Getting the motivation to swim daily...

Addendum to my previous post. The title of this thread says "Getting the motivation to swim daily... ". That can only come from within. If you don't want it, you won't do it (or you'll resent whatever it is that prods you in spite of your inner ambivalence.) For me now, skipping swimming (6 days per week) is as unacceptable as skipping brushing my teeth. It takes some extreme circumstances for it to happen, and most times I am forced to skip a day, I make it up on Sunday which would have otherwise been my day of rest. Also, you added the question about gettting hurt in swimming. It's true that it's far more difficult to get injured from swimming -- especially at the beginners levels. The water will not tear ligaments or break bones like many other forms of exercise can do. But overworking to extreme exhaustion can lead to a stressed immune system, and susceptibility to who-knows-what sicknesses. Depending on your current health of your internal organs, you may over-stress your kidneys or liver, or your heart and lungs. From personal experience I know I have overdone it when I cannot recover physically after a workout. I'll have a low-grade headach all day, and often my digestive system craps out and I get the runs later in the day. So listen to your body. As a swimmer progresses from beginners levels, pulling longer and harder in workouts begins to reveal flaws in one's stroke or technique. If you are a beginner, this is a ways down the road. Some common problems are soreness in the shoulder, neck and/or back. At higher and higher levels of intensity, swimmers with flawed strokes can face rotator cuff surgery, among other things. For now, I would venture to guess that this will not be an immediate concern for you. Just concentrate on working up the discipline for getting in there each day.

Addendum to my previous post. The title of this thread says "Getting the motivation to swim daily... ". That can only come from within. If you don't want it, you won't do it (or you'll resent whatever it is that prods you in spite of your inner ambivalence.) For me now, skipping swimming (6 days per week) is as unacceptable as skipping brushing my teeth. It takes some extreme circumstances for it to happen, and most times I am forced to skip a day, I make it up on Sunday which would have otherwise been my day of rest. Also, you added the question about gettting hurt in swimming. It's true that it's far more difficult to get injured from swimming -- especially at the beginners levels. The water will not tear ligaments or break bones like many other forms of exercise can do. But overworking to extreme exhaustion can lead to a stressed immune system, and susceptibility to who-knows-what sicknesses. Depending on your current health of your internal organs, you may over-stress your kidneys or liver, or your heart and lungs. From personal experience I know I have overdone it when I cannot recover physically after a workout. I'll have a low-grade headach all day, and often my digestive system craps out and I get the runs later in the day. So listen to your body. As a swimmer progresses from beginners levels, pulling longer and harder in workouts begins to reveal flaws in one's stroke or technique. If you are a beginner, this is a ways down the road. Some common problems are soreness in the shoulder, neck and/or back. At higher and higher levels of intensity, swimmers with flawed strokes can face rotator cuff surgery, among other things. For now, I would venture to guess that this will not be an immediate concern for you. Just concentrate on working up the discipline for getting in there each day.