by Linda Shoenberger
December 1, 2007

7 Habits of Fitness Swimmers

1.         Regularity – Fitness swimmers feel good about themselves when they swim on a regular basis.  Missing practice makes us feel uncomfortable, like something is missing in our lives.  Having a coach and regular time of practice is the best way for us to remain fit.  But if that’s not possible, we always make time to get to the pool or open water to train.

2.         Curiosity – We like to learn more and more about swimming.  If a coach tells us to change something in our strokes, we are happy to try the change to see if it works for us.  We’re always curious to find ways to improve our fitness swimming.

3.         Change – We’re not afraid of change.  In fact we are risk-takers at heart.  We will gladly change our stroke if it proves to make our fitness swimming better and more enjoyable.

4.         Challenge – We love a challenge.  Entering an open water event or trying a new event at a pool swim meet makes us happy.  Interest in the ever-changing nature of our abilities as fitness swimmers is stimulated by trying new things.

5.         Listen and Learn – We are not afraid to listen to others when they offer suggestions to improve our fitness swimming.  We learn by listening and cull out the suggestions that we feel help us enjoy and improve at fitness swimming.

6.         Study – Reading swim articles, watching videos and watching others swim helps us learn more about our own swimming.  We are always looking to see what is changing or what we may have never learned our sport.

7.         Persistence – We never give up.  Nor do we ever get tired of going to the pool, lake or ocean.  It’s in our nature.  It makes us happy and joyful about life.  It brings is closer to the people around us and it gives us a great deal of satisfaction in a job well done.

The USMS website provides articles pertaining to swim training and technique, sports medicine, health, and nutrition information. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional or medical advice. It is not intended to provide medical advice on personal health matters. For personal medical advice, consult your health care provider. All information contained in the Articles section of the USMS web site is the opinion of the author of that information. It does not represent an official view or opinion of USMS. USMS does not guarantee the accuracy of the information or its applicability to any particular individual's condition.

These articles are not intended to be a substitute for medical care. If you are concerned about a particular medical condition or injury, please see your health care provider for evaluation and care.

Return to List of Articles