Why Swim
Swimming?! Seems so daunting, huh? Why swim when you can run, or bike, or….just sit on the couch!? After all…THINKING about working out burns the same amount of calories, doesn’t it?!?! We all know that there are many benefits of a healthy lifestyle…but working out is just so hard! Especially in the winter! Gym memberships cost a lot of money and it’s certainly hard to push yourself when you are exercising alone.
Know…you are NOT alone!!! I (Rachel Sitarz) swam competitively for 15 years. Longest break I ever had was probably 3 weeks. Vacations were swim meets. Swimming has been my whole life. After I was done swimming at Purdue (swam all 4 years), I walked away from the sport. I felt my body just couldn’t take any more rigorous workouts, and my hair certainly needed to be de-chlorine-ified! I was tired of jumping into cold pools in the midst of the cold winters and having perma-circles around my eyes from goggle marks! Jump to 5 years later…and I miss the sport with all I have. I really gave the whole gym membership and treadmill workout a go, but it just didn’t suit me. I hated working out alone. I hated not having someone to tell me what to do. And I hated smelling of sweat, instead of chlorine!! This is where iSWIM began!!
A lot of people are scared of the words Masters and Swimming. But I want to let you all know that there is NO reason to be! Swimming is one of the BEST exercises you could do. It works ALL of your muscles, great cardio, burns crazy amounts of calories, and you can do LESS of it (time-wise) than any other form of exercise!!!
Starting iSWIM, I have repeatedly heard people say “but I don’t know how to swim”. Lucky for everyone, we have coaches who are the most amazing coaches, ever! Let me give you the example of Patrick. Patrick had NEVER swam before. His beautiful wife, Susan, talked him into joining iSWIM. Last weekend, Patrick swam in his FIRST swim meet! He dove off blocks, he raced, he maintained his stroke the entire race (a coaches dream!), AND he swam in IUPUI’s incredibly deep and intimidating pool! For those of you who have never seen the pool…. it is an Olympic sized pool, and it super deep! To say the pool is daunting is an understatement!
Another common statement I have gotten, “But I haven’t swam in years, I don’t know if I can do it any longer” OR “I don’t want to be in a bathing suit”. Now…I want to say. Swimming is like riding a bike. Sooo for anyone who hasn’t swam in years and is scared to do it again…jump in! Join a lane…You’d be SURPRISED how quick you will get back into shape!! AND if you are afraid to put on the dreading swim suit… we aren’t having a weigh in, we don’t judge and I’m sure it is 100% ALL in your head! So go get that bathing suit, swim cap, and goggles and jump into the water! I bet you will burn more calories than you are by your other forms of exercise! And trust me, before long, you will be shredding the weight and feeling more confident than ever!
Swimming is phenomenal exercise. It will tone you up, boost your metabolism, give you more energy, and make you all around healthier. So why should you swim? Because it’s AWESOME for your bod AND tons of fun!! And when you go to work, school, the mall, friends houses, wherever… you can wear your chlorine scent proudly, and tell people that you get your perfume for free courtesy of aquatic facilities!!
