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Swimming is great because anyone at any age, no matter how out of shape, can learn to swim. Swimming is also known as the greatest exercise (calories/hour) that you can do individually. It works almost every muscle in the body and for those of you with bad backs and knees, its impact free.

The Gear

First things first. You’ve got to buy the proper gear. You’ll need a suit. Get one that you feel comfortable in, but isn’t too loose, you don’t want it falling off when you start swimming really fast. Next, you’ll need goggles. Get a pair that is comfortable and suctions to your face without the straps on, that way you will know that they will not leak when you are in the water. You’ll also need a swimming cap if you have long hair.

When you decide to start swimming, the greatest commitment you have to make is to the actual body of water. Since most of you probably don’t have a lake in your backyard, you’ll need to find a pool. Luckily, pools are everywhere. Join a fitness center with a pool, find the city pool, and most likely they will even have a group to swim with. A pool membership shouldn’t cost more than 80 bucks a month for full access to the gym.

The Workouts

If you have never swam before, take some lessons. If you already know some of the basics then I would advise you to just get back into it. Start with something simple:

8 laps warm up (200 yards)

4 laps freestyle (100 yards)
2 laps backstroke (50 yards)
2 laps breaststroke (50 yards)
Repeat 5 times…

8 laps warm down (200 yards), for a total of 1400 yards. If you want to swim 1 mile, you need to do 10 more laps. 1650 yards is a mile.

Your Body

If you feel self conscious in a bathing suit, you need to think how awesome your body is going to look after you swim. And trust me, it will look great (did you watch the Olympics?) Maybe not after one workout, but you will see results within a few weeks, plus, you’ll feel results almost immediately.

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