fear of the water

Question
Ron
I keep hearing from friends how great swimming is for exercise, flexability, etc.
My neighbour is a 60 year old Polish guy that looks great and he swears by it-apparently he learned to swim in the Polish navy (not intended as a joke)
I would love to go to the drop in swimming sessions at the local leisure centre or take a stroke improvement class, but I am sensitive about my overweight body. I usually drape a towel over my man boobs and soak in the hot tub while wishing I was lane swimming.
Anyway, once I overcome that (I am losing a little weight), do you think that swimming is a good exercise/hobby and what should I do? I can float and do a slow Australian crawl-thats it.


Answer
Bud, that's a great question and I love the way you asked it. It's a fairly involved question and I have some strong feelings about it. Hope you're ready...

First, the manboob thing. Forget about it. No one cares. It's difficult to accept but we just aren't that important to others. If anyone did think or say something, would you value that person? I wouldn't. I'd think they were a rude idiot. So giving you some tough love...get over your fears and get in the lane and live your life.

If for nothing other than getting over your fears, swimming would be an incredible activity for you. However, there are added benefits.

I don't know how old, or if there are other physical issues, but swimming is one of the easier activities to do on your body. Running isn't appropriate and swimming can develop cardiovascular conditioning as well as strength. And the technique involved can be quite challenging which helps keep you motivated and your brain activated.

However, for swimming to work you have to do more than float. I think taking lessons or being in a group class would be great. They can help you with your stroke while your building strength and endurance and maybe even making some friends. Another advantage of taking classes is that if you pay for it, you're more likely to stick with it.

Until that point, start off slow and easy. Set a time and length limit to what you're doing. Maybe twenty minutes, three times a week with no more than 10 lengths (I don't know how fast you are or length of the pool so this is just an estimate). You might want to get some swim fins. They will make it easier for you when you start.

You can mix up the strokes (back, breast), do some kicking or even stroke drills (lots of books and resources on the web. Let me know if you need some direction). The main thing is getting in the habit of doing it frequently (3 to 5 times a week).

One thing about swimming is that it opens up a lot of activities. Scuba diving, competitive swimming (masters is big in Canada), kayaking. Hell, you can even come down here to California and take up surfing!

So in summary, I encourage you (order you!) to get over to that lap lane and start to swim. I hope to hear back from you.
Ron