Swim to slim?

But I don't actually want to slim, but to tone, so it should be more like swim to tone. However the alliteration there really isn't so great. However, the swimming part still applies. I've missed swimming. It's such as great workout as it completely knackers you if you're not used to doing it or don't do it right. The move from being able to swim to being a 'good swimmer' takes a while, and I'm moving through that stage right now. Until about three years ago I was on my school swim team and water polo side. We were good - I was good. Then however, I got bored with the constant work and dropped out. I do all the running 'stuff' instead, but it's not the same kind of workout, it's not something that makes your whole body work in conjunction. The attraction of and skill in swimming is that to be successful you have to be fluid.

• If your arms slice into the water just right when doing crawl, it's no good if your legs are simply dead weight and slowing you down; you must create a whole package.


• Swimming makes you breath properly as you can only breath when your head is above the water (!) and so have to time correctly what in all other situations is seen as the most obvious and natural action - taking a breath.


• You can't really be overweight or bulging in the wrong areas - you slow yourself down and make the whole business a lot more difficult. If you try and become a good swimmer whilst fat you'll have trouble. Lose some weight first and then swim to get the rest off.


• One thing I try to remember when swimming is to use several different strokes and different speeds - bursts of full effort sprints in crawl or backstroke to create variation from the normal 60% effort of the majority of your time. Faster swimming exercises muscles in a different way and also stresses some muscles more than others which might be used in 'maintenance' swimming where you're just going at a speed which keeps you going but is nothing special.
  

Is this a guide on how to be good at swimming: no. It's just a few thoughts on swimming that occurred to me during my exhaustion in the gym today. Ignore them if you like - you probably don't swim.