I love to swim but I haven't in over 3 years. How do I start?

Question

I used to swim at least an hour a day 4-5 days a week and then stopped, don't know why. But since then I have gained a substantial amount of weight and I'm kind of nervous to start swimming again. I know it's going to be good for me and I know how to swim but I'm afraid of wearing myself out really fast and giving up because it wears me out to fast and I see no progress in my health & weight. How should I start swimming again? Please help me! I need to do this for my health!

Answer 1

Start slowly. The first day, get in and practice some of your strokes. Don't worry about how far you're going to go, just swim until you feel used to the water again. You don't have to swim continuously, you can break it up one or two lengths at a time.

The next day, do some more work on practicing your stroke. Then set a goal for a longer swim and try to reach it. It doesn't have to be far. If 25s are giving you trouble, than reach for a 100 or 200 without stopping.

Everyday after that, try and go a little further. Remember you can always stop and work on your technique if you begin feeling stressed out about how far you are or aren't going.

You can also break up longer swims in chunks. Instead of doing a 400, try doing 8 50s. Instead of a 1500, try swimming 500, 400, 300, 200, 100. Taking swims piece by piece helps a lot mentally.

If you are committed to pushing yourself further than the day you went before, you will see progress. It won't be instantaneous, but it will happen.

Answer 2

i think u should start by getting into a pool....

then do doggy paddle to get use to the water...

Answer 3

Well sounds like you know how to swim :] so just get in and swim its just like riding a bike it will come right back to you.

and for the workout.. just dont do as much as you did before.. or if you want to do the same amout slow down the pace.

Good Luck :]

                             -Zoe