The genius of swimming costume legsuits

The strange thing is that many women love the concept but still haven’t braved the look. Maybe it’s a traditional thing. Swimming costumes for women have traditionally been styled with higher legs. But many women really do not like that area of their body at the top of their thighs!

The average swimming costume does little to hide this area and lays bare the upper thigh to the general public.

Rising popularity of swimming legsuits

Ah, but at long last, the swimming legsuit is becoming more popular. Swimming costume legsuits are great for all kinds of swimming sessions and for pool-based activities such as aqua aerobics. There are shorter and longer-legged versions and the designs are as different and as funky as any other swimming costume or bikini. Many swimming legsuits are designed to make you more streamlined in the pool, as well as for comfort and boosted self-confidence.

How to get more women back in the swimming pool

We’ve been been thinking that this kind of swimming costume would be the perfect way to encourage more girls and women back into the swimming pool. You do see more women employing their own upper leg hiding techniques, such as wearing shorts over their swimming costumes or keeping the towel wrapped around them until they dive into the pool. But with a swimming costume legsuit you can walk the poolside or beach with confidence and swim like a fish.

Oh, and without wanting to get too personal, there is another advantage of the legsuit swimming costume. If you’re in a hurry or you simply can’t be bothered, these suits are perfect for those times when you might not have shaved your bikini line! We’re just saying!

So if you’re keen on swimming, or thinking about getting back into the pool, and you want a swimming costume that is practical and comfortable and also looks flattering we recommend a swimming costume legsuit. They’re genius!

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You can leave the English Channel, but the English Channel won’t necessarily leave you. It’s an obsession and quest, that like most of these type of adventures is difficult to explain. So English channel swimmers fall back on some of the simple facts.

Since Captain Matthew Webb first swam the Channel (on his second attempt) 136 years ago in 1975, (insert map), just over 1200 people have completed a solo English Channel swim with 22 completing the task of over-and-back, and five completing a three-way. Known as the Everest of the Sea, in the 50-odd years since Sir Edward Hillary climbed Mt Everest, about 4000 people have summitted the eponymous mountain.

In the 35 years since Ironman started over 300,000 people have successfully completed an Ironman triathlon. The Channel is typified by cool (cold depending on where you live) water, averaging 15 to 16 degrees Celsius, highly changeable weather in very short time, even with modern forecasting, and unpredictable tidal currents. And the worst and hardest part doesn’t arise until the last part, until you are already exhausted when the real battle begins. It’s like a race where you have no idea where or when the the finish is. It tests you mentally far above more even than physically. Renowned adventurer Lewis Pugh said recently of it, “The English Channel is the perfect stretch of water to truly test the human mind.” Good luck cannot get you across but bad luck can stop you getting across. Sudden weather changes, hypothermia, delayed tides, sea sickness, jellyfish and shipping traffic can all contribute. And all that is just for very experienced sea swimmers for whom these are not normally problems.

The historical failure rate is about 65% but in recent years that has actually become the success rate, but the rules remain the same, a single swimming cap, goggles, “bathing costume” and nothing that would retain body heat.

The swim season generally starts in early July and lasts until the end of September, just three months, with soloists swimming on the neap tide. However with neap and spring tides alternating every two weeks, that means the actual period available is half that time, about 6 weeks. Into this period must be factored bad weather when the Channel can become quite extraordinarily rough, far rougher than a cursory glance at a map would indicate. (This is a very short video clip of Shakespeare beach, the traditional starting place, I took during 2011 season). The two governing federations, the CS&PF and the CSA between them have about 12 pilots boats. To get a good “slot” (a first or second place option on a seven day tide window) you now must usually book from a year to three years in advance with a specific pilot. All this means that even making the decision to attempt the Channel is a significant undertaking, rarely taken likely, except by those who underestimate the difficulties. But once you start telling people. “I’m going to swim the English Channel”, you realise the impact of those words on others, how they have permeated the world’s culture crossing all languages and boundaries, as a ideal of toughness and challenge., and how many people say they dream of it.

Many channel swimmers say the Channel changes you. I certainly have found it so. The reasons for swimming are as varied as the swimmers. I cannot explain fully why I decided to attempt the Channel. Legendary swimming researcher and coach “Doc” Councilman said of the Channel, of which we, the Channel community, have many sayings and aphorism, “it only hurt once. From start to end.”

For we are a community. From knowing no Channel swimmers I now know dozens. I know as a Channel swimmer that I could travel anywhere in the world and if there is another Channel swimmer there, I’ll be welcomed, and visa versa. For this is one of the by-products of a Solo swim, becoming part of an extraordinary worldwide community. the chance to stand on the beach in Dover and see and talk to legends like Kevin Murphy, King of the English Channel, Freda Streeter, most successful Channel coach and mother of Alison the Queen of the Channel with 43 crossings. To meet the greats of the swimming world and the Aspirants, all there because of the obsession and the dream and goal of swimming this one piece of sea water, that should you succeed sets you forever at the pinnacle of your sport.

You can follow my ongoing articles about open water swimming at loneswimmer.com or on Twitter @donalbuckley, (where I also follow @simplyswimuk).

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Just four years ago, Rebecca was the first British swimmer for a century to win two gold medals at the Olympics, taking first place in the 800m and 400m. Now she has her sights firmly set on the London Olympics. But where does she find the motivation? After all, swimming involves a lot of early mornings and many, many lengths of a pool.

Apparently, Rebecca has never had a problem with motivation. She is reported as saying: “Swimming means everything to me. It is my life, I love it and it’s what I’ve always wanted from an early age. I don’t have a problem getting up in the morning.

“It’s lonely because you are on your own — but in a good way. What’s wrong with being on your own? As soon as I dive in the pool I am in Becky World.

“I feel completely like nothing else in the world matters or is going on. I’m free, there is only me and the water.”

Rebecca will soon be 23 and she has been swimming pretty much since she was three. She followed her older sisters into swimming clubs but back then it was her siblings that had all the swimming badges and prizes.

Of course, Rebecca’s time came in 2008 in the Beijing Olympics and then in 2011 with a world 800m gold and 400m silver. The swimmer also received an OBE from the Queen.

Rebecca claims that her Olympic medals are greatly treasured but placed firmly in the past. She is reported as saying: “I’ve put them in a bag and I don’t take them out to look at them. What happened was amazing and I will always have them and no one can ever take the two medals away from me but there has to be a point when you move on. I want to look to the future now.

“When I retire I will want to take them to places — but at the moment I want to focus on new goals.”

She added: “I still get nervous. It never goes away but that is a good thing. It shows you care, that you want it, that you want to achieve something. It’s like your body is getting ready to race. And the day I don’t get nervous is the day I retire.”

We’re wishing Rebecca the best of luck – and swimming skill – in the forthcoming London Olympics.

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Top five health benefits of swimming

Strength builder: Think about dolphins. I doubt you’ve ever seen a fat dolphin! Now think about top swimmers. Ever seen a weak professional swimmer? That’s because the movement and exercise of swimming improves muscular strength and muscle tone. Health experts also tell us that  swimming increases bone strength, which is epically important for post-menopausal women.

Low on impact: Swimming, unlike most other aerobic sports, gives your body a good workout but without any pounding or impact to your skeletal system. How so? When your body is submerged in water, the body only needs to deal with a small percentage of your actual weight because the water is doing the rest. So if you have stiff muscles and sore joints, swimming is the perfect exercise.

Good for your heart: Research shows that 30 minutes of exercise per day, such as swimming, can reduce significantly reduce your chances of coronary heart disease and also reduce your blood pressure.

Longer life: A study at the University of South Carolina found that people who swam regularly suffer lower death rate. The research found that of the 40,000  men, aged 20 to 90, who were tracked fro 30 years, those who swam had 50% less likelihood of premature death. It’s thought that the same is true for women.

Easy breathing: Asthma sufferers can find it tough to exercise outdoors in winter, or cope with the dry atmosphere of gyms. However, swimming allows you exercise in moist air, which can help to reduce exercise-induced asthma symptoms. Some other studies have also shown that swimming can actually improve the condition overall.

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Remember that swimming is an excellent way to develop a wide range of body muscles.

In tandem, the body’s vascular system adjusts to the larger volume of blood by dilating more with the beats and contracting less in the rests between beats. And so blood pressure is effectively reduced.

Research that reveals swimming good for lowering blood pressure

Medical researchers in America have found that swimming for exercise can be as effective as some blood pressure medicines at lowering blood pressure. A study detailed in the Journal of Hypertension gave account of 10-week trial of people with mild hypertension. While six of the 18 participants didn’t exercise, 12 swam for 45 minutes each day.

By the end of the trial the pulse – and therefore the heart rate – had decreased on average from 81 to 71 beats per minute among the swimmers. And their average systolic blood pressure dropped of 11mmHg. The non-exercisers saw no change to their pulse rate or blood pressure.

Another study in Taiwan saw seven adults with mild hypertension and 16 with normal blood pressure. Both groups swam daily and by the end of the trial

The hypertensive group’s systolic blood pressure dropped an average of 17mmHg. The normal blood pressure group had a slight increase. (This is actually normal as people normal blood pressure have less to correct in their vascular system, so diet and exercise have less blood pressure effects).

So swimming is god for building strong muscles, burning calories and lowering your blood pressure.

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Today is the very last day of Movember so moustaches across the world will be cut off. So we have dedicated this page to some of the greatest swimmers of all time – Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps. Check out these beauties!

Spitz

Phelps

To give to the mens health charity or to find out more information, then click here.

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Wednesday 30th November the new Fastskin 3 is set to be released. This incredibly exciting new piece of Speedo swimwear has been created in the ‘Aqualab’ – Speedo’s top secret research and development laboratory.

Super swimming stars who are sponsored by Speedo are ready to wear the new Speedo Fastskin3 such as Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and our very own UK swimmer Rebecca Adlington.

Speedo president, David Robinson, says “We are set to unveil an innovation that will inspire our swimmers and revolutionise the world of swimming once more. Everything comes together on November 30th and we can’t wait to unveil the results.”

Want to find out about the most exciting piece of Speedo swimwear ever created. Check out the Speedo Fastskin 3:

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Faversham Swimming Club is a fantastic volunteer run organisation with over 300 members, who range in age from 5 – 85 years old.  The indoor pool is open all year round, with an outdoor pool open throughout the summer months.

If you’re local to Faversham and haven’t checked the club out already, make sure you do. There are all sorts of groups you can join, depending on age and ability, from Tadpoles for little ones right through to the adults’ Masters training programme, as well as synchro, lifesaving and water polo. Faversham Swimming Club members can also gain ASA awards from basic to honours level.

We’re so proud to be sponsoring Faversham Swimming Club;  the volunteers do a brilliant job getting youngsters and adults fit, active and in the pool. Patrticularly impressive is the sheer range of activities on offer. There’s something for the whole community to get involved in.

Take a look at what the club has to offer, and maybe we’ll see you there!  http://www.favershamswimmingclub.org/

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Designed to share the love of our favourite sport and bring people closer together, we think this is a fantastic event for us all to take part in! So 1^st December 2011 get out there and find a swimmer you know and give them a hug!

So far, there are over 50,000 people ‘attending’ or taking part in this event around the world this year according to Facebook and there are still a few weeks to go – are you one of these people?

Last year, Hug a Swimmer Day was so popular that this year is Hug a Diver Day too! Unfortunately this hasn’t had quite the same success as Hug a Swimmer Day but the thought still counts!

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You can make a giant candy cane with your red pool noodle by simply bending it into a candy cane shape. When you’ve achieved the candy cane shape tie the bent end to the straight with a clear string so it stays. Wrap a white ribbon around your noodle for the traditional candy cane stripe and secure with sticky tape or pins. How great will this look up at your local swimming pool, school or even at home!

You could also use your noodle to make a wreath. So you need a green noodle and bend it into a circle, held into place by strong tape or an adhesive. Then go ahead and decorate! Wrap green tinsel around it to give it the textured effect, and as the noodles are made with foam it’s really easy to pin things to it like artificial flowers or ribbons.

With thanks to _gee_ for the banner image.

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