Old dog? Check.
New things? Check.
I don’t really feel old. Actuarially, though, I probably “fit the criteria”… So, I’m an old dog. But I can still learn new things, and maybe that’s what has been keeping me in the game (at whatever level of metaphor you want to apply it)!
My latest “new thing” as it relates to the February challenge is that I’m learning more about swimming, not just technique, but more about how to develop and train over the long term. That may sound like a disconnect, since this challenge started out under the bizarre guise of a Kettlebell challenge. But really I think what I’m learning is that I enjoy variety in my activities, and I think I’m bored of Kettlebells – well, that and they are kind of gruelling if you set yourself up to punch out 10,000 of them!
Nevertheless, back to swimming. First, I’m no swim pro, and I don’t set speed records. My swim development started about 20 years ago (no need to rush things) and I first learned to improve my stroke efficiency and a few things like bilateral breathing because I wanted to do a triathlon. Since then, though, to “train”, I’ve just done more swimming. More of the same. Guess what? I got a bit better. And I could swim a bit farther at one go.
So here I am now, a bit bored and looking to up my game, so to speak. I asked myself what would happen if I were to study swim training and actually develop a plan and then, well, train. The question is still so fresh that I can’t tell you the outcome yet, but one thing I noticed right away is that it re-oriented my enthusiasm. I quickly discovered a whole world of training resources and development strategies out there (on the Internet, nestled in and around the cat videos). I decided I’d like to see some significant improvement in my swim performance, so I’ve started learning about how to actually train for swimming.
This is where I am on my wellness journey at the present moment – slogging away through my Kettlebell challenge as promised, but with a rekindled interest in another area of wellness. Trying this new thing keeps me motivated, and I think it will lead to some actual development of my swim skill!
Regardless of your age, keep being active, and keep learning new things. Imagine where you could be in a few months!
I’ll keep you posted if I learn something REALLY cool about swimming.
And, all this swimming and Kettlebells is making me HUNGRY!!!