“I’m looking at the sky, I’m seeing the birds, I’m in the weather. I’m noticing things that I never had time to notice before.” In the March issue of Outdoor Swimmer we meet Alex Francis. In 2019, the sudden onset of motor neurone disease stopped Alex in his tracks, but now cold water swimming is having a positive impact on his physical and mental wellbeing.
The pandemic has seen thousands of people take to the open water for the first time. “I don’t think I have ever been so happy. Going for a swim is the highlight of my day. It just changes everything.” We meet lockdown’s army of new swimmers who started in 2020 and have just kept swimming all through the winter.
Why would you give your swimsuit a day off? We take a look at some dryland sports and activities that will support your swimming, help improve your stroke, mix up your exercise routine and do wonders for your physical and mental health - including six pages of strength & conditioning exercises focusing on the muscles used in front crawl.
Plus, how to put on a wetsuit, swimming after breast cancer surgery, the Native American origins of freestyle, how to avoid brain drain, wild swimming in Cornwall, the future of the swimming travel industry and foraging for breakfast in the Lake District.
