why is swimming so out of favour right now?

Just curious...
In my quest to.become fitter I have found a renewed love of swimming, splashing about for fun, dedicated lane swimming and specific swimfit classes. I have tried to encourage friends who are also trying to get.fit to come with me but each time I ask I am.met with scrunched up noses and comments like 'i don't like getting wet', or 'its such a hassle'.

Just wondering if this is a general trend or if there are people out that that still love a swim?

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I'm a real fan of swimming. I think part of the blame can be put on the culture of health and safety, and all the misconceptions about the transfer of bugs in water. Add that to the lack of family friendly / frequency of cost prohibitive pools and you can start to see why it has been in decline. Here it's a lot easier with the sea just 5 minutes drive away

Will these people who say no to swimming, say yes to a run? Maybe they aren't as active, or can't swim. Or maybe they don't like their body in swimsuits.

I've been swimming a 1/2 mile every morning at the YMCA. My knees and back have never felt better. Also, I've dropped 45 pounds in 6 months. I feel good about that too.

I love a swim but I find public pools to be disgusting most of the time. I swim in the ocean on vacation and will make swimming a part of my workouts routine as soon as I own a private pool. (Meaning not in 2015)

I don't think swimming is out of favor. As an aquatic fitness instructor, I'm always fighting with swimmers for pool space, even when there is only one person per lane swimming.

kr1stadee wrote: »

Will these people who say no to swimming, say yes to a run? Maybe they aren't as active, or can't swim. Or maybe they don't like their body in swimsuits.

On a board like this, I doubt it's a matter of activity level. Most posters who've stated why they don't like it seem to have another go-to exercise, whether it's walking, running or lifting. For many it just comes down to expense or convenience. On my end, the one gym that has a pool that's within reasonable driving distance costs $189/month. No way am I paying that.

I love swimming, but I used to do it competitively, butterfly and backstroke, and have torn up one of my shoulders so badly I can't get it around anymore.

Swimming is great for anyone who doesn't like the feeling of being all sweaty.

LovelyIvy466 wrote: »

kr1stadee wrote: »

Will these people who say no to swimming, say yes to a run? Maybe they aren't as active, or can't swim. Or maybe they don't like their body in swimsuits.

On a board like this, I doubt it's a matter of activity level. Most posters who've stated why they don't like it seem to have another go-to exercise, whether it's walking, running or lifting. For many it just comes down to expense or convenience. On my end, the one gym that has a pool that's within reasonable driving distance costs $189/month. No way am I paying that.

OP said it was friends that were saying no, that's what I was addressing.

I like swimming, but pools are so crowded most of the time, it is hardly worth the hassle. Plus, I'd have to deal with my daughter's butthurt if I went without her. There is no point in taking her with me because she is not going to lane swim for 45 minutes or wait while I do it and she is not old enough to be completely unsupervised (9). If I won even a modest amount in the lottery, I'd buy a small, indoor exercise pool.

Swimming is really expensive in my town. If I went once a week, it would almost be the same as my gym membership. Plus, they use too much chlorine. When it's imbalanced, it gives me hives.

I enjoy swimming but it's not all that practical as a "go to" exercise. I do most of my cardio work either early in the morning or on my lunch break...pools aren't open early in the morning and I have no access to a pool during my lunch break and frankly, even if I did, it's far more practical to go for a ride or a run.

I would also add that there is no pool at my current gym...it is one of the aspects of my previous gym that I really miss, but again...just not practical as my previous gym required about a 20 minute commute each way from my home. So really, my only pool access is the public pool...there is an aquatic center that is pretty nice and caters to lap swimmers with a separate area for actual swimmers, but again...it's a good 20 minutes out of my way. The public pool near my home is more of a general purpose type of pool and it's filled with kids...I take my kids there to play and they do have lap lanes, but usually there are kids playing in the lap lanes unless is is specifically lap swim hours which are odd hours and I can't keep them generally.

I don't think it's out of favor necessarily...just not really practical unless you actually live on the water or belong to a gym that has a pool.

Just did 2k in the pool, place was pretty hopping, not sure how OP is quantifying "out of favour". That said, swimming is definitely more expensive and less convenient than running - with the latter I step out my door and go, for free. The pool I have to travel to and pay for.

Great exercise, though, no doubt about it. Some of the burns claimed in this thread are the usual MFP absurdity, of course, but it's still a hell of a good workout.

I used to LOVE swimming when I was a kid but then I developed a slight allergy to chlorine, so I get itchy skin and red eyes now. Still, if I wear good googles and shower immediately, i CAN swim.

But then, there's the money. I pay 20€ for my gym membership, that's less than 2€ if I go 12 times a month. A pool membership costs 400€ per year, that's almost double the amount of the gym. I could also pay a bit over 5€ for single visit.

And then, there's the times: my gym is open every day around the clock, the pool isn't. In the mornings pools tend to be fairly empty (unless there's a school class there) but I work until afternoon. Which is when parents take their kids to the pool for fun. And when everybody else goes and insists on talking while swimming and blocking the lanes... that makes me so mad every time.

And then there's the fact that quite regularly I've been insulted because I dared go out in a bathing suit while fat. I know I should brush that off but I can't. I only go to the pool these days if one of my male friends comes along. When they're around, ain't nobody gonna mess with me. That's cowardly and I know it but I just don't want to have to listen to people putting me down.

Because I don't have a pool in my basement (I do have a treadmill). Easy answer!

Going to agree with ninerbuff, on the cons. I'm a swimmer, but the prep time is a lot longer than getting on my bike or go for a run or just a walk. So I'm a swimming who hates swimming. When I go it takes about a mile before I am really OK with the back and forth boredom.

I grew up swimming and near the water, when I started with triathlons I met a lot of people who were just learning to swim (in their 20s/30s/40s) that was totally new to me. So a lot of people can't swim and obviously will turn up their noses, or aren't good swimmers and turn up their noses. Swimming isn't as natural as running...we're not fish. In Washington DC, the public pools are free and awesome (we have 25 yard/meter and 50 meter pools to pick from all over the city, and a 50m open air one come the summer that overlooks the Washington Monument. Not bad for a city.

As for hair maintenance, always wet it prior to swimming and put something like a Moroccan oil in your hair. It will protect it from the chlorine. I color my hair and the color and texture has been pretty good since I started doing this to it(I swim 2 or 3 times a week).

Here's my hangup:

Old Ladies do it.

I am soooooooo happy that it's not trendy and a hassle for most--I like to have a lane to myself. Unfortunately it's pre-swimsuit, beach season in Italy, and my pool in Rome is full every spring, since everyon's trying to get in shape quick. I've been swimming for 20 yrs and can't live without it. We are lucky to have a pool near us in central Rome. I go with my husband 8:30-9:45 three to four times a week. We pay alot and have a fitness membership, so I can do all sorts of classes--yoga, gym, and then there's the whirlpool and sauna.

As for hair tips. I put on a reconditioner and put my hair in a high ponytail, then I put on a cloth swim cap (silicone will slide all over without it), and then on top of that a silicone cap. In this way my hair gets an hour conditioning treatment every time I swim. I have fine long hair, and it used to get so dry. Now it's in great shape.

I LOVE swimming. But......I am not comfortable in public in a swimsuit yet and I have no access to a pool at the moment and when I do it is only during the summer.

That is actually one of my "rewards" once I lose a little bit more weight is to get a new swimsuit and get a membership to the Y so I can start swimming again, because I have always been a fish.

most of the gyms locally do not have pools.. liability and irresponsible members . like steam rooms do not exist either cost of maintaining and member negligence

The chlorine wrecks people's hair.

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