Masters Swimming Changed My Life

Five years ago I was overweight and hadn’t competed in Masters swimming for over 20 years. I was traveling a lot, so wasn’t sure I had time to swim competitively, but wanted to. I had started to get into better shape and feeling good, so I said “what the heck”

New England SCY Championships

and signed up for my first Masters swimming meet in a long time. It was so much fun I signed up for even more meets that winter. Little did I know at the time that this would change my life.

A year and 1/2 later I swam a 2.4 mile ocean race, called Peaks to Portland in Maine and came in 10th place out of approximately 330 swimmers. I was 45 years old and hadn’t competed in that race for 16 years. I had decided the prior winter to swim the race for a few reasons. I had lost 45 pounds and wanted to keep the weight off. I also wanted a big goal to train for, and I knew it would help motivate me to train regularly. The strategy worked! I kept my training routine and the weight stayed off.

Swimming is a sport that requires discipline, motivation, and hard work to compete. The key to success for me is that I got moving and just started. I didn’t over plan my workout strategy. I just started swimming. At first it was 3 days a week and built it to 4-5 days a week. I was traveling a lot, so I planned my hotel stays near YMCA’s to make sure I could get my workouts in. I made the decision to just start, and it has forever changed my life.

How Masters Swimming Has Changed My Life

Masters swimming changed my life in many ways. I’m healthier today than I was five years ago. Swimming regularly makes me want to put healthier fuel in my body, so I eat healthy. I have incorporated stretching into my daily routine, which has helped my flexibility and has helped prevent me from getting injured. I have a lot more energy and think clearer than I did before swimming. I have many new friends and have reconnected with some awesome old ones. I look forward to swim practices and meets. They are fun and make me feel like a kid again.

I recommend Masters swimming to anyone looking for a positive change, whether you swam competitively as a kid or have never competed in your life and want to give it a try now. It just might change your life too.