Why swimmers are awesome

They know how to receive evaluation from the clock and from authority, and they know how to use feedback to their advantage.

They realize that evaluation is not meant to be personal, but rather a mechanism for progress. Whether completing a brutal practice, a grueling training spell or a long, tiring season, swimmers appreciate the importance of perseverance to completing a task. Swimmers know that giving up is not an option, no matter the circumstance.

In the workplace, you will not find a swimmer who is half-hearted. Swimmers are perfectionists. Once a swimmer buys in, they will do everything in their power to achieve and succeed. They know that performance is a reflection of effort, so finishing the job is never even a question.

Teamwork is vital to success in the workplace. Collaboration between coworkers can either make or break office relationships. Swimming may be coined an individual sport, but swimmers are still excellent teammates. They are great at supporting one another, particularly when the going gets tough.

Swimmers know exactly how to get the best out of their teammates. This is evident in training, schoolwork, and competition. Hiring a swimmer offers a unique opportunity to employers. Swimmers will boost office morale and maximize productivity by pushing coworkers to improve. Swimming is a lifelong sport, and the lessons learned from swimming apply to many aspects of life. Swimmers learn characteristics from the sport that make them outstanding candidates for any profession.

His is a Zen Buddhism blended with masochism kind of strange, one that features the mind shunning "normal" human impulses. The swimming fan favorite psych-up video, " Rise and Swim ," which features Phelps, encourages swimmers to neglect "common sense" and take the 5 a. To thrive, swimmers must romanticize their monotonous lifestyles. They seem to retreat into their mental sanctuaries for inspiration.

As Olympian Alex Meyer describes in a day-in-the-life documentary , his ability to visualize races and let his imagination run wild helps him persist through training for swimming's kilometer marathon race.

It is frustrating to think that perhaps the key to America's aquatic dominance is also its biggest barrier to establishing mass appeal. A swimmer's uncanny ability to endure monotony also fosters personalities that are not imminently marketable. The precise nature of the results in competition — and more notably, training — means that we can visibly see and feel progress as we improve, and can correlate the work we put in with the results we receive.

Reminds me to continually expand my horizons. I cannot count how many times coaches over the years dropped a gauntlet of a set, something that never in my wildest imagination would I think could survive, let alone complete.

We can be so melodramatic when those tough sets get scrawled up on the whiteboard. But then what happens? You not only finish the set—but you leave the pool with a little pep in your step and a renewed sense of self-belief.

A good workout clears the mind. That feeling I just described? About feeling awesome about yourself after an awesome workout? Yeah, that. When we are pounding out a hard workout, our bodies recognize this as a moment of intense stress, and in response sprinkles a protein called BDNF brain derived neurotrophic factor all over your noodle.

What does BDNF do? Improves the function of neurons and encourages new neuron growth. Which explains why you feel clear headed and happy after a big workout. If you want even more of that good ole BDNF, get into some interval work.

Research has shown that sprinters in particular experienced a greater surge in BDNF production. No matter what is going on outside of the pool, for an hour or two I can unplug from everything. Whether it is work or school stress, conflict and drama with the people in our lives, whatever it is—swimming gives you the opportunity to shut it out.

No cell phone, no social media, no nothing — just you and the black line. I swim because there is a chance to be extraordinary. What extraordinary means for each of us is completely different. For some, it is to swim butterfly for meters non-stop and not have their stroke collapse okay, most of us , for others it is to swim collegiately, and others, to grace the podium in international competition.

Boulder-shouldered, broad back, lean and strong, swimming gives us a physique that is the envy of the sporting world. Drowning is the leading cause of death for kiddos between the age of , and is the second leading cause of injury in children between the ages Over the past decade the United States alone averages over 3, drowning deaths per year. That is about ten every single day.

Learning to swim gives us the confidence, awareness and competency to better navigate the pools, lakes and streams in our lives. For most of us particularly readers of this site , swimming came to us at an early age.

For some this means joining a Masters team, for others it means going down to the local YMCA to do some solo laps, and for others it means floating around the splash pool with the next generation of water babies. On the other hand, swimming with a local team or organization provides you the structure and social kick that comes with training towards a common goal. Unlike most sports and physical activities, you can throw attention and effort at various parts of your body as needs dictate.

Want a basic, full body workout? Want to hammer your upper body?