By Sarah Lloyd, Swimming World College Intern
Let’s face it, for many of us, summer isn’t what we see in the movies. Instead of hitting the beach every day or jetting off to exotic locales for unfettered fun, most of are (gasp!) working. If you’re like me, you probably haven’t had a summer off from work since you were 15 and you could finally get a lifeguarding certification.
For the college-age swimmers, internships or “real people” jobs are also thrown into the mix (you know, the ones where you have to wear clothes?). Working over the summer can make it really hard to get to every–if any–practices over the summer.
Here are a few tips to staying in shape when swimming has to take a backseat:
1. Core work
If anything, do some core workouts when you can. Even if you can’t touch the water for the whole summer, keeping your core tight and strong will allow you an easier transition when your fall season starts up again. Consistent core workouts help maintain better body position when you finally dive back in, meaning that you’ll be more efficient and able to focus on mechanics.
Photo Courtesy: Andreas Roestenberg
2. Walk
It sounds silly, but even just walking further from your car to your workplace in the mornings or opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator will keep your muscles firing and maintain some tone. No, walking won’t keep you in the same shape as running or hardcore cardio, but it’s something you can do easily without having to change your clothes or get sweaty.
3. Make a schedule.
If you have time every day or every other day for a workout, make a schedule and stick to it. If you make a schedule and tell someone else about it, you’re more likely to workout because someone else is holding you accountable. Better yet, find a workout buddy and hit the gym together!
4. Go to the workouts you can go to.
If you can only make three out of six workouts a week, go to three workouts a week. Swimming every other day is so much better than not touching the water for three months. If your club has a strict attendance policy, see if you can speak to your coach about your situation.
Photo Courtesy: Madison Carroll
5. Give yourself a break!
Summer is about having fun and doing new things, so don’t stress over not getting to every practice or skipping a day or two of activity. Life happens and your internship at that really awesome company in that super cool city is worth it, so don’t beat yourself up for “sabotaging” your training. You’re not going to ruin your next season if you don’t train on all cylinders all summer. We’re young–we bounce back quickly.
Wearing clothes to “real” jobs is a drag. We’d much rather be in our suits! 🙂