Swimming is an effective exercise for all ages, but it is particularly helpful for people with arthritis who find traditional exercising hard on their joints. If you have just taken up lap swimming as a way to control something like your menopausal weight gain, you have probably already noticed that while it is great for your body, it can be boring for your mind. Before you throw in the towel and paddle away from this sport, here are three tips to help make your lap swimming sessions more interesting.
Grab A Kickboard
Lap swimming doesn't have to be just about swimming laps. There are other things you can do between the laps to break up the monotony. For example, grab a kickboard and practice your kicking skills for a few laps. Not only does kicking in the pool help to strengthen the muscles in your legs, but you can also use this time to practice your leg form and your breathing. Hold the kickboard out in front of you and kick up the length of the pool and back 10 times. Aim to have one lap with slow kicking and then the next lap with fast kicking. After you have done 10 laps with the kickboard, then do 10 laps of swimming without it.
Use Different Strokes
There are four main strokes when swimming. These are freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke. Each type of swim stroke works your body in a different way, so don't limit yourself to just one stroke type when you're doing your workout. Try to rotate through each one by swimming 5 to 10 laps of it before you switch to the next. Choose a lap number that gives you a chance to work your muscles sufficiently but not a number that is so high you get bored again.
Compete Against Yourself
If you haven't bought yourself one already, consider investing in a waterproof fitness tracker that you can wear while swimming. Fitness trackers have a stopwatch built into them and you can use this stopwatch to compete against yourself while swimming the laps. Each time you hit the pool, try to beat your previous fastest record for each of the four swim strokes. Reward yourself with a small treat each time you reach a new personal record time.
If you need more inspiration about how to keep committed to swimming laps, talk to the coaches at your local swim school because they will have plenty of ideas to keep you in the water.