why is swimming so out of favour right now?

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  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    I swam competitively as a teen. I sucked. Badly. Oh, so badly.
    For many years I disliked it for that reason and additional body image issues. Hey, one is pretty naked there.

    Now I don't care, I'd rather be outdoors cycling. I can run anywhere for free. Climbing doesn't burn my eyes. Parkour is more challenging.... Etc. I swim as a compliment to other training or specifically when I have goals in that area. But there isn't any hate towards swimming. Pools are still pretty full.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    I really truly don't like getting wet (in a pool). It is a hassle. To change into a suit, then shower, dry off, lotion up and get dressed afterwards is significantly more of an annoyance than any pleasure I get out of swimming.

    And I HATE what chlorine does to my hair. Add that to the fact that I don't like getting my hair wet any more than I have to anyway, and I find styling it a chore, leaves swimming pretty much out of the question. It's just not fun to me. I probably swim 2-3 times a year and that's it.
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
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    I love swimming, but the last time I swam laps I limped out of there with horrible tendonitis in both knees. I was out for like a week and I was not happy about it. I haven't been back. I do CrossFit and run instead, all without pain. Weird.
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
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    I love swimming! (Can you tell from my picture? lol). It is a hassle, but it's a great workout, and I find it relaxing. I used to be a swimmer and then stopped when I had a neck injury. I've been getting back into it and recently completed a swimathon (2.5km). I'm going to sound grumpy, but I'd rather it not be a trendy thing to do because the quieter the pool is, the happier I am.
  • jonnyman41
    jonnyman41 Posts: 1,031 Member
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    I pay membership for a council run gym which has classes, gym and swimming. I like to swim before work and take 20p with me so that I can dry my hair and then head straight to work. I am not a make up person so no issues there as long as my hair is under control lol. I go even when I only have 15-20 mins sometimes and just make sure I swim fast
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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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?

    There are a couple of people on my friend list who include swimming or water aerobics as part of their exercise regularly.
    I don't swim very well and I don't really enjoy it. I never have. I don't exercise at a gym because it costs money and would be a hassle to get to for me... A pool would be the same. So I would turn you down too but not because I think it is a bad exercise. It just isn't for me.
    If you love swimming and want company there maybe try to make friends with people you meet at the pool through your classes and such just like runners seek out other runners.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    So the muslims own & run the pools, and you have to agree to their rules in order to use it?
    Or the entity which owns the pool (city?) just caters to them?
    Why allow the city to ignore other residents?


    Cater for the market. If there's demand for women only sessions then there's going to be a fair need for women only sessions. It's not merely where there are areas of significant islamic population, I don't recall being in an area where the municipal pools didn't have a large proportion of women only sessions. Equally they do tend to be in the working day.

    My local pool has very few sessions that are suitable for training tbh, generally at quite inconvenient hours, given the need for women only sessions, family sessions where an unaccompanied man is treated with suspicion and sessions where they won't put out a lane in case it inconveniences the slow breast stroke, chatting to your mate segment of the market.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    All my reasons are covered
    - chlorine is hard on hair and skin. Some indoor pools use so much of it to counteract pool grossness people leave that you choke on the smell alone
    - showering it off properly is annoying and takes extra time out of the day, especially with wavy or curly hair
    - issues with prescription goggles
    - scheduling doesn't always work (timing meals can be a problem too)
    - swimming technique - I don't know if I'll ever do a not-crazy-feeling front crawl, and can't seem to get a grip on breathing properly for that stroke. I feel totally out of control with that one. I can only do breaststroke, a kind of modified side stroke, and kicks with the board. Doing the same strokes all the time is bad in that it sets you up for repetitive strain.

    That said, I enjoy the bad swimming I can do, especially in outdoor pools (less of that chlorine haze)
  • Bobbykins1
    Bobbykins1 Posts: 18 Member
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    LovelyIvy466 wrote: »
    It's cost and location prohibitive for a lot of people. It's relatively cheap to buy weights or a cardio machine and running is free, but if you don't have a pool you're pretty much out of luck. Some people have nice pools nearby, but there is generally an ongoing cost to use them. Plus you'll have to drive to get to the pool, change in a yucky damp dressing room, finally work out, change out of your gear, wash and condition your hair thoroughly, and then drive back home. Huge hassle compared to almost any other workout activity IMO.

    The cost and opportunities would vary greatly depending on where you live but I find the other points easy to overcome. I avoid changing at the pool by going in my swim attire under a coverup, shorts/pants and a shirt that just need to be quickly removed. Similarly, if the showers there are busy or unpleasant, I just drive home sitting on a thick towel and use my own shower. I'd surely have equal need of a shower if I'd run far enough or engaged in any workout enough to work up a sweat. Fortunately for me since I prefer water exercise, I do have affordable pool access for at least a couple of times weekly in colder weather and daily in summer.
  • Greenkat57
    Greenkat57 Posts: 24 Member
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    I absolutely love swimming and we have a backyard pool.

    However, even being that lucky there are some barriers to overcome.

    First, the Northeast weather! We can only use the pool about 3 months/year.

    Second, it IS time consuming to get changed, get in pool & do your thing, get out, change & do your hair & make-up AGAIN, etc.

    I make an effort to commit to 4x's/week for at least an hour. It is truly my favorite form of activity b/c I have bad knees, and it is SO relaxing.

    And I love the solitude some days of being in their by myself...floating around listening to my favorite music with all the neighbors at work!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    My fitness center pool for lap swimming is a saline pool so it is so much nicer than having to deal with the chlorine. The warm pool is a chlorine pool and that is where I do my water aerobics. I have found that Curel Itch Defense lotion does a great job eliminating the chlorine itchies. As far as the hair thing goes, swim caps. They make nice ones specially for long hair which i use.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I am in favor of swimming in theory, but prefer open water swimming to pool swimming and currently have pool issues. I'd go more often if I had a friend inviting me, though. I know a couple of people who swim, but we don't have compatible schedules or locations.

    Lap swimming in a pool is something I have to get in the right frame of mind for, which is easier when I'm doing it regularly and go in with planned drills, but hard when I haven't been. It's also just much easier for me to find outdoor activities relaxing/fun and not feel like I'm just doing it for the positive effects (and yet I almost certainly burn more calories in an hour running and can easily run 90-120 mins for fun, and can't stay in a pool that long). That said, I always feel great after swimming--and plus am training for triathlons--so need to start going more. I'm currently trying to talk myself into going today!

    The pool issue is a huge one, though, and so is the convenience. I like to go to the gym right before work or lunchtime, and can't get my hair wet at those times without them taking longer than I have. Years ago I had a gym with a great (and usually not crowded) pool, plus a tri training group, and it was fabulous, but I no longer work near it. I love my current gym, but it has no pool (although it allows me access to an affiliated location with a pool on Sundays). The closest gym with a pool I checked out was weird, and on the weekends the pool was open to hotel guests, which made it unbearable (they didn't see what a pool had to do with lap swimming). Others are as expensive as my current gym without the benefits such as location that make me love my current gym. There's a Y near me I should check out and once I can start leaving from work at a reasonable hour I'm going to start swimming with a master's group who use a high school pool near my house on some evenings.

    I enjoy swimming in Lake Michigan, but that's its own set of hassles, and right now it's too early in the year.
  • geraldaltman
    geraldaltman Posts: 1,739 Member
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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?

    I am not sure

    I learned how to swim as a boy in a neighborhood pond, nearly drowning my older brother in a panic filled early lesson. From there to a summer club and Y for summer and winter swim teams and four years on high school team. I didn't pursue swimming beyond high school because I lacked 2 critical elements, talent and speed. Into adulthood, swimming fell out of favor for a variety of excuses; availability, access and cost among others. Other forms of fitness also fell because of my perceived lack of ability. So in time that along with eating poorly and smoking took it's toll on my health. It was not until my mid to late 50's that messages started getting through, starting with medicines I am now on. 5 years ago I finally found away to stop smoking. Then I found my way back to the pool abd even then it was in fits and starts until I retired in April '15 when all excuses for not having time evaporated! I swear by the pool now. Twice, 3 times a week c I am there. I don't just swim. I alternately water walk 75 Yards (3 laps) and swim 75 with sets of leg exercises in between, mainly as a way to get some air. My goal among the others is comfortable walking which the last few years my weight and health have hindered.
    Based on recent past, if you want to get me into a pool to splash around and have fun make it a pool in Vegas or Myrtle Beach, or as I am thinking of joining, the pool at my apartment complex. At an indoor pool, it's all business
    Based on numbers of families I see at the Y and numbers I f younger on c swim teans, not sure it's falling out favor.
    Sorry for taking so long to make point.
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
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    I began swimming as a young girl but as I got older, I moved away from it as I got involved in school, work, etc. Now that I am retired, I've rediscovered my love of all things water and do lap swimming at our local high school 4-5 times a week. The hours aren't convenient and some days I have to wake up at 4:15am to swim, but it's worth it. It's a saline pool, so I don't have the hair & skin damage that chlorine does. Since I'm retired I don't give a damn about how my hair looks after swimming and I don't wear make up if I don't feel like it. I'm down 60 lbs and am loving every minute of having time to finally take care of myself.
  • painauxraisin
    painauxraisin Posts: 299 Member
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    I swim 60 lengths twice a week and love it. Got a good swimsuit from an online company and have never looked back. Slight lack of motivation on cold wet nights after work but my better half swims too, so we talk each other into it and never regret it once we're in the water.
    I used to run but my boobs are huge (hate the blooming things) and swimming is more comfortable.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    a lot of people don't like swimming because it has all the drawbacks of running, and it includes drowning.
  • sushiandtea
    sushiandtea Posts: 24 Member
    edited May 2015
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    For me, it's the cost. It just works out so much cheaper for me to go to the gym; it works out cheaper per-day membership wise, and I don't have to hop on a bus for an hour there and back (which makes it cost even more). They've shut so many pools here (London and the north-east of England) in the last 10 years, it's no wonder people can't access them anymore.

    I do love swimming though - I hadn't swam for almost 10 years until last Christmas. I pretty much had to relearn it (so was miserable and fed-up at first) but as soon as it all came back I started really enjoying it again. I can't wait until summer; I'll have daily pool access where my boyfriend is living in Bangkok and he's going to have trouble getting me out of there.
  • sushiandtea
    sushiandtea Posts: 24 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    My fitness center pool for lap swimming is a saline pool so it is so much nicer than having to deal with the chlorine. The warm pool is a chlorine pool and that is where I do my water aerobics. I have found that Curel Itch Defense lotion does a great job eliminating the chlorine itchies. As far as the hair thing goes, swim caps. They make nice ones specially for long hair which i use.

    Where do you get your swim caps? I have a tiny head, but still struggle to get regular latex/rubber ones over my head and it feels like my hair is being torn out when I go to take them off.
  • ROBJ3411
    ROBJ3411 Posts: 72 Member
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    I think this a fairly easy question to answer... Many people don't know how to swim well, and takes a reasonable mastery to get the kind of benefit that many of you are talking about.....On top of that, I swim well above average and have competed in Triathlons up to and including 1/2 IM. I understand the benfits of swimming, I have a daughter that is on the swim teams and until recently have had almost unlimited access to a lap pool (this is another limiting factor as lap pools are in pretty limited supply), but to me, I hate swimming more than once or twice a week, cause it is very boring... but to each his/her own
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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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?)

    It is????? I'm headed to the pool now to workout. :D There's even a great swimmers group that started here on MFP. :)

    Guess it depends where you live or something... It's never gone out style here. Course I guess if you don't go to a pool one might be thinking it's not a favorite anymore. (I meant that as a general comment..not directed at you) :)

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