the time, but I really like to, especially when I'm focusing on technique or kicking. You might need a nose clip if you get water up your nose though! It can take some getting used to.
  • ImaWaterBender
    ImaWaterBender Posts: 516 Member
    I need to get one for my husband. He can't get the breathing, so he won't swim, but he would swim with a snorkel.

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