why is swimming so out of favour right now?
nik_nak_83
Posts: 37 Member
Just curious...
In my quest to.become fitter I have found a renewed love of swimming, splashing about for fun, dedicated lane swimming and specific swimfit classes. I have tried to encourage friends who are also trying to get.fit to come with me but each time I ask I am.met with scrunched up noses and comments like 'i don't like getting wet', or 'its such a hassle'.
Just wondering if this is a general trend or if there are people out that that still love a swim?
In my quest to.become fitter I have found a renewed love of swimming, splashing about for fun, dedicated lane swimming and specific swimfit classes. I have tried to encourage friends who are also trying to get.fit to come with me but each time I ask I am.met with scrunched up noses and comments like 'i don't like getting wet', or 'its such a hassle'.
Just wondering if this is a general trend or if there are people out that that still love a swim?
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Replies
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I love swimming but have no pool access.
But doing legit lap swimming requires a decent swimsuit. I've almost lost my top wearing a bikini from Target lol0 -
I love a swim, but I have to admit, before I got my (at the time very long) hair cut quite short, I'd often not go swimming because it was a pain. I don't like washing my hair at night, because it is thick and stays wet, and I don't have a dryer. So yeah, I was on the hassle bandwagon!0
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(given that swimming burns way more cals than running, is less strain on joints and brilliant for toning too, why is it so undesirable at the moment?)0
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lishie_rebooted wrote: »I love swimming but have no pool access.
But doing legit lap swimming requires a decent swimsuit. I've almost lost my top wearing a bikini from Target lol
Haha, yes, like all activity it does require appropriate gear!0 -
it is a pain. Unless you can do it after work.
I get ready for work and don't want to have to worry about applying makeup and doing my hair again at lunch.
and the pool in my town is cold...I hate swimming in cold water.0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »I love a swim, but I have to admit, before I got my (at the time very long) hair cut quite short, I'd often not go swimming because it was a pain. I don't like washing my hair at night, because it is thick and stays wet, and I don't have a dryer. So yeah, I was on the hassle bandwagon!
I get the hair thing! I recently had my long locks chopped...maybe that's why I'm so into it now!
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nik_nak_83 wrote: »(given that swimming burns way more cals than running, is less strain on joints and brilliant for toning too, why is it so undesirable at the moment?)
To each their own, IMO.
Some people like swimming, some don't.0 -
The cost of it nowadays (here in the UK where I am anyway!) is prohibitive for a lot of people. It is almost £5 each for a short session (an hour at a push) in the pool due to the many different "sessions" that are offered (usually women only due to the Islamic community where the pools are all situated in).0
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nik_nak_83 wrote: »given that swimming burns way more cals than running, is less strain on joints and brilliant for toning too, why is it so undesirable at the moment?
Swimming at an intensity that's enough to burn more calories than running is very hard work, and needs good form. Pootling along doing breasts stroke while talking to your mate, doesn't burn much at all. For me, swimming is a solitary activity as I'm working hard to improve performance.
I wouldn't say that it's out of fashion per se, but the vast majority of people at the pool aren't training, they're relaxing. Even at a dedicated adult lane swimming session I'd say fewer than half do a decent workout.
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I love swimming, and use it as my main form of exercise. I currently live in a tropical climate so swimming is much more pleasant than trying to run in this heat and humidity!0
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MeanderingMammal wrote: »nik_nak_83 wrote: »given that swimming burns way more cals than running, is less strain on joints and brilliant for toning too, why is it so undesirable at the moment?
Swimming at an intensity that's enough to burn more calories than running is very hard work, and needs good form. Pootling along doing breasts stroke while talking to your mate, doesn't burn much at all. For me, swimming is a solitary activity as I'm working hard to improve performance.
I wouldn't say that it's out of fashion per se, but the vast majority of people at the pool aren't training, they're relaxing. Even at a dedicated adult lane swimming session I'd say fewer than half do a decent workout.
Totally get it, each of my.swim sessions is minimum a mile in 45mins (is that pootling?) I am talking about dedicated swimming for fitness, swimming that I am hoping will build up my stamina and breathing for other things like running...in my.own world.that is my training.0 -
fannydazzle wrote: »I love swimming, and use it as my main form of exercise. I currently live in a tropical climate so swimming is much more pleasant than trying to run in this heat and humidity!
Very jealous!!!0 -
mynameisoliverqueen wrote: »The cost of it nowadays (here in the UK where I am anyway!) is prohibitive for a lot of people. It is almost £5 each for a short session (an hour at a push) in the pool due to the many different "sessions" that are offered (usually women only due to the Islamic community where the pools are all situated in).
See my local council run pool does a monthly membership for about £35 and you can swim as much as you like for that. However I stopped going because the lane swimming sessions were so busy you couldn't really swim properly and continuously. It's a real shame!0 -
nik_nak_83 wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »nik_nak_83 wrote: »given that swimming burns way more cals than running, is less strain on joints and brilliant for toning too, why is it so undesirable at the moment?
Swimming at an intensity that's enough to burn more calories than running is very hard work, and needs good form. Pootling along doing breasts stroke while talking to your mate, doesn't burn much at all. For me, swimming is a solitary activity as I'm working hard to improve performance.
I wouldn't say that it's out of fashion per se, but the vast majority of people at the pool aren't training, they're relaxing. Even at a dedicated adult lane swimming session I'd say fewer than half do a decent workout.
Totally get it, each of my.swim sessions is minimum a mile in 45mins (is that pootling?) I am talking about dedicated swimming for fitness, swimming that I am hoping will build up my stamina and breathing for other things like running...in my.own world.that is my training.
Well it's not shabby, that might be part of it as that's a decent session so friends just aren't up to that.
Notwithstanding that, I can see the hassle argument for many.
It should help your aerobic base, but it's not particularly analogous to running as the muscle groups are different. It is a good cross training discipline though.
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I used to love swimming as a kid, my dad would literally have to drag me out of the pool. Maybe I'll take it back up when the moob's are smaller lol.0
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nik_nak_83 wrote: »Just curious...
In my quest to.become fitter I have found a renewed love of swimming, splashing about for fun, dedicated lane swimming and specific swimfit classes. I have tried to encourage friends who are also trying to get.fit to come with me but each time I ask I am.met with scrunched up noses and comments like 'i don't like getting wet', or 'its such a hassle'.
Just wondering if this is a general trend or if there are people out that that still love a swim?
Is it? I swim a couple of times most week I never new it was out of favour. It probably depends on who you know etc0 -
isulo_kura wrote: »nik_nak_83 wrote: »Just curious...
In my quest to.become fitter I have found a renewed love of swimming, splashing about for fun, dedicated lane swimming and specific swimfit classes. I have tried to encourage friends who are also trying to get.fit to come with me but each time I ask I am.met with scrunched up noses and comments like 'i don't like getting wet', or 'its such a hassle'.
Just wondering if this is a general trend or if there are people out that that still love a swim?
Is it? I swim a couple of times most week I never new it was out of favour. It probably depends on who you know etc
Well, it is definitely not "trending" at the moment that I have seen. On MFP, lifting heavy seems to be the go-to du jour. I go to a gym that has a 3 lane lap pool and see maybe 2 people a week in there working. This could be due to WHEN I hit the gym, but still, the pool is included in membership cost, and I wonder at the lack of users. I swim only occasionally because I am currently on the lifting bandwagon and I know I "pootle" (hee hee, that amused me 'cause it is exactly what I do and is a cute word to describe it) in the pool rather than getting a more focused workout. Besides, I am not training for triathalons. Also, I find that when I swim, I get -hungry-! It is hard to have an evening swim, even with the pootling, and come home with a growling tummy. I just want to Eat All The Things after swimming, so I find myself avoiding it.0 -
mynameisoliverqueen wrote: »The cost of it nowadays (here in the UK where I am anyway!) is prohibitive for a lot of people. It is almost £5 each for a short session (an hour at a push) in the pool due to the many different "sessions" that are offered (usually women only due to the Islamic community where the pools are all situated in).
See my local council run pool does a monthly membership for about £35 and you can swim as much as you like for that. However I stopped going because the lane swimming sessions were so busy you couldn't really swim properly and continuously. It's a real shame!
That's a great deal, not surprised its packed!0 -
I love swimming. Like someone else mentioned, it's a good cross training activity, and even though I am working hard I find it relaxing - probably a mixture of the quietness of the pool I go to, the warm water, time to think.
However, it is £5 a session so it's not cheap, especially if you're already paying for a gym membership elsewhere like I am, I find it makes me hungry way beyond the calories I've burnt (which for me is under 200 per half an hour, because I am small and not a very accomplished swimmer), and to be honest there are days I do not feel like being in swimwear in public.
I don't think it's particularly un-trendy or gets a bad rap though. I think a lot of people are aware of its benefits, like being low impact and using all the main muscle groups.0 -
Well, there are two types of swimming: anything goes and lane swimming. With anything goes, people get in your way and you can't do laps. With lane swimming, you get told off by the serious swimmers for being too damn slow.
The chlorine is bad for your skin (if you have eczema or sensitive skin, it's particularly awful) and if you're quasi-blind, you need to buy prescription goggles, which aren't ideal or flattering. You also have to shower at a public shower afterwards because you're wet and covered in chlorine - if you go to the gym and don't live too far away, you can go back to your own space and clean up there. With swimming, you're committed to the public shower.
Simply put: it is one giant hassle.
Probably not clear from the above, but I did actually really enjoy swimming when I was younger. I think it's a great form of exercise, particularly if you need something easy on your joints. It's just not for me anymore.0
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