
Have you heard the phrase “consistency is key?”
It’s the practice of doing something regularly to develop a habit.
I am consistently inconsistent with my swimming. It’s because swimming isn’t easy. I also don’t like getting my hair wet.
Seriously, I have a lot of hair and it’s a pain to wash, comb and dry. I’d like to wash my hair only a few times a week — but when you’re swimming in chlorine you have to wash your hair after every swim.
I’ve been swimming off and on for seven years. I had some good excuses why I skipped swimming. A torn ACL, knee and cataract surgery and then COVID shutdowns. All together, that took me out of the pool for a few years.
This time back in the pool, I’ve decided the secret is consistency. I’m starting slowly, two days a week, swimming 1,000 yards — which was my warm-up in Masters. I began with kicking five days a week in my backyard pool to get the hang of getting back in the water.
Then I headed to the YMCA to lap swim. I could push myself and do more yards or more days, but I’m gradually going to build. I went from walking each day to adding swimming and barre classes and ended up with a pulled muscle. At my age, I’ve learned my lesson.
Start off easy, develop a habit and build. Be consistent.
I wrote about consistency and parenting that was published on SwimSwam. You can read it HERE.
I wrote about my first day of swimming US Masters HERE.
What are your secrets to developing good habits whether it’s working out or other aspects of your life?