As 2022 is coming to an end, the hoopla of the holidays are almost behind us, I want to wish you a very healthy 2023. Your health and fitness are your most precious assets, so make sure to preserve them and focus your resolutions towards them.
Fitness encompasses many components, and it can be difficult to carve enough time for adequate cardio conditioning, strength training, postural exercises, balance training, mobility, and flexibility. The key is to find exercises that combine all that in. Swimming is a prime example of a sport that will work your lower body, upper body, trunk musculature, balance training, lengthening, and strengthening all at once. Therefore, swimming can accomplish significantly more training in the same amount of time.
Multitasking your workouts is effective both from a time-efficiency and a functional perspective. However, it may take a while before you can work up to this type of training. First and foremost, you have to learn how to execute each individual movement correctly to be efficient and to avoid injuries.
First resolution: Tune up your stroke. I am organizing two stroke development clinics at the Clark County YMCA in Vancouver. The first one will focus on freestyle and backstroke and will take place Saturday January 7th and the second one will focus on breaststroke and butterfly on Saturday January 14th. The cost will be $20 per clinic for any 2023 USMS registered swimmers.
Both clinics will be from 1 to 4 PM with one hour in the classroom to review the basic technical points of each stroke followed by two hours in the pool with drills and tips. Those clinics are specifically targeted to the fitness and lap pool swimmers who can swim back and forth but are motivated to improve their strokes. For details and registration, go to the OMS website: www.swimoregon.org/events. Each clinic is limited to the first 20 registered participants to be able to give personal attention and feedback.
Second resolution: Register or renew your USMS membership for 2023. This will give you access to the clinics without having to pay for the $20 one day membership for each clinic. Renew before December 31 for $65 or it will be $70 thereafter. The yearly membership will give you access to any USMS events, such as clinics, swim meets, fitness or virtual events but mostly it will give you access to the website, newsletters, workout library and a multitude of technical tips and articles. If it is your first time registering, please register as club OREGON and secondly your workout group if you are training with a local team. This is the only way you will be able to swim relays with other swimmers from Oregon at swim meets.
Third resolution: Take it progressively. The world was not made in one day. Drastic changes are usually not sustainable. Eat healthy and a variety of food in moderation but do not try to follow the latest fad diet. Set achievable goals and celebrate each and every one of them. Work on your technique before increasing your mileage and getting injured. Take care of yourself and your family. Enjoy life and be thankful for what you have.
Have a happy and healthy 2023. See you at the pool.