However much I enjoy gym and land-based workout in general including jogging and body pump, I'm not really very keen on sports. The only two sports I've practised regularly for years are swimming and horse riding. Due to the load of work , though, I gave up horse riding a few years ago. So, in fact, there's only one sport that I really enjoy and I don't think I'll ever give it up. Apart from a favourite hobby, swimming is an invigorating exercise and a lifetime sport which boosts your energy level and makes you feel good. Swimming is a way for me to cool off and exercise with hardly any effort and without ...sweating buckets!
Swimming regularly builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness but it doesn't really help you to lose weight as calorie burning stops when you are out of the water, unlike land-based workout. Yet, it's a great way to keep fit as you exercise practically all parts of your body - heart, lungs, muscles - with very little joint strain. But most importantly, it helps you relax. When I swim, I let my mind wander and concentrate only on my stroke - whether this is breaststroke, backstroke or crawl.
My friend Stefania tried to talk me into joining her winter swimming club and I did give it a try. All she asked me to do was go on swimming till the end of October which is fine as the sea is not too cold in October. Then on a cold and rainy November Sunday, we went to the beach. I was wearing my swimming costume under my jeans and jumper and was carrying an ..umbrella! I was feeling miserable. When we arrived at the beach, it was pouring! The slate-grey sky matched the colour of the sea but as I like trying new things, I was determined to go ahead. All I managed to do was take off my clothes. I felt silly as I was still holding my umbrella while in my swimming costume. And then I summoned up the courage and tried to take a dip. I didn't because my feet froze as soon as I walked into the water. That was when I decided that I love swimming best in the summer.I enjoy swimming most in the summer and in the open sea. I don't like pools very much and hardly ever use them! Not when the sea is only a few miles away from home.
How about you? Do you like swimming? In what ways has swimming been good for you?
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