Swimming is training for life

Simon Griffiths encourages you to widen your swimming repertoire!

The other day, I had to help carry a washing machine down a flight of stairs. It weighed around 50kg and, as the person at the bottom, I took most of the weight. But I managed just fine.

I know some people lug around heavy objects every day for work. Other people lift much more than this in the gym. But I mostly work at a desk and I’m not a regular gym user. I therefore wondered, would lifting a washing machine have been straightforward if I wasn’t a swimmer?

I recently went on a hiking holiday. The gentle strolls I did around Richmond Park were no preparation for the arduous, all-day mountain trails I encountered on my trip.

Nevertheless, I felt adequately prepared both physically and mentally thanks to swimming. Training for swimming gives you both the endurance and the resilience to keep going when things get tough.

Getting fitter and stronger just for doing something you love seems like a good deal to me. But could we do more to increase the benefits we get from swimming?

Just keep swimming

To some extent, the more you swim, the more you benefit. I’m lucky. I’ve been able to build my life around swimming and can swim a lot. As can many of the people we spoke to for this issue themed around ‘Swim Life’.

But even if you can’t swim as often as you like, you could possibly do more to widen the benefits you get from it. One way you might do this is to expand your swimming interests. Here’s how you might benefit from different types of swimming.

• Pool and sprint swimming for strength and power (all those wall push-offs also build leg strength).
• Long distance swimming for stamina, achieving a flow state and mental staying power.
• Cold water swimming for health, general wellbeing and mental fortitude.
• Summer wild swimming for mindfulness, gratitude and connection with nature.
• Any type of swimming for fun, social connections and an excuse to eat cake.

If you’re new to swimming or have only experienced one or two types of swimming, these other activities may seem daunting. But I encourage you to explore and embrace them all. Widen your swimming repertoire rather than doing more of what you already do. Being an all round swimmer extends the benefits you get from swimming (and makes it more fun). Swimming really is training for life.

Renaissance Swimmer (a shameless plug)

If you’re interested in exploring a wider range of swimming activities, please take a look at my Renaissance Swimmer project. It’s designed to help you develop your swimming in multiple directions and live your best life through swimming. Find out more at renaissanceswimmer.com