5 Ways To Make Swimming Fun Again!
September 11, 2017 | By
As a competitive, year-around swimmer it is inevitable that you will feel burnt out from time to time. While we love swimming, giving all of your time to a sport, twice a day, seven days a week can be grueling. The second that it starts to feel more like a chore, than it is fun, is the second that you need to take a step back and think about why you love being in the pool.
If you are still finding yourself stuck, here are five easy ways to make swimming fun again.
1) Set goals and reward yourself – Writing down your goals, whether it’s making it to practice five times a week or breaking a personal record, will help to keep you motivated when swimming is the absolute last thing that you want to do. To spice things up a bit, make a calendar and reward yourself once you achieve and cross off goals. After all, everyone loves a good incentive prize!
2) Plan a monthly team outing – When swimming becomes taxing, surround yourself with your teammates outside of the pool. Planning a team dinner, or social, will allow you and your friends to laugh and let loose without the pressure of practice. Help to remind each other why you love being on a team, and why you enjoy swimming.
3) Compete with your friends – Challenge your teammates, and make it a contest or game. Whether it’s who can log the most hours in the weight room, or who swims the most yards each week, a little healthy competition can go a long way. Loser brings doughnuts to morning practice!
4) Try something new – Learn a new drill, try a new piece of training equipment or practice a new stroke at least once a month. Mixing up your routine can help it feel less mundane!
5) Don’t take anything too seriously – Always remember why you started, and realize that nothing else matters. You will undoubtedly have bad days, but you will also have really good days, and those are the moments you need to hold on to. Swimming is meant to be fun, so don’t take it too seriously.
