How Long Can You Go Without Swimming Before Your Fitness Declines?

Have you ever taken a vacation from swimming? How long was yours? A week? A month?

Well, I’ll be honest… I have taken many breaks from swimming. My dedication sort of comes and goes. I’ll swim everyday for a month and then won’t swim again for another month. It has a lot to do with my work and school load. I’m not proud of it. It’s just the way it is.
 

How Long Can You Go Before Your Fitness Declines?

But how long can our bodies go without working out before our progress fades and our fitness suffers? Well, apparently “You can lose up to 50 percent of your hard-earned fitness gains in a single week of inactivity.”
Yeah… one week. I’m not happy about it either.
 

Breaks are OK

The truth of the matter is, it’s ok to take a break every once in a while. It helps your body to fully recover and heal. It can be good just for the sake of not burning out. The trick is to not let the break go on for too long or happen too often.
“It takes about 2 months of inactivity to completely lose the gains you’ve made.” So, maybe take a week off for Christmas and another week off for spring break. I read somewhere that many serious athletes schedule a break after every 8-10 weeks of serious training. It’s all about moderation. And not letting the breaks get out of hand.
 

Underwater Audio Can Help

 
Now more than ever, I am motivated to swim regularly. I don’t want to lose all the progress I’ve worked for just because I feel like taking a break. So, to keep me motivated, I like to bring my Underwater Audio Waterproof iPod Shuffle. The thought of being able to tune out to music while I swim is very reassuring.
This swim accessory makes it seem like time flies by while you’re swimming laps. It’s definitely money well spent. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to write us in the section below.