Tips for keeping swimming interesting and Entertaining

mummy_h
mummy_h Posts: 103 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I only swim for 30 minutes because i become bored, i know i could swim for longer but get fed up, any tips for kerping it entertaining ?

Replies

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Swimming is a lonely sport. I know, I've been swimming for 23 yrs. I love it and change up my strokes and routine. I watch the better swimmers and try to learn from them. I also do acquagym frequently. In 30 mins I can't get in all my strokes, so maybe you need to learn some new strokes, or do some board work.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I get the same way while swimming. I don’t have waterproof music and I just get bored and have trouble pushing myself. I really think that if I had music that it would help tremendously. If you have spare money, maybe look into a waterproof iPod or something.

    I also suggest having a planned out routine to keep you going and your work outs varied.
  • mummy_h
    mummy_h Posts: 103 Member
    MonkeyMel21 wrote: »
    I get the same way while swimming. I don’t have waterproof music and I just get bored and have trouble pushing myself. I really think that if I had music that it would help tremendously. If you have spare money, maybe look into a waterproof iPod or something.

    I also suggest having a planned out routine to keep you going and your work outs varied.

    I wasnt sure if you could get waterproof radios etc. Im guessing they will be out of my budget but will definitley take a look. I cant use my right side very well so limited to the strokes i can do but ill give it ago . Thanks
  • xxxMADMAXxxx
    xxxMADMAXxxx Posts: 218 Member
    edited March 2019
    I am pretty random, so you have been forewarned.

    I'll do a few laps just using my arms and then some with just my legs and compare times and the way my body feels (what I need to work on more).
    I am not so great with timing my breathing, so sometimes I concentrate on breath count.
    Sometimes I pretend I am being chased by sharks- I can't keep that up for more than two laps at a time though- I can't keep up that pace and I splash the other swimmers too much.
    For the butterfly stroke, I sometimes see how far above the water I can throw myself- like a humpback whale.
    When cooling down, I'll touch the bottom of the pool each time before I catch a breath.

    Yes, I seriously do this, and no I am not on anything.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Fins, paddles, kick board, pull buoy all help keep it interesting. Various drills using these tools and other techniques like one pulls etc. See if you can find a masters swim group near you for some camaraderie and organized workouts. Look into triathlon!
  • meritage5
    meritage5 Posts: 32 Member
    Try a masters group. You will be kept busy.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I have a waterproof iPod and try to go during quiet hours. I pretend I'm swimming out in the middle of a lake by myself. I'll also spend some time just playing around (trying to stay as close to the bottom as long as possible, try to touch the bottom each time I duck under the water, spin in circles until I'm dizzy, do a lap with just arms or just legs, etc.).
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    There are so so many online swim sets there’s no way you could get bored. There’s even a website that publishes a new one every day although I’m afraid I can’t recall what it is right now so you’ll have to check google.
    As well as different drills, you could try some hypoxia training - breath every 3 strokes for 25m then 5, then 7 then 9 etc or do even numbers if you prefer. Do 4 x 100m.
    Find a training plan to follow so that you get the reward of seeing your times & endurance improving.
  • mummy_h
    mummy_h Posts: 103 Member
    Thanks everyone x
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    I tried a water proof iPod and it lasted all of a week, the water somehow got in and broke it. Total waste of money. So now I pass the time by thinking about how much I love running lol.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,282 Member
    I LOVE my waterproof iPod. Audioflood is a company that sells them. I ONLY put music I want to hear in the pool (which is different than driving or running). It is an awesome distraction that has allowed me to swim much longer than before. I also second the idea of switching up your workout. Sometimes I want to swim a certain distance. That's when a planned workout is great. Other times, I just swim for time, so I take off the lap counter and just listen to music and let my mind wander.
  • skinnyrev2b
    skinnyrev2b Posts: 400 Member
    I love my music buds. Nothing beats a cracking, beat driven tune to speed you up, or a TUUUNE you love to sing along to (don't do it though - it doesn't end well if you swim with your head under! I speak from experience...) and as an apple-phobe, mine don't break the bank: Swimming MP3 Player Underwater... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AUQ162E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
    They're not the greatest, but for plain boredom busting, they do the job.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited March 2019
    mummy_h wrote: »
    I only swim for 30 minutes because i become bored, i know i could swim for longer but get fed up, any tips for kerping it entertaining ?

    Get yourself a waterproof MP3. I love mine and I swim for 90 minutes. I even download audiobooks and listen as I swim.

    note: a finger worn lap counter helps me keep up my pace otherwise I would zone out to the music or book and slow down

    $60 and it has short cords that tuck into the cap https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B018YKTD1Y/?coliid=I14P7BQAD9BJA8&colid=1NNVTRKRX89OG&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon/News/Blogs/Multisport-Lab/2012/May/29/simple-swim-workouts
    https://www.active.com/swimming/articles/swimming-workouts
    https://www.usms.org/fitness-and-training/online-workouts
    https://www.swimworkouts.net/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited March 2019
    girlwithcurls2 wrote: »
    I LOVE my waterproof iPod. Audioflood is a company that sells them. I ONLY put music I want to hear in the pool (which is different than driving or running). It is an awesome distraction that has allowed me to swim much longer than before. I also second the idea of switching up your workout. Sometimes I want to swim a certain distance. That's when a planned workout is great. Other times, I just swim for time, so I take off the lap counter and just listen to music and let my mind wander.

    Ya, my swim playlist is mellower than my weighlifting playlist and I have several others for walking.

    Sony is my 3rd brand and the only one where the ear buds have stayed in. I love it!

    I have an earlier model:

    https://smile.amazon.com/Sony-NWWS413BM-Sports-Wearable-Player/dp/B01CQMN0HY/

    71nwScgRHaL._SX425_.jpg

    That is the main thing to keep it interesting but I also vary my strokes. I swim in a pond so do 20 of this and 20 of that.

    If it's the end of the season and the novelty has worn off I might try breathing differently during the crawl, where I normally just breathe on the right side. Changing this up messes with my brain and so keeps it interesting.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    mummy_h wrote: »
    MonkeyMel21 wrote: »
    I get the same way while swimming. I don’t have waterproof music and I just get bored and have trouble pushing myself. I really think that if I had music that it would help tremendously. If you have spare money, maybe look into a waterproof iPod or something.

    I also suggest having a planned out routine to keep you going and your work outs varied.

    I wasnt sure if you could get waterproof radios etc. Im guessing they will be out of my budget but will definitley take a look. I cant use my right side very well so limited to the strokes i can do but ill give it ago . Thanks

    Do you swim at a pool? These usually have accessories you can use like flippers and kickboards. That helps mix it up.
  • gakmt
    gakmt Posts: 8 Member
    I swim a mile every evening. After trying several underwater MP3 players I got a FINIS Duo a year and half ago. I swim about 40 mins, 5 or 6 days a week and only need to charge these about once a month. It has 4 gigs of memory so i literally have hundreds and hundreds of songs saved, I have it set to play randomly and it just picks up where you left off. Unlike some of the others they connect to you goggles and nothing goes in your ear. Really help with the monotony as well as the distractions if there are a lot of people or kids in the pool.

    amazon.com/FINIS-Underwater-Bone-Conduction-Player/dp/B0169RSNPG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3I5PY61Q2AO8T&keywords=finis+mp3&qid=1551799439&s=gateway&sprefix=timex+divers%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-3
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    For this summer I'm going to invest in waterproof earphones. There are a couple of likely onboard memory sets ready to go but I also have an old iPod shuffle that I might try to waterproof. Supposedly filling them with a dielectric silicone goo does the job, then all I need is the waterproof headphones. If I could listen to my podcasts or audiobooks I could swim much longer, I get very bored too.
  • CantonRC
    CantonRC Posts: 34 Member
    I have had a Water-Fi waterproofed ipod shuffle for years. I have went through a few sets of earbuds but it keeps playing.
  • jhanleybrown
    jhanleybrown Posts: 240 Member
    I don't contribute much here but I swim about 3x/week typically shooting for 3-3.5k yards. I do lots if sets. So today I did 300 warm up, 200 drill, 100 Fast, 50 easy, 1x500 fast, 50 easy, 6x200 medium (30 sec rest between each 200, 100 easy, 3x100 IM, 100 easy, 2x100 fast, 200 cool down. But there are lots if sets you can do. Pyramids (4x25, 3x50, 2x100, 1x200, 2x100, 3x50, 4x25 for example.). Right now I'm seimming on my own but I. The oast have swumnwith a partner or group. Hope that's helpful.
  • gentlygently
    gentlygently Posts: 752 Member
    Lots of ideas already - another game I have played is word games. Eg all the flowers i can think of starting with letter a on frst lap, letter b on second etc - or think of something beautiful (amethyst, baby, coastline) if you are feeling meditative.

    Or why not just swim for 30 minutes? If you dont do the up down slog but instead do sprinting - you’ll get a good workbout. Think HIIT and breaks where you ate gasping for breath rather than constant up and diown

    Scuse typos - it is not letting me edit today)
  • fcanad
    fcanad Posts: 48 Member
    Always have a workout. Split it 50/50 between drills to make you a better swimmer and intervals/speed stuff. It keeps it interesting an you are less likely to hurt yourself.
    Do not simply fight the water for thirty minutes, and repeat. That is the recipe for shoulder and back injuries!
    Look at finis or goswim.tv for workouts
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    Try to think of it as meditation.
    It does wonders for me, particularly when I have these month long trips to China.
    Great for stress reduction.
    If I got bored swimming I would not be able to do the distances that I have done.
  • Dilvish
    Dilvish Posts: 398 Member
    edited March 2019
    I mentioned in another post that swimming is good exercise but not great for weight loss. Try adding different strokes or like some people suggested, aquasize instead of swimming and get a waterproof MP3 player.

    Note: Apple iPods do not come waterproofed and once they are waterproofed (third party) the warranty is void. There are other options out there that are just as good an less expensive.

    As far as "keeping it entertaining", try swimming naked :p . That ought to make it entertaining!
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,282 Member
    Dilvish wrote: »
    I mentioned in another post that swimming is good exercise but not great for weight loss.

    Huh??!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited March 2019
    Dilvish wrote: »
    I mentioned in another post that swimming is good exercise but not great for weight loss. Try adding different strokes or like some people suggested, aquasize instead of swimming and get a waterproof MP3 player.

    Note: Apple iPods do not come waterproofed and once they are waterproofed (third party) the warranty is void. There are other options out there that are just as good an less expensive.

    It is very good for weight loss. It burns more calories than running AND works all of the major muscle groups while giving cardiovascular benefits.

    Yes, we all know weight loss begins and ends in the kitchen, but a good calorie burning exercise can help the food management part better.

    Also, if you buy a waterproof Ipod from a reputable company like Audioflood, the Apple warranty is void but reputable 3rd party companies have their own warranties which can be even better than Apple's.
  • mummy_h
    mummy_h Posts: 103 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Dilvish wrote: »
    I mentioned in another post that swimming is good exercise but not great for weight loss. Try adding different strokes or like some people suggested, aquasize instead of swimming and get a waterproof MP3 player.

    Note: Apple iPods do not come waterproofed and once they are waterproofed (third party) the warranty is void. There are other options out there that are just as good an less expensive.

    It is very good for weight loss. It burns more calories than running AND works all of the major muscle groups while giving cardiovascular benefits.

    Yes, we all know weight loss begins and ends in the kitchen, but a good calorie burning exercise can help the food management part better.

    Also, if you buy a waterproof Ipod from a reputable company like Audioflood, the Apple warranty is void but reputable 3rd party companies have their own warranties which can be even better than Apple's.
    girlwithcurls2 wrote: »
    Dilvish wrote: »
    I mentioned in another post that swimming is good exercise but not great for weight loss.

    Huh??!

    I know, its bonkers isnt it? I didnt listen lol, I know swimming is amazing for weight loss. Not sure why he/she is saying this. He said it on another post relating to something else! I lost 3 stone swimming 10 years ago xx
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