1. Since I had a pool growing up, every summer my hair would be dry and green (especially since I have blond hair). We would use all the different shampoos that were made to combat that, but they never really worked. Nowadays there are a lot more shampoos out there that help and the technology is a lot better today. But what I have found that works is to prevent it by putting conditioner on your hair (not rinsing it off) and then covering it up with a swim cap. This is a tip that came from my hairdresser. I've been in the pool once a week for the last few weeks with no damage to my hair.
2. Swimming laps is really boring. Really really boring. Like serious boring. What I have found to help pass the time is a waterproof iPod. There are a few companies that waterproof the iPod Shuffle. I am not a huge fan of the Shuffles, but no one waterproofs Nanos, because the touchscreen is hard to use when wet. The waterproof earbuds with shorter cords are a must with the iPod. It's easy to hook the iPod on your goggles and having a short cord means it won't get tangled while you swim. The earbuds also help me stop getting water in my ears.
3. Have you ever had foggy goggles? The best way to combat it is to spit in the lenses. I know this sounds super gross, but I wouldn't do it if it didn't work. I spit into each lens and use my finger to get the whole lens wet and shake it out. Do not put it into the water to rinse off. It works both in the pool and in open water.
4. Don't be afraid to take a lesson or join a swim clinic. When I was little, my parents signed me up for all the swim lessons that the rec center offered till we took them all and then they signed me up for diving lessons (which did not go well). Even though I know how to swim, I did find the clinic very helpful. I picked up things like I didn't kick very well while I was swimming. I since have been working on focusing on making my kicks stronger.
5. Wash everything off. While chlorine is good to keep a pool safe and clean, it takes it's toll on everything we put into it. I try to make sure that I rinse everything out well after each swim. It's easily done if you just jump into the shower with everything on and rinse it off with the water from the shower. Every once in awhile I'll put soap on everything to clean it good, but not often. I know you are not supposed to put your suit in the washing machine, but I will after a few swims. I have plenty of different suits and they are all inexpensive so I'm not too worried about that. But I will not put them in the dryer.
Bonus: There are times that I do water jogging when I have a pain that won't go away and I don't want to lose too much endurance or I'm in the middle if a training cycle. The best way to do this is to have a floater that goes around your waist. I bought mine on Amazon for about $25. My gym also has a couple for the members to use while there. The trick to water jogging is to stay where your feet do not touch the bottom of the pool. At the one at my gym it's hard as that's only about the middle third of the pool so I'm continuously turning around. I did do the water jogging at an aqua center where they have a whole section that is deep enough to jog. The other trick is to keep your body as upright as possible to mimic running. It's amazing what type of workout you can get without straining your legs.
Do you swim as a cross-training activity? How do you entertain yourself when lap after lap gets so boring? Any tricks or tips that you have?
I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for Friday Five 2.0
yes I love swimming and hit the pool twice a week as part of my tri training.I agree putting conditioner in my hair works really well
ReplyDeleteThat's great! Yeah the conditioner works wonders.
DeleteI am not a swimmer, but do have sights on doing a tri someday. I think I could swim good enough to save myself, but I definitely need some formal instruction on the mechanics. Funny about the conditioner in your hair...our son swam on the swim team while in high school...and I told him the same thing about putting conditioner in his hair (or, at the very least, getting his hair wet BEFORE getting in the pool).
ReplyDeleteI think guys are less inclined to do so, but it works. I hope you get to do a tri, it's why I'm back in the pool. I haven't done one in two years and now that I'm back in the swing of things I'm looking forward to it.
DeleteI did not know about the waterproof iPods!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a heated pool. Baylee would love that too then she could swim all year round!
They are wonderful. I wish they had waterproof nanos so I could use it while I run and get it all sweaty or wet in the rain.
DeleteGreat tips! I had no idea that there were waterproof ipods out there. And I didn't know you weren't supposed to put swim suits in the washing machine. Oh well, thankfully mine tend to be pretty inexpensive as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm too lazy to wash anything by hand. And I don't swim enough to worry about it. They always have cute cheap suits at Costco in the spring.
DeleteThanks for listing these! I have been thinking about doing some lap swimming this summer. I did it a couple years ago when I was injured and the waterproof mp3 player really saved me! I would've been so bored without it! Water jogging intrigues me. I still don't "get" it, as in, I just can't picture it! I am gonna have to go on Youtube and check it out.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I picked up water jogging last year. It took me awhile to get the jist, but after watching a bunch of YouTube vids it helped. It's like you are doing high knees in the pool. The waist floater helps you keep above the water. A pool in our area offers a water jogging class, so google and see if there is something like that near you. It's just on the other side of town from me and very inconvenient or I would go a lot more.
DeleteI know how to swim but don't do it on the regular. Great exercise for sure! I never even though of waterproof ipods...what a neat idea! It's great you figured out a trick for your hair, too!
ReplyDelete