October 2024 ‘Health’
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Health is so important and yet we are all guilty of taking it for granted, because what does being healthy mean to you? In my twenties I foolishly thought health was all about what I ate, what I looked like and how much I weighed. The late 80s and the 90s were brutal when it came to an image of health. I never thought about health as a way to enjoy life more fulfilled or to lengthen my life without illness or injury.
Today, I focus very much on how I feel and don’t take any of it for granted. Being healthy isn’t just about diet and exercise. It is how strong I feel in my mind as well as my body and it is a constant piece of work. Like many of our readers some days, weeks and months are better than others.
In this month’s issue we celebrate health. Rowan Clarke meets the Brighton sea swimming community and learns how they are living long, strong lives thanks to swimming. Lorraine Candy takes on the 15km Scilly Swim Challenge and soon learns that she is surrounded by a tribe of like-minded women. Janine Sheen introduces us to the Wingless Warrior Kerry-Lee Gockel, an armless open water swimmer from Australia and we explore Long Covid, common skin complaints from swimmers and but training gear to the test.
I recently renewed my Open Water Lifeguarding certificate and nothing focuses the mind more than re-learning water rescues and first aid. Keep yourselves fit and healthy this winter.
Enjoy the issue!
Ella Foote, Editor
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- The best skincare and shampoo for swimmers
Skin and hair can really suffer with regular swimming in chlorine or salt water. Read on for our round up of the best skincare, haircare and shampoo for swimmers - Putting on weight for swimming: how would this affect your health?
The perceived wisdom is to deliberately put on weight to increase your natural insulation for marathon swimming. But how might this affect your health, asks Simon Griffiths. - Swimming studies in Windermere
Jonathan Cowie reports from the Outdoor Swimming Research Forum 2024, a fascinating conference in the Lake District exploring the science of swimming. - Pond to pool
Simon Griffiths looks at how to adjust to pool racing after a summer in open water. - Reflect, recover and refocus
Swim Smooth coach Paul Newsome looks at how swimmers can maintain health and fitness in the off-season - Swim your age
Rowan Clarke finds out why swimming is the elixir of youth. - Lorraine Candy’s Scilly Swim Challenge
‘Postcards From Midlife’ co-host Lorraine Candy joined her tribe of middle-aged women to take on the epic 15km Scilly Swim Challenge – and a voyage of self-discovery. - October in the swim community
A successful transition at a Leicestershire NOWCA venue, and fundraising opportunities for Mental Health Swims. Stay up to date with our outdoor swimming community news for October 2024. - The Wingless Warrior
Armless open water swimmer Kerry-Lee Gockel sets her sights on a 25km Ultramarathon swim. - Living better with long Covid
Rowan Clarke finds out why cold water might be prescribed or contraindicated in people with long Covid. - Is your swim venue accessible?
If swimming is great for getting people moving and has the potential to change lives, why don’t more people with disabilities do it? Adaptive swimmer Sophie Etheridge looks at a few of the issues disabled swimmers face. - Dryland training for swimmers
What is dryland training and why is it important? - Outdoor swimming kit we love this autumn
Size-inclusive hiking and swimwear, protein-boosted breakfast cereal and a change robe designed with wheelchair users in mind: a round up of the 10 best pieces of outdoor swimming kit we’ve tried, tested, and loved this autumn. - Weekend swim retreat: Buck’s Coppice, Dorset
Yvonne Turner, our Head of Brand Partnerships, enjoyed a swimming weekend in Dorset with her husband, Ali, and children (George, 15 and Heidi, 12) - How I train: Paul Fowler
Paul Fowler of 100% Swimming provides first class swim coaching for swimmers and triathletes of all abilities who are looking to improve their performance. He shares his own swim training regime with us. - Let’s look at swimmers’ skin
Have you ever suffered with weird rashes or itchiness after a swim? Rowan Clarke investigations skin afflictions that can affect outdoor swimmers. - Seaweed creations
Ella Foote heads to Dorset seeking seaweed and sea swimming and to learn how to create a lasting memory from the water. - Swimming with Agatha Christie
Author Matt Newbury tells us about the Agatha Christie Sea Swim – a swim with “an old fashioned vibe” that he co-founded with Sophie Pierce in 2010. - Minreet Kaur: My first open water mile at Swim Serpentine
Minreet Kaur reports back from her first open water mile at Swim Serpentine – a real milestone that has given her the boost to train more and get stronger. - How to become a lifelong swimmer
Marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas shares how perimenopause is prompting her to reevaluate her long term health and swimming goals - Northumbrian rivers and Roman remnants
Susanne Masters seeks rivers, waterfalls and Roman remnants on her wild swimming holiday in Northumberland. - Move of the month: Upper trapezius stretch
This move is a wonderful stretch that will help improve your range of motion, flexibility and relieve a little of that neck tension we all feel occasionally. - Volunteer and get fit!
Rebecca Duncan from the Rivers Trust shares how volunteering outdoors is not only a great physical workout, it’s great for the mind – allowing you to tap into a sense of mindfulness and connect with nature as you work.
