The holidays are a great time to get out and enjoy the many spectacular beaches we have on offer in New Zealand and a refreshing swim in the ocean can be just the thing to cool off on a warm day.
We’ve got some great tips to help you be safe and get the most from your time over the break to ensure you are raring to go for the new year.
- Try and fit in at least 2-3 swims each week to maintain your base fitness. Any less than this and you could have a little more work to do in the new year getting back to where you were!
- On holiday it is always easier to swim in the early morning because we all know what will happen to your motivation later in the day! Exercising early will give you a great sense of achievement, put you in a positive frame of mind and set you up for a good day.
- If you are holidaying near a beach use this time to get a few more ocean swimming sessions under your belt. Practice skills such as navigation, breathing (looking forward every 6 strokes to sight), and swimming for a continuous period of time (rather than turning at either end of a swimming pool).
- Stretch! Not often do people find the time to have a good stretch. After your swims, why not spend an extra 5-10 minutes stretching.
- Put on your sunscreen – and don’t forget your lips.
- Drink plenty of fluids before you begin.
- Make sure you follow the buddy system – if you are at a guarded beach, tell the lifeguards what you are doing.
- To mix up your swim session (if in the ocean) count strokes compared to doing efforts for time or distance; 50 strokes at a high effort, 50 strokes easy, etc.
- Stay on the safe side of distance from shore – don’t go out too far!
- Make sure you teach yourself how to breathe to either side, left or right. If the waves are coming from the right, breathing to the left is much, much easier.
Finally, enjoy!
