Does Swimming Get Boring?

Does swimming get boring for you? I know it has for me at certain times, despite my passion for the sport. Anything we do often enough can get boring after a while, if we let it. But does swimming have to get boring? Here, the answer is a definite no. There is so much that is interesting about swimming! Even the fact that somehow the human body is made to be able to float in water is pretty darned amazing. Today I share my top reasons why swimming might get boring and how you can keep the joy of swimming feeling fresh and new.

Is swimming a boring sport?
How to get the most out of swimming
Tips to keep swimming laps interesting
How to listen to music while swimming
Top things that make swimming fun
Are swimmers happier people?

Is Swimming a Boring Sport?

Is swimming boring? To answer this question, we first have to understand that our human brains – those big lumps sitting on top of our necks – are literally wired for novelty.

We know this because researchers looked at what happened in people’s brains when they looked at familiar versus unusual images. They discovered the brain only released dopamine, a feel-good hormone, when the research participants looked at the novel images.

So if we want to keep boredom at bay in any area of our life, including swimming, we need to constantly seek ways to keep the experiences we are having fresh and new.

How to Get the Most Out of Swimming

Unlike many other forms of physical activity and exercise, swimming literally works out every part of you. Every major muscle group and every major body system must get on board before you can even swim a single lap.

Often, building your awareness of just how life-changing swimming can be is the first step to nip boredom in the bud. Instead of pondering how bored you are, use your pool time to notice and refine all the benefits swimming offers you, like these:

Swimming strengthens your lungs and your whole respiratory system
It keeps your cardiovascular system flexible and fit
Swimming can burn up several hundred calories in just half an hour
It improves every phase of your nightly sleep cycle
Swimming gives you a full-body workout in 20 minutes

What other workout delivers all of these benefits and so many more with such a low daily time investment? When you swim, you are literally investing in the total YOU.

How to Keep Swimming Laps Interesting

Swimming is one of the most interesting activities you can do. Why? The people-watching! Not only can you have fun watching kids at play in the pool as their parents hurry after them yelling “don’t run!” but you can also learn a ton from watching what other swimmers do right.

And swimming is great for general people-watching too and offers a great chance to meet new people and make friends. Who knows who you might meet poolside? But you have to get in the water yourself to find out.

How to Listen to Music While Swimming

Have you ever considered bringing your playlists along with you to the pool? New technology makes it effortless to swim to music. Try mixing up your playlists to add a different mood and vibe to each swim session.

Today it is easy to find a wide variety of waterproof music players for all budgets. You can sync these players up with your favorite streaming music apps to put new energy and excitement into your water workout times.

How Can You Make Swimming More Fun?

You can transform your regular garden variety swimming routine in no time with these fun ideas.

Pick the right gear
Join a club
Meditate
Make a to-do list
Enjoy yourself

Love what you wear to the pool

Another way to keep swimming fun is to make sure you have a selection of fun swim apparel and swim accessories to wear.

Who doesn’t love a chance to go shopping and get a new pair of water shoes, a fun pair of water sandals, cool new swim goggles and colorful cover-ups and accessories? Then you can look forward to showing them off at the pool.

Join a local swim club

Swimming, like most things in life, is more fun with friends. Why not check out your local swim club for adults and see how turning swimming into a meetup livens up your swim time?

Meditate as you swim

Meditation is a key component of easing stress and maintaining calm. When you approach swimming laps like a moving meditation, you can slip beneath the constant thought waves in your mind to find the space between each thought where you are at peace.

This concept is sufficiently well documented to have earned its own descriptive label: “blue mind,” which refers to the calm that comes when we are around or in water.

Check it off your to-do list

Remember the feel-good hormone dopamine we talked about earlier? Dopamine is what drives us to make to-do lists, not because we love having lots of tasks each day, but because checking each one off our list feels so good.

Yes, that’s right – every time you check something off your list, your brain releases a tidbit of dopamine for you to enjoy. So be sure to check “swimming” off your to-do list for an instant mood lift.

Enjoy some endorphins

Every time you complete a lap, you are earning more endorphins for yourself post-swim. What are endorphins? Endorphins are the body’s natural stress buster, pain reliever and mood lifter. Exercise is one of the best ways to get your body to produce more endorphins. (For a bonus, add in some music while you swim and double your body’s endorphin output.)

Are Swimmers Happier People?

Are swimmers happier than other people? Scientists and swimmers alike say yes. But the reason may surprise you.

Swimming ensures that plenty of oxygen reaches every single cell in your body. At the same time, swimming stimulates your circulatory system and its partner, the lymphatic system, which is responsible for moving toxins out of your body. By the time you finish your laps, your cells will be breathing deeply and cleanly, which is definitely a recipe for whole-you happiness.