There are those who haggle for an extra ten minutes with their alarm clock. And then there are the ‘morning swimmers’, those early risers who’ve chosen to start their day in the water.
It’s a trend that appeals to seasoned athletes as much as it does to those simply looking to incorporate more exercise into their daily lives.
It must be said that, in the early morning, the swimming pool has a special charm. Calm still reigns; the demands of the day can wait, and the phone, for once, stays in the changing room. All that remains is the movement – steady and almost meditative.
“Training in the morning allows you to start the day with a different level of energy and clarity,” observes Francesca Meini, Pool Manager at Aspria Royal La Rasante.
Swimming also has a valuable quality: it engages the whole body whilst being gentle on the joints. In the water, movements become more fluid and the effort feels less strenuous. It’s the perfect way to gradually wake up your muscles and mind, without feeling as though you’re heading into battle before you’ve even had your first coffee.
40 minutes to change pace
There’s no need, incidentally, to turn every morning into an Olympic training session. A 40- to 45-minute session is perfectly sufficient. Francesca Meini recommends starting with a 10- to 15-minute warm-up, paying particular attention to your breathing, before moving on to 20 to 30 minutes of more vigorous swimming, followed by a few minutes of recovery. For a regular swimmer, this amounts to around 1,200 to 1,500 metres, to be adapted, of course, to your own level.
Two to three sessions a week are enough to establish a routine, provided you stick to your own pace. And don’t neglect your fuel: it’s best to have a light snack before you take the plunge, followed by a more substantial breakfast afterwards.
Make a date with yourself
At Aspria Royal La Rasante, free swimming, aqua aerobics, guided training sessions and adult classes allow everyone to create their own aquatic routine. Because perhaps that’s where the real appeal of a morning swim lies: in that little break we allow ourselves before diaries, meetings and notifications take over again.
The hardest part? Getting out of bed. Once you’re in the water, waking up already seems a distant memory!
