To Swim or not to Swim - that is the question

Recently a church friend invited me to go swimming with her on Monday evenings, the only spare time in her busy schedule. I had to turn her down on account of my prior exercise engagement, namely Ballroom and Latin-American dance lessons. However, it got me thinking …. It seems a long time since I last went swimming – at least 3 years, possibly more than 5 (other than messing about a bit on holidays). Bearing in mind my recent decision to regain fitness, maybe it was time to get back in the water. I checked out the Leisure Centre’s website and discovered that an individual swim session costs £3.40 but a Swimming Membership costs only £20.10 a month and also entitles you to join the early morning swim sessions (from 6 am). As they say on the Real Hustle, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I went along today and enquired, and the minimum commitment is three months, at £20.10 a month by direct debit, plus a one-off admin charge of £15. Committing myself for a month had seemed appealing. Committing myself for three months, less so. I wasn’t even sure if I would LIKE swimming any more, despite having spent so much of my waking hours in water in a former lifetime as a competitive swimmer/lifeguard. Long hair and swimming don’t really mix well, and I’d like to keep the long hair for now.

At 3.30 pm there were only 4 other people in the pool which probably didn’t give me a realistic impression of what the early risers’ club would be like. I set myself a target of just 10 lengths and completed them with energy to spare so put in another 10 for good measure. Once upon a time I could spring out of the water as slick as a seal but 20 lengths in a body unaccustomed to such extravagant energy expenditure left me with barely sufficient strength to lever myself up onto the side – at the point of balance I thought for a moment I was going to slide back in ignominiously. Then of course came the walk home.

So: three months’ swim membership - will I or won’t I?




This photo taken in 2005 is what I'm using to inspire me to regain fitness