Your 12 Week Guide to Swimming E-Book

Daniel Ford

• Herausgeber: IMM Lifestyle Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 85

Beschreibung

"12-week guide: Swimming" offers an achievable step-by-step guide to help get an unfit person to a definable goal - a 400 metre swim in 12 weeks. The book outlines how to get started, what's needed and how to make that first step. Then using the week-by-week guide the reader works towards the target goal in very gradual steps with a weekly programme plus basic tips on nutrition, motivation, stretching and so on. The emphasis is on a very gradual approach towards achieving the goal so that the reader feels comfortable and there is constant reaffirmation of achievements as he/she works through the programme. There will also be sections for the reader's own notes, which are important for that all-important feeling of success as he/she works towards the ultimate goal of looking better and feeling fitter.

Leseprobe

Fact box sources (note: conversions are from g is to oz (US) and from ml to fl oz (US). (1) UK Department of Health. (2) USGS. (3) UK Department of Health. (4) UK Department of Health: Sport and Exercise Medicine: a Fresh Approach (2012). (5) McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC (all US). (6) P Lally, European Journal of Social Psychology. (7) US National Health Interview Survey (2010). (8) US The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Exercise and Weight Control. (9) Coca-Cola (US), Starbucks (US). (10) UK Department of Health: Start Active, Stay Active (2011) and US The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport. (11) UK Department of Health: Start Active, Stay Active (2011) and www.bootsdiets.com. (12) US National Sleep Foundation (US). (13) UK Government Office for Science: Foresight report ‘Talking Obesities: Future Choices (2007). (14) US The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Fast Facts About Sports Nutrition. (15)Drinkaware.co.uk. (16) US The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Fast Facts About Sports Nutrition. (17) US The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Exercise and Weight Control. (18) AM Williamson and AM Feyer, British Medical Journal (2000). (19) USGS. (20) Fitness Australia. (21) Triathlon: Serious About Your Sport (NHP). (22) Olaf Lahl et al, University of Dusseldorf (2008). (23) JH Stubbe et al, The association between exercise participation and well-being (2006) and various others. Photos: iStockphoto.com and www.sxu.hu, P19 Brandon W Mosley, www..manjidesigns.com. P20 Svilen Milev, www.effective.com. P30 Daino_16, http://leoele.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/photography. P36 Meral Akbulut. P39 Alx Sanchez, www.alxsanchex.com. P40 Scott Snyder, www.clearcaptures.com. P42 Marius Largu, www.lartekgrup.com. P49 Julia Reinikka, www.eggshell.com.au. P62 Luz Maria Espinoza, analab01. P64 PLRANG Images for design, www.phototric.com. P71 Manfred Werner. www.wikimedia.org. P72 Chris Coudron, http://chriscoudron.com. P74 Richard Dudley, www.bluegumgraphics.com.au. P77 Meral Akbulut. P81 Luz Maria Espinoza, analab01. P87 Tolga Kostak. P88 Chris Coudron, http://chriscoudron.com. P91 Alfredo Camacho, www.coroflot.com/alfredocb/trabalhos. P92 Meral Akbulut. P100 Charles Thompson, www.cameraclash.com. P104 snowee. P106 Graham Briggs, www.dreamstime.com/GBfoto_portfolio_pg1. P109 and P116 Janusz Gawron, www.januszgawron.pl. P114 Scott Snyder, www.clearcaptures.com. P120 Lisa Gaith. P124 Zsuzsanna Kilian. P126 Paulo Meira, www.unitdesign.com. P143 Craig Toron.

FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR TO A 400-METRE SWIM IN 12 WEEKS

by Daniel Ford

Training programme by Adam Dickson

Commit to the challenge

Tell other people what you intend to do…

Settling in

The programme is underway, so slowly and gently settle into your swimming…

Now stretch and relax

Stretching and resting are integral to your training programme…

Swimming can be a habit

Before you know it swimming will be a part of your routine…

Smooth rhythm

You should be feeling more comfortable in the pool now. Enjoy the rhythm of it…

Enjoy the benefits

You have been working hard, so now you can enjoy feeling fitter…

Keep it going

The end is in sight but there is nothing to worry about if you have followed the programme…

Recommit to your swim

Look ahead to the finish and recommit to the 400-metre challenge…

Taking care of details

It’s time to refine your technique…

Keep on track

You’re feeling strong but don’t get over-confident…

Not long now

Concentrate on the challenge and avoid taking on new projects…

Get ready to swim

All your hard work gets put into practice this week. Go for it…

introduction

Get ready to start your swimming challenge…

Most of us are very good at putting things off. Chances are you have been meaning to drag yourself from your armchair and start exercising for quite some time now. But somehow there is always a reason to put it off isn’t there? Sometimes it’s a work commitment, sometimes it’s something at home that needs sorting out. “I’ll just get this out the way then I’ll make a start on my fitness,” you might have promised yourself umpteen times before. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

The good news is you have broken that line of thought already, because the most important step in achieving anything new is simply deciding to do it. Once you have made the decision you set the ball rolling towards success. So you decided those double-cheese pizzas were no longer the way forward for you, went out and bought this book, and now the fitness ball is rolling. Granted, there is still 12 weeks of work ahead but the all-important first step has been taken. And there was you thinking the first step was the hardest.

Throughout this book you will see motivational quotes by people from different walks of life. You can draw on these to help you along the way – and even find your own favourites – but remember that at the end of the day you are the only one who can get yourself to the end goal of the 400-metre swim.

one

There is only one thing you should be concentrating on right now and that is to start exercising. Don’t attempt to give up smoking and drinking, and start eating salads just yet. You are more likely to give up if you try to change too much at once.

Don’t look ahead and worry about the big 12-week chunk of exercise that has been set out before you. Instead, simply approach it as you would a large project at work. You don’t panic about the delivery of the project, you simply set about breaking it down into small, manageable chunks. What needs doing and who are the best people in the office to do these things? How long will each element take? What do we need from outside and which suppliers are the best to deliver these? You are effectively piecing together a series of small parts to create the whole – the project. And so it is with this swimming challenge. By taking each session at a time, each week at a time, you are putting the fitness blocks together so you are ready for the 400-metre swim at the end.

An excellent exercise at this stage is to visualize your success. A lot of people dismiss this but remember your mind and body work together all the time. Top athletes spend a lot of time on visualization because they know how important it is. They will think through what they are going to do from start to finish and they will keep repeating it over and over again. Their minds are preparing their bodies for what lies ahead.

hear

Listen to your body. You know when you are feeling good and you know when you are not because your body tells you. Follow the programme and listen to advice but always remember the best guide you will have is your own body.

see

Make sure you visualize your success before you have even taken a physical step towards it. Your mind and body work together as a team and your head is the leader so take time to picture your success right away.

Take a few moments now to think through what is ahead of you. It’s better to find somewhere quiet to do this and you might find it helps if you close your eyes. Remember, you are programming your mind so keep your thoughts positive. Picture yourself in your swimming kit on the day of the challenge, feeling strong and happy. You have just completed the 400-metre swim and you are looking forward to going into work so you can proudly tell your colleagues how well you did. This doesn’t have to take more than a couple of minutes but by picturing your success you are setting your mind and your body on the path to completing this swimming challenge in 12 weeks.

How to use your book

Right, now you’ve pictured the end result in your mind it’s time to start taking the steps needed to get there. You won’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that this book is broken down into 12 large steps. Each will include a brief overview of what the focus of that particular week is all about. Read this at the end of the previous week so you’ve got time to digest it. As with above, visualize the success of the week (come on, you’re an old hand at this). Don’t skip these few seconds of visualization as they are important in firming up the week ahead in your mind. You will also find snippets of information on things such as food and drink, mental fitness, sleep, and so on that you can use during your 12 weeks.

The most important page in each section is Your Training Programme and Diary. Again, look over this page at the end of the previous week so the information has plenty of time to sink in. Also ensure you make space in your diary for each day’s activity and don’t relegate them to, “I’ll fit that in somewhere,” or you’ll get to the end of the day and realize there is no time left. Treat each session as you would an important meeting at work or an appointment at your child’s school.

At the bottom of these pages you will also see some traffic lights offering a ‘Do This’, ‘Consider This’ and a ‘Don’t Do This’. These are small tips that you can take on board during the week. You will also see a ‘Reward’ on this page, a little something to look forward to when the week is completed. Thoughtful eh? Ah, it’s nothing. Use the small notes column to the right of each day to record how you’re feeling. It’s a great way to end a session and fun to look back on later. You will be amazed at how quickly you will progress.