Swimming laps is FUN!
But first, the winner of the 4lb Amazing Grass giveaway!
Congrats to CARLY!!!
Carly said, “My turning point was when I got sick of being in a body I didn’t feel comfortable with. I didn’t want to be a the beach for another summer feeling the same crappy way. During the same time I also became completely inspired by reading your blog and so many amazing other health blogs! Watching these strong, confident, driven women made me realize that I am the same way and I can do it too! Thanks for all your inspiration Angela! 
p.s. I made my first green monster today!”
Carly, please email me ([email protected]) with your mailing address.
For those of you who didn’t win, Amazing Grass is offering Oh She Glows readers a special 20% off discount code- just use ‘OHSHEGLOWS’ in the checkout!
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Before leaving for the pool last night, I was so excited and nervous. However, once I put my new swimsuit on, I felt confident. There is something to be said about a new piece of workout gear for inspiration!
I had a few almost freak-out moments once we were there, in the flesh…
1) Seeing a gross band-aid stuck on the garbage can in the change room.
2) Two minutes before 8pm, our swim was about to begin. I FROZE with fear. I was this close to saying to Eric I didn’t want to go in the water. We decided to sit on the sidelines for a couple minutes and just watch. I visualized myself rocking the laps!
3) Walking 4 feet to the pool without my flip-flops on. Ick.
4) Seeing a small white mystery object floating underwater, approaching me as I swam closer. I dodged it like a bullet and hoped that it sunk to the ground. Whew.
Here is what I ended up doing:
I swam 750 metres (30 pool lengths) in 40 minutes. I took plenty of rest breaks and just took it nice and easy with no pressure! After lap 1, my body was in shock and I was panting for air. I found that I got used to it after a few laps and got into a nice rhythm. I alternated between the front stroke and breaststroke.
Question: If our pool length is 25 metres, what is considered a lap- 25 m or 50 m?
What I learned after Day 1:
- The slow lane is our friend
- Leave about half a length in between me and the person in front
- Bring two towels. I only brought one towel and it got soaked before I even showered.
- GET EAR PLUGS (many of you mentioned this). I still have water logged in my right ear this morning. Anyone know any tricks to get it out?
- Good goggles are essential. I loved my new goggles and they work great!
- It really isn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be!
- Peeling off a swim cap hurts
- Bring a lock for the locker
- Saunas feel amazing after a swim
- A lesson would be very helpful
After we got home we were hungry and thirsty and each snacked on a Glo Bar:
This morning my tummy was rumbling and I had a lovely bowl of Vegan Overnight Oats waiting for me! I love coming down to breakfast ready to go.
After coming out of the fridge overnight:
In this bowl: 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate Powder, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1 banana, mashed.
My toppings included Nuts 2 You cashew butter (this brand isn’t as good as Artisana) and my Reduced-sugar maple coconut syrup.
Oh this was soooooo good. I am absolutely hooked.
I had it along with a fresh juice:
I have come to the conclusion that I do not like celery in my juice! It tasted murky.
With my creation (along with crazy bed head!)
By the way, I am so proud of Eric!!
He did awesome last night. Especially for someone who has never had lessons before. We chatted about it more and I think he is now open to the idea of taking a lesson with me so I am going to look into it.
When Eric was a young boy, his class had to do 3 swimming sessions together. Well, Eric couldn’t swim and he got teased by all the kids! Him and another boy had to wear lifejackets to help them swim during these sessions and the kids teased them and laughed. He was so embarrassed because he couldn’t swim well.
He said ever since then he has disliked it and had no confidence when it came to swimming. I am so proud of him that he is conquering this huge fear of his. I am really trying to encourage him as much as I can and help build his confidence. I don’t want him to get overwhelmed, but just to take it one day at a time. He was really worn out and out of breath so I just encouraged him to take lots of breaks and get out of the water and drink water. I think that really helped him and he didn’t feel pressure to crank out a gazillion laps.
Today’s question- Were you ever teased about something as a kid that stuck with you for years? Did you ever find a way to get past it?
When I was young I got my share of teasing! One thing that sticks out in my mind was a boy who told me my arms were too big and muscular. This happened in grade 7 and it stuck with me for years and years. When Eric and I started dating he confessed to me that he loved my arms and thought they were so attractive. It took me YEARS to believe him and to start appreciating my arms for what they do for me each day.
Including BAKING, which is where I am going now for the next several hours! Eric is going to be working on renos today. After that we are going back to Swim & Sports to get some ear plugs. :)
Have a great Saturday!
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{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
hurray! so glad you enjoyed swimming…i had to take a lesson as an adult, but it was one of the most helpful things ever. now i love swimming laps and can do it with confidence :)
I got teased for having hair arms- I am Indian after all!! But now I get them waxed so no worries!
Major props to Eric for getting his swim on!
Congrats on the swim! I used to be a lifeguard and we worked very hard to keep the pool clean. No worries, my friend! You can even ask to see the cleaning log and they can show you what they do to keep it sanitary by the hour :)
In 5th grade, I was the same exact height I am right now: 5 feet 5 inches. I was bigger than everyone and just as tall as my teacher! Everyone called me Jolly Green Giant and made fun of how tall I was. Not only was I taller, but I also began to develop much more quickly than everyone. I was the first to get zits, braces, and boobs. This has definitely stuck with me, and I am very insecure about being taller or bigger than other people. My husband is only a few inches taller than me, and although I feel that I am very confident in my own skin, I still feel a little self conscious wearing heels.
I went to an awful Catholic school with awful gym teachers who favored the boys and ignored or were mean to the girls. As a result I hated sports, until high school when I met my amazing cross country coach. I was never fast, which is always in the back of my mind, but almost 2 decades later I am still running and healthy!
Tilt your head to one side and pour rubbing alcohol in the clogged ear. Let it sit for a few seconds then tilt your head to dump the water out, into a towel. That usually works for me to get water out!
We are both starting to swim!!!
My mom always put hydrogen peroxide in our ears when we were little.
My best friend in elementary school decided one day to make fun of my toes. She said “Ew, you have SUCH long toes!” Which I do, but I never thought anything of it until then. After that I was crazy self conscious and I still am to this day about my feet!
glad you had a great swim, I cant wait to read more about your training!
Aw you guys both rock for conquering your fears! I wish kids had any idea that what they say to each other has lasting effects! I was called “lion” in 7th grade because of my curly hair and I definitely tried to plaster it down for a few years after that haha. Now I love my curls though- so I guess it didn’t last forever :)
I’ve used the rubbing alcohol trick, too. It works. This girl Diana in my third grade class teased me for wearing this polka dot shirt and said I looked like a clown. I went home and threw it out and I still remember her and her bowl haircut to this day as the Mean Girl.
Great job on the swim!
I love to swim, and I just don’t think about all the yucky stuff in the pool. I swim like a child, but I don’t care :)))
I was teased a lot, and I think it just made me stronger and more hardworking
shaking your head (even jumping up and down) helps the water get out. Glad you are taking swim lessons, it is such an important skill to have!
Growing up I was teased for being overweight. It is something that I’m working through, but I’m not there yet. Kids are just so cruel. I’m just glad I grew up before mass communication, I can’t imagine how twitter and facebook are used to tease kids these days.
Love swimming! You guys are getting such an awesome workout. Sometimes the best part of my day is gliding through the water. :) (BTW during short season, 25 is one lap.)
Awesome job on the swim! (Eric too)
I haven’t swam in years…which is kind of sad. I miss it!
Gah I don’t blame you for not liking the celery in your juice. I think it tastes gross in juice form, pureed form, and whole form :)
Hooray for both you and Eric. I agree one of the worst feelings is bare feet on those tile pool floors – ickkkk. haha Once you’re in the water though (and away from floating mystery objects) I find that you just get in the zone. If I ever moved to a warmer climate and had access to my own pool year round – oh man…I’d be in there allll the time! :-D
Wow! Great job, both of you!!! Doesn’t it feel awesome to conquer fears like that?!
I was teased for being overweight and I allowed it to get to me for many, MANY years (too long, actually). It’s only been in the last few years that I realized that I LET it get to me and used it as an excuse to not do certain things. Once I realized that I was able to let go and move on!
You and Eric are awesome. Seriously.
I buy the “Nuts to you” all the time…I like the pumpkin seed and cashew, sunflower, macadamia,,,so many !
Artisana is DEFINITELY better…but its hard to find where I live…and its deathly expensive, so a rare rare splurge.
I think I have been teased about a hundred things. Gotta let it roll off.
Thank you! I dont know about awesome but we defintely feel more excited about training after getting the first day over with! :)
i was teased by other girls for being ‘flat chested’ and at the time i cried and cried and prayed for big boobies. now that im older i love having a small chest and im so glad theyre the size they are.
i think this happens to so many girls.. and at the time i was teased everyone was so crazy about padded bras. its nice to see that padded bras arent ‘in’ like they used to be.
This is so ironic, I got teased for the opposite reason – early developer! I got SO self-conscious because the boys would say seriously ugly things. Here I was this skinny little 11-year old reed but needing a bra. Awful. I asked my Mom to help me hunt for the kinds of teen bras that would flatten me out! I was very much a tomboy, so it felt HUGELY traumatic to me at the time. My mom would say things like “you’re just becoming a young lady” and I’d go “I don’t WANT to be a lady! I want to be a kid!”
LOL. I think for girls, the whole body image thing going through adolesence and puberty (flat, not flat, skinny, chubby, short, tall, you name it) is rough. Guess the good thing is that I toughened up and eventually the rest of me caught up, but I can easily understand how it can affect people for life.
A lap is usually there and back, and a length is just there, so 50 is a lap, 25 is a length.
That bowl of oats look so GOOD!
Thats what we thought but I wanted to make sure!! Thanks :)
I was always teased when I was younger for my weight, specifically my thighs! I have said it before, but I am so lucky that I learned to let that stuff roll off my back.
Congrats to you guys on an awesome job!!
I always found that baby powder in my swim cap made it easier to get on and slightly easier to get off. Make sure your hair is in a pony tail under there. And the cheapo flimsy swim caps are really hard to get on and off – buy a thicker one :)
I think my swim cap was $3.50, lol. I’ll try the baby powder!
I don’t know why but your oats look about 100x as amazing as usual today!
Have a great day!
Swim caps are no fun, they can pull. I always find wetting my hair first in the shower before hitting the pool and stretching to that bad boy usually helps with a less painful removing of the cap!
Or…you could buy one of the cloth caps. I use both and they both work well. I find I prefer the cloth one during time trials…less pressure headaches afterwards!
Good job hitting the pool and conquering your fears!!
Teasing…..yep, loads of it growing up.
Oh boy. When I was in the fourth grade, my best friend convinced me to join dance with her. We took lyrical (it’s a combination of jazz and ballet) together, up until sixth grade when I decided I wanted to take ballet. The only problem is I have no grace whatsoever. None. And I was terrible at ballet but having no grace sticks out. Whenever the teacher would yell at me for not having a straight back or not point my toes enough, I would hear the whole class snicker. I’m pretty sure I only lasted three weeks in that class. Now, I play rugby in college and luckily that does not require much grace. However, once a week do do a three mile run around our campus to build up endurance. Occasionally someone will comment that I’m “lanky” because my limbs are so long. (I’m 5’10”) and it reminds me of my inability to be graceful. Now I’m able to laugh about it but it’s taken me a long time to get to this point! lol
angela — I swam for 16 years competitively….take your cap off underwater and it wont hurt your hair! also, there are silicon caps that dont hurt a BIT! they are thicker and slid off easier, but your hair wont hurt at all! hope that helps!
i second the notion of putting baby powder in the swim cap – and pay the extra money for the silcone one – totally worth it!
Aww, YAY to both of you for conquering your fears! :D
Congrats on the swim! I just started following your blog, so I may have missed this, but do you sell your “Glow” bars?
ive blocked everything out of my childhood haha. I had it pretty easy actually i’d say. Of course the odd thing, but nothing that really stayed with me.
i don’t think i could ever swim like that. I am too afraid of water
Put a capfull of rubbing alcohol in your ear, leave your head tilted so the alcohol stays in your ear for 30 seconds or so. Tip your head the other way and let the alcohol and water drain out on a papertowel. Hope that helps!
50 meters is a lap, 25 is a length. You two did awesome, way to go Angela on 750 meters for your first out! Woohoo!
Congrats to Carly for winning Amazing Grass and hey, thanks for discount to order, I was thinking I needed order one of the SuperFoods! Have you put together a variety pack again, yet? This might be something I missed or wasn’t paying attention…doh!
Hmmmm, teased…uh…yea. I have very curly hair and when I was a kid it was so bushy and frizzy, I got teased about it all the time and hair pulled…..ugh! So now, I wear it short spiky and thank God for flatirons!
Once again, congrats on your swim practice. I’m serious, go to www.swimplan.com to put together some good practices for you and Eric. Also, I bet Swim & Sports can tell you guys just where to find a good swim class.
Congratulations on conquering your fear with swimming! It sounds like a great experience and finishing it off with overnight oats….mmmm!
I was teased for being so skinny and tiny but not too much because everyone else was growing up so fast around me. I hit puberty sooooo late and because of this never dated much, etc but I wasn’t made fun of for being small in high school, just felt embarrassed myself.
Oh man, when I was a kid I was so bad at gym. I have had spinal issues since I was born and I am also very uncoordinated! Ha ha. I couldn’t do cartwheels or roly-polies or anything and I got so teased about it. Hey what would they all think now I’m a yoga teacher! I have to admit though that when I was training to teach yoga the voices of my classmates laughing at me did come back to me. But I showed them in the end with my awesomeness ;) (plus, yoga cures everything!)
I have found in life that nothing is as scary as we build it up to be in our heads. I did something today I was dreading and it was actually fun!
btw your bed hair is cute :)
okay if i looked HALF as good as you in the morning then that would be amazing <3
when i was a kid i would get made fun of for my BIG FRONT TEETH! thankfully, braces saved that. praise the Lord.
happy saturday!
Your bedhead is cute ;)
Congrats on the swimming! It must have felt amazing afterwards (endorphin high + the natural high from knowing you conquered your fears!) Some very astute observations made, indeed. Especially the 2 towels thing! I’ve swam so many times and that never once occurred to me. :P Oops!
Happy Saturday!
I used to get swimmer’s ear and my doctor told me to make ear drops with a 50/50 solution of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. Then, when you get out of the pool, put a few drops in each ear and it will evaporate the water.
Congrats to you guys for conquering your fear! I actually prefer the softer caps made out of bathing suit material – they are easier to put on and to hold long hair!
I find celery makes juice a bit salty tasting.
Congrats on your first night out! You’re giving me the motivation to get back in the pool. I have some of the same gross-out issues! Plus, I hate getting into cold water, it’s fine once you get going, but that first couple minutes…torture!
Btw, what is the calculator program you used above? That’s really neat!
When I swam a lot I put vaseline on my face so that it would not dry out – I have sensitive skin. Also if you put baby powder around where your swim cap meets your hairline especially in the front it will stay put. I looked pretty hot with all that going on ( not)- but my skin did not dry out, and my cap stayed on. I loved swimming laps – try using a kick board and do that for a lap – and then use this block between your thighs it keeps your legs afloat and you can just work on your stroke with your arms. It also gives your body a rest put you are still working out. I would do a full swim lap, the kickboard, a full swim lap, the leg thing, and repeat. It worked for me. :)
Hey Angela!
I compete in swimming for five year and worked beside a public pool for 8 years. Always barefoot and nothing gross happen to me :) No infection, no disease… Hope it will make you feel better!
If the pool your swimming is 25 meter lenght, then 25m= 1 lap. It’s this swim in competition!
Congrats to Eric, that is very brave of him.
*Apologizes my writting, english isn’t my first language.
Hi Kate,
Congrats on your first swim! I’m lounging here after my swim class and just came across your site. I’m in the Kitchener area and am thinking you must be in the T.O. area (the Swim and Sport reference made me realize it -what a great store eh?). I am training for my first try-a-tri this summer. You are mentioning that you would like lessons. I can highly recommend joining a “Masters Class” (just a name, don’t be afraid! LOL!) nearby. Call “Swim and Sport” for a masters class near you as the girls there are coaches and lifeguards for various master classes in the area. I joined one back in January and it was the best thing I’ve done to improve my swimming. I was told it was great for triathlon trainers. Lots of tips and practice in the water. :) I’ll be popping in again for sure!
Ummm, okay, perhaps I should become accustomed to your website BEFORE calling you by your proper name (not Kate!). Sorry about that Angela!! I was just so excited to see someone else trying out a try-a-tri! :)
Cool! Glad you like swimming laps now. It’s my favorite. :)
Put alcohol on a q-tip and stick it in your ear. The alcohol evaporates the water. :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed swimming!! I used to swim competitively in Middle and High school. Tips for getting water out of your ear? You can get ear drops, but I usually put a little rubbing alcohol on a q-tip and rub it around in your ear. Dont JAM it in there though! you’ll pop your ear drum. Also, try wetting your head before you put a swim cap on. it helps when you go to pull it off. A silicone cap also reduces hair pullage… and decreases mold production as fast :)
Great job swimming some laps! I’m still a bit afraid to do that. I’m not too big of a water person.
I forgot to mention it before – when I did my tri training I did adult lessons at the YMCA and it helped IMMENSELY. 100% do it!! I know the Y here has adult drop-in times, is that where you’ve been going?
Oh, and when I used to swim all the time, I noticed a huge change in my hair texture from the chlorine. I bought some Aveda shampoo specifically meant for pool damage and it really helped :)
You and Eric are going to awesome!!
Great job on the swimming! I tried swimming a bit not too long ago, and it’s alot more intense than I realized!
Does the cap actually keep your hair dry???
I learned how to swim in a huge open water creek with strong currents, and later took swim lessons every weekend for years to learn strokes and gain speed. I don’t remember how I “learned” but I’m so glad I did. Being able to swim is a great skill!
yay swimming!! i’ve been a competitive swimmer for almost 20 years and have coached swimming for 12 years and love love love it!
– put baby powder/talcum powder in your swim cap after it dries. that way it’ll go on waaaay easier next time. to make it easier to get off, dunk your head under while taking it off
– pools are CLEAN. i’ve also lifegaurded for ages and we were constantly cleaning with some hardcore chemicals. really, pools are so clean. anything that gets in there will die within seconds! so dont worry about that!
– to sound like a pro, call the front stroke “freestyle”. the other 3 competitive strokes are breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly
– a lap is 25m in a 25 m pool
– water in the ear sucks. i used to be sitting in class at university and my ears would drain onto the desk, gross! you can get swimmer drops at the drugstore, they’re basically rubbing alcohol and will dry up all the water in your ear. or you can try jumping on one foot with your head held to the side! always best done in an empty change room! hahaha
good luck with your training!!
I was teased because I was sooo skinny….until I was 20…it was really tough for me when I was 12, 13 because the boys were so mean, called me african-kid and of course at this age you want to be liked by boys;) I remember I went to the doctor and she told me I should eat pasta every night in order to gain weight…which I did, but unfortunatly it didn’t help, I just ended up hating pasta until today:)At the age of 15 I used to wear layers of clothing just to appear a little bit thicker…and I never wore t-shirts because I was so ashamed of my stick-thin arms…oh well when I turned 20 it changed, now I don’t look like a stick anymore but I have to eat like a horse to maintain my weight…but I still hate it because when I lose weight (which happens quickly) I get comments all the time…so I am still insecure about that
Good for you and Eric with your triathlon training! I recently found your blog and I love it. You are so inspiring. =)
I was teased all my childhood because I was so petite. I was always the smallest kid in my classes and I got no end of ribbing about it. One boy in kindergarten told me I was “smaller than a piece of dust” and sent me home crying. Then in seventh grade, I was running for student council. We had to give a speech in front of the entire grade (about 350 kids) and I couldn’t see over the podium, so I made the best of it by taking the mic out in front and saying “I don’t believe in podiums.” Well, I said that to 350 twelve-year-olds, so you’d better believe I was Podium Girl from that day until I graduated high school. To this day, I hate podiums. I guess I got past it by doing moot court in law school – I had to stand on a crate, but I was all “Whatevs, I’m gonna rock your world with the quality of my legal analysis.” (Oh, did I mention I am not a super cool person?) I’ve finally made my piece with being short – no more giant platform shoes ruining my feet – I think what did it was, all my life, my mom told me being short is the best because you can date short guys AND tall guys, but tall girls can only date tall guys. (Okay, not exactly true, but when you’re 13 it’s what you need to hear.) I ended up marrying a very cute, tall guy who loves that I am little. I’m cool with myself now, but I’m not going back to any of my high school reunions. I may be okay now but I have no desire to be Podium Girl for even one more night.
I had overnight oats for the first time and loved it. There is so many great combo’s also.
Can’t wait to hear about your new glo bar pack. Interestingly, I got made fun of for my short legs coined as “chicken legs.” Now I’m a running fool :-) I laugh at that! lol
Love the oats – perfect! I’m glad you got over the pool fear – I’ve been a swimmer forever and still get a weird feeling about getting in the water and it being cold :) Once you’re in, you’re good! Wet steam sauna is the best part, for sure!
Hi Ange! I’ve been wanting to order amazing grass, but I’m also Canadian and I’d heard that the combo of duty/shipping made it a bit ridiculous. Do you know anything about it? Thanks!
I was teased about two things regarding sports growing up, and both times I’m figured out a way around in (in large part thanks to my parents). I was one of the last kids on the block to learn to ride a bike. I got brutally teased by one boy, and somehow my Mom found out She took me and an old used up and down a bikepath, until I got the hang off it. My brother and I rode our bikes endlessly together years after that. The second area was throwing a football — I couldn’t get the spin. I told my Dad that I was terrible at this unit in gym class, and no one would play with me (didn’t help I was the new girl in 5th grade that year). He took me out several days in a row after school to practice throwing a football. To this day I am PROUD of the spin when I throw, and have gotten high praise from my husband (who played quarterback).
Back in the day everyone called me Mary Esther (go by Mary now) bc my Mom’s name is Mary. I have big teeth, which used to be the very thing kids used to pick on me for by calling me Mary Easter (as in Easter bunny)… Now, everyone says I have ‘perfect teeth’ and a beautiful big smile… Funny how things change ;)
If you’re not worried about getting your hair wet, but just keeping it out of your face, I suggest a Lycra/Spandex swim cap. I am also training for a tri and after reading reviews that’s what I went with and I like it.
This is a little late posting but I am just now catching up on the posts over the weekend! I had to comment because when I was in junior high an older guy said my arms looked like a MANS. I was mortified. I am STILL super self concious about my arms even tho I have since lost weight and kept them toned, not so bulky and muscular. Everyone compliments me on my arms – but I sill cringe when I leave the house in a tank top. So crazy how that stuff sticks with you. I bet that guy would be shocked if he knew I remembered he said that!