How to keep that swim fit feeling!

After a swim event, it’s easy for training to slide. Engaging in active recovery, working on technique and trying something new can help keep you motivated. Words by Vivienne Rickman

Your big swim event has come and gone, and now that post-swim glow is starting to fade. It’s normal to feel a little lost. You’d spent months training and now the routine and motivation of having something to aim for has passed, it’s easy for your training to slide, if not stop altogether. You felt great on event day so how can you maintain that fitness you worked so hard for, keep your motivation and not feel completely exhausted?

Rest, but don’t stop completely

After months of training, some well-earned rest is essential. Give yourself a few days, or even a week off. Celebrate. Sleep in. Fully unwind. Let your body recover. Just try not to become completely inactive. You’ve probably heard the term active recovery, but what does it actually mean? It’s about giving your body time to heal while still engaging in gentle movement. Low-intensity activities like walking, easy swims, or restorative yoga help maintain circulation, ease muscle soreness, and support both physical recovery and mental wellbeing. Staying lightly active can make all the difference in how quickly you bounce back.

Set yourself a new goal

One of the biggest reasons people stop exercising after any sporting event is simple: they no longer have anything to work towards. You don’t need to jump into training for a solo Channel swim because you completed a 1km sea swim, instead, pick something small and manageable. Maybe you want to improve your front crawl technique, run a 5k, or build up to doing a pull-up in the gym. Following structured training helps you stay motivated and following a program lets you know where you are on your journey towards reaching your goal.

Build a relaxed routine

We don’t need to be training flat out all the time. You may be exercising fairly intensely in the lead-up to a challenging swim event but outside of this kind of training, if you have a more relaxed weekly plan you can pick up and follow, well, it makes you more likely to follow it! Maybe that’s two swims a week, a couple of strength training sessions in the gym, and an activity you find fun, such as hill walking or roller skating. Keep your body moving in a way that feels good, not exhausting.

Work on skills, not just fitness

Many people when training for swim events, focus on just getting to the end, and training tends to be about endurance and completing set distances. Now is the perfect time to think about what you can improve on in your swimming: do you need to work on technique, master your breathing, refine your stroke, or learn a new one? These training sessions are often less intense but can be incredibly valuable for future swim events. Get yourself a coach, or have a look at your local leisure centre to see if they have adult lessons or a Swimfit class.

Try something new

If you’ve been swimming non-stop for months, try something totally different for a while. Maybe it’s spinning, yoga, tai chi, or even a dance fit, (which is my favourite!) Changing things up can improve your overall fitness, and it might be fun. I often do this and I find doing something different for a while really rejuvenates my interest in swimming.

Move just because it feels good

After training with such intense focus, it can be refreshing to move just because you want to, not because your training plan says you have to. Go for a swim in the sea, walk with friends in a forest, go out for a bike ride, do it without having to track it on to your watch. Reconnect with the simple joy of moving, without any pressure of closing rings, counting kilometres or logging laps.

Fitness isn’t just about getting ready for a specific event – it’s something to carry with you for life. The key is finding a balance: staying active enough to feel strong and healthy, while giving yourself the freedom to enjoy it and take on bigger challenges whenever you want to.