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Health and Fitness

Swim Lesson 6: Less is more

March 1, 2008 · By Monica Shaw

COLD ADRIATIC SEA from Piran, Slovenia_ Sept, 2004.jpg Attendance is dwindling at my Monday night swim lesson. I guess “the new” is wearing off as some people discover they are only in lust with “intermediate swimming” (and the Clissold Leisure Centre). Selfishly, I like this: fewer students means more attention from my instructor. This makes the class more of a lesson than a practice drill.

Last Monday, as I practiced the breaststroke, my instructor reminded me to bend my knees and bring my heels as close to my butt as possible: hard work but better form for faster swimming (I tend to forget this when I’m swimming alone, and do only a half-ass job of bending my legs). We then did the backstroke for a few laps, and he picked me out of everyone to demonstrate good form!

I’m learning how to get a good cardio workout from swimming. It seems obvious now that all it takes is a little concentration and a lot of hard kicking, but when I first started I couldn’t both kick hard and breath properly at the same time. It’s taken over a year to get to this point where I feel comfortable breathing, but that’s ok – I look forward to seeing where I’m at in another year’s time.

About Monica Shaw

Veg lover, dog owner, hill walker, wild camper, avocado addict, nerd. I write about how to be awesome through a "smarter fitter" approach to eating, drinking, living and working.
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