Overcoming Obstacles and Benefits of Swimming

Have your workouts gotten stale or not yielded the results you’d hoped to achieve? Adding swimming to your lineup may be just the thing to jumpstart your success! There are many benefits associated with a regular swim practice, yet there can be many reasons why it’s tough to get started. This blog will discuss the barriers to swimming, how to overcome them and the benefits you can expect once you take the plunge.

Obstacle 1: I can’t swim

While this seems like a legitimate reason to stay out of the pool, it’s never too late to learn. There are adult swim programs all over the country with coaches who can help you learn the basics. Not only will this add a new exercise modality to your arsenal, it will reduce any anxiety or discomfort you may experience around water.

Obstacle 2: I’m too out of shape

Swimming can seem difficult at first. It uses all the major muscles of your body (and some smaller ones, too). Since breathing requires a fair degree of coordination and water is resistive, it will work your muscles and your cardiovascular system in the same workout. Like all new skills it takes time to develop efficiency. Start with small goals such as swimming (or dog paddling or even water walking) a few lengths of a pool. Gradually increase the number of lengths until you can sustain movement up to 30 minutes.

Obstacle 3: People will laugh at me

Most people respect someone trying to learn something new. Learning to swim is not unlike trying to learn to dance. It takes practice, body coordination and determination. Sometimes you may feel like a fish out of water (pun intended). However, if you can embrace the process and learn to laugh at yourself, it won’t matter who else is watching.

Obstacle 4: I don’t want anyone to see me in a bathing suit

Swimmers come in all shapes and sizes. If you get connected with a swim community, a Masters program or swim school you’ll find that people are generally supportive and welcoming. There is an open water swimmer in the southeastern United States who started swimming at around 500 pounds. He has said that swimming literally helped save his life and lost 100 pounds by gently paddling from one side of the lake to the other. He wears a t-shirt and trunks and focuses on the health benefits. His courage and determination are what people remember, not his size. Remind yourself that it doesn’t matter what other people think. In fact, your journey may become a source of inspiration to others!

Now that you’ve made the decision to start swimming, here are some wonderful benefits you can expect to receive:

Weight Loss

Swimming freestyle at a moderate to vigorous pace burns almost as many calories as jogging and it’s much easier on your joints. Even if you’re brand new and can’t swim consecutive laps, the caloric output is significant. When added to an overall healthy and active lifestyle, swimming can help with weight loss goals.

Improved Muscle Tone and Appearance

The properties of water (as compared to air) provide a unique workout. Water is denser (it weighs more) and more viscous (it’s “thicker”). What this means is that anything you do in water will require more effort from your muscles than it would on land. This difference will stimulate your muscles to become stronger. Over time, as you improve your technique and become more fit overall, you may notice that your back, arms and shoulders will have a more athletic appearance.

Stress Reduction

All exercise provides the benefit of stress reduction, and swimming is no exception. Because swimming requires a certain amount of focus on technique and breathing, many people report that they forget their troubles while focusing on the workout. Seasoned swimmers find that once they get into their rhythm they can let their mind wander as they glide through their sets. After a good workout you may find that the cares you brought into the session seem much more manageable by the time you leave.

Reduced Risk of Disease

Swimming provides an excellent workout for your muscles and your cardiovascular system. With a healthy diet and regular practice, you may find the added benefits of lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, increased cardiovascular fitness, lower resting heart rate, lower body mass index and more. All these changes mean that you are positively impacting not only your life, but putting yourself in a better place to be present for the people you love.

Increased Self-Esteem

With all the benefits noted above, it’s easy to see how swimming can lead to enhanced self-esteem. If you’re an adult learning to swim for the first time you may be facing fears or discomfort. As you progress you will find that you will leave these barriers behind. You will no longer look at family beach vacations, summers at the community pool or fishing on the lake with trepidation! You will be more self-assured whether on land or on water and the tactics you used to overcome swimming obstacles will help you overcome challenges in other areas of your life.

Now that you know what a tremendous benefit swimming can be for both your fitness routine and personal life, check out this website for more information on how to get connected with a coach near you.

Wendy Highland's bio:

Swim Instructor in Atlanta

Wendy Highland began competitive swimming at age 7, medaling in relay and individual events in her high school state championships. After college she embraced the sport of triathlon, participating in a popular sprint series in Florida then completing multiple Olympic distance events and two half ironmans. She obtained her USTA certification and created a women’s triathlon team at a local YMCA. Her passion has been to help beginner adult swimmers discover the benefits of water training.

Wendy has been an active participant in Lucky’s Lake Swim in Orlando, FL and holds her age group record as well as taking 2^nd place in her age group at the inaugural Golden Mile Swim in 2019.

Currently Wendy resides in south Atlanta, GA where she participates in a Masters swim group and continues to pursue her passion for distance swimming with the goal of completing the swim around Key West.