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Setting an exercise example – return to swimming

ByEmma

Most people lose their baby weight fairly easily.  Others, like me, can’t get motivated for long enough and even worse, end up putting (a lot) more on.  Disgraceful really, when I’ve lost weight before with no problems, so I really need to stop eating so much and start my exercising again while I’ve not got any ailments (I’ve started a few times and done well, but then got ill and couldn’t cope with the exercise at the same time).

I do tend to walk a bit at weekends when we’re out and about (mooching) and at lunchtimes (brisk).  But we live a 4 mile round trip from the nearest shop, and the decent size village and town near us are 7 miles away; we have to drive to get anywhere if we don’t want to hike along the road or across fields.  Having been fit before having N when I used to exercise in the mornings, do a bit of walking and 3-4 evenings a week of dancing, it’s a shock to the system as to how unfit I’ve got.  So I need to get motivated again.

People always say it’s easy as you’re always running around after toddlers.  But I don’t.  N is generally quite happy pottering on his own, and I don’t spend all my time chasing him around the house.  When you’re out and about, toddlers walk really slowly.  Even his version of running, I can just walk fast.  So there’s no chance of breaking out a sweat and getting fit from generally being out and about with him.

Thankfully N is really active.  Yes, he eats loads, but as nursery says, he needs the fuel for the activity he does.  It does amaze me as I wear my Fitbit all the time, and at weekends, we can do 10000 steps no problem – he’s likely doing a lot more than that.

As for swimming.  N obviously has swimming lessons once a week with Water Babies where I’m in the pool with him; swimming with your child (like walking) isn’t really exercise.  Unless you count the pommelling from a toddler standing on your legs, or arm strengthening from balancing a 3 year old on your arm as they swim round in circles.  Even when N’s swimming with a woggle on his own down the pool with me swimming ahead, it usually means a very slow sculling rather than proper strokes.

As it’s rare I get time outside of work without N, I’ve managed to find some people at work who go swimming at lunchtimes.  So I’ve started swimming once a week (maybe I’ll up this in future to twice a week, you never know) at lunchtimes.  There’s just enough time to do a half hour swim, and it does really make me feel so much better.  But blimey, I’m out of swimming practice.

I’ve never been an amazing swimmer, but I do like the monotony of lengths.  Of course I have to let the irritation go at people not swimming in the right speed lane.  Last time we went, there were a few really slow people in the medium speed lane, and then a youngish guy who insisted on doing backstroke and kept bashing into people.  It was really way too busy to be inconsiderate like that.  But after only 2 weeks, my number of lengths isn’t far off what I used to do in a standard swimming session, so although I feel unfit doing it, I know I should be able to increase the lengths fairly quickly.  I just need to work on the fitness side outside the pool as well..

Next step is to do my high intensity short workouts at home to get the strength and muscle training done.  Hopefully between the two and some walking, I’ll get my fitness back…and lose my extra weight.  Maybe I’ll even try my Slimpod audio tracks again in the hope it’ll work this time and help with my piggy food tendencies!

What do you do to get fit and/or lose weight?  Do you swim?

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Disclosure: We swim with and blog for Water Babies.  All views are my own.

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37 Comments

  1. You sound like you are doing well. I used to swim with my children (which involved swimming up and down for 12 lengths of the big pool in half an hr) but things all changed with after school clubs so we got out of practise, I must start again.

    1. Getting out of the habit really doesn’t help with swimming, does it. Might try and up it to twice a week, as I noticed over the summer they are doing unlimited monthly swimming for £5!

  2. Good on you for keeping it up, sounds like you’ve got the perfect attitude towards it all. I myself am a naff swimmer and have a fear of the deep end so swimming isn’t the best form of exercise for me lol x #bloggingmums

    1. I’m not the strongest swimming. Yesterday we ventured to the open air pool for our swim…whoa, 50m pool!!!!! It was hard work, but I didn’t drown in the middle so that was good. Guess it’s like everything – a case of building confidence and practice.

  3. I really need to do some sort of exercise. After baby number two I have kind of not really done much. As having the two is exhausting enough! I love swimming too and have a baths at the end of my road. I should go down and have a go. Good luck with your swimming! And thanks for linking up #AllAboutYou xxx

  4. I have for the longest time wanted to have something to do to make me move more. I tried running but I got injured and when I tried doing it back after so many months I felt that my joints are not the same. Swimming but be the best cuz its no impact at all to body and it move every muscle but I dont know how to swim. Exercising at home with videos is the answer but then I dont have time. I know im giving excuses but I will try my best really to be healthy cuz its for my son. #Allaboutyou

    1. I’m the same in terms of motivation. I used to be so healthy before having N, as there just seemed so much more time to play squash, dance, swim etc. I find I have to exercise first thing – I’d usually do exercise dvds, and enjoy it once I get back into it. It has to be when my OH’s not around, and ideally before N gets up, but now he’s up earlier than me. So swimming’s handy, but expensive going regularly, and reliant on work lunchtimes.

      You can do adult lessons. I know a couple of bloggers learning now as they’ve never learnt before.

  5. I can’t swim… actually have a great fear of water… but i do like being in pools as long as i can touch the bottom, that may be weird, but oh well, lol.. I did however find some exercises to do in the pool.. that im gonna try to do.. i need to lose the baby weight and everything else i gained.. i need to lose the weight of a person, haha

  6. GOOD FOR YOU!! I totally agree with you, you can’t break out a sweat from going to toddler swim class or following them around on a short walk. I felt the same way about my activity level so I started doing youtube workout videos a few times a week in the morning. You are WAY MORE motivated than me by going swimming. I can’t even bare the thought of the effort involved in getting to the pool, and showering and washing all the pool stuff….ugh exhausted just thinking about it. So don’t get discouraged about the weight you’ve put on, you’re making an effort to feel better about yourself and that is HUGE in my books. Looking forward to hearing your great results. I found you through the #AllAboutYou linkup!

    Angie from reasons to dress, life as a North American mom in Italy.

    1. Thanks for your comment and support. I usually do dvds at home, but it means getting up at 6am and doing them – I’m too tired at the moment to get up that early, plus I’ve a 3yo who gets up then too. Once I’m in the habit it’s fun, but it’s getting started that’s the hard one.

    1. It’s definitely something you have to build up to. I need to work on my general fitness training, especially my core, because last time I got back ache swimming, which I’ve never had before. Shows how unfit I am

  10. Swimming is a great exercise and fun thing! I feel so bad, that I couldn’t learn swimming 🙁

    1. It always amazes me how many adults can’t swim. When you can, you just think it’s something everyone learns as a child

  11. I do not swim, and before getting preggo I used to walk every morning but the last 6 months I’ve gained so much weight I might need to swim, walk and all

    1. Sounds like me when I was pregnant, although I did still walk lots and was still dancing until pretty much 38 weeks pregnant.

  14. even though i do not swim that well + has limited knowledge about it, i do enjoy swimming especially now that it is summer here in our part of the world. I’ve enrolled my little man to swimming class for 3 years in a row now + i am delighted that he already knows how to swim even without his floaters. his current fave now is jumping from the pool side onto a 4-5 feet pool!

  16. I don’t like swimming, lol. I did swim as a teenager because I was an asthmatic to help strengthen my lungs but I am deadly afraid of pools, lakes, oceans, etc.

    I love hiking. My daughter’s disabilities make it difficult to walk fast enough to get in enough cardio but hiking (especially here in Phoenix) is great for both of us and she can physically do it while strengthening our hearts and lungs.

    1. I’m not surprised being scared of open water. Not places I’d like to swim particularly (well, maybe safe seasides), just because of the unknown.
      Walking’s good, although I don’t do much proper walking, just walking round towns.

  17. When my older kids were toddler and children yet we used to exercise a lot together, they are now teens and I have gained weight hopefully with the new baby we will be able to play and exercise together.

    1. Thanks Paula. It’s nice to get back to it, although it’s going to be hard work moving from the 25 metre indoor pool to the 50 metre outdoor one!

  21. Swimming is such great exercise. I’m going to buy pool weights so I can do strength training in the pool this summer.

    1. I’m nowhere near strong enough for that. Struggle with the breathing on crawl, so weights wouldn’t be much point. But that would definitely help strengthen the muscles. Good luck with it

    1. Ooh yes, HIIT, that’s what I’m meant to be doing. I’ve got all my routines, just need to get up early in the morning to actually do the exercise! Thanks

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