(I swam 50 minutes)
Lets all face it : we all get the lows when it comes to exercise and working out. You run, swim, bike, lift weights, then repeat the whole routine 5-6 times a week. At the point of exhaustion you wonder if it is all worth it while your friends and a few family members are having fun eating all the junk food they could compress in their guts, while, you, your sorry ass is out there struggling which to pick between avocado and carrot. You wonder why you're staring yourself at the mirror while pumping iron alone in the gym while your friends are picking up girlfriends in different hang-outs until the wee hours of the morning. Oh no, you can't skip your minimum seven hours sleep. You need it. You'd get sick without it. Combine all that with what I go through – I also go to night school and work full time and my job, is very physical, a constant lifting, walking and climbing – then you'd see what I feel most of the end of days. We all have these low moments. We all need these moments actually. The body is like an alternating current. It can't reach its peak without touching its bottom, oh, that's just my own saying. Nothing profound there. What I am driving at is – The last couple of weeks I increased my running because I avoided swimming. The last time I swam more regularly I had ear problems twice. Worse, I wasn't exactly sure if the infections came from the chlorinated water or the ear plugs I used. It so happened the ear infections also followed my wearing of the ear phones (overused) I used in listening to either my ipod or mp3. Yeah, I rarely change my ear phones. The other thing that makes me squirm when it comes to swimming is the temperature of the water. I always dread the first minute of soaking into the water, when you are used to tropical climate like Florida, jumping into the cold pool is horrible. But I've got to psych myself into going back. One of the usual steps to get back into swimming after weeks of slacking:
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Talk with swimmers. Chances are they too have struggled with the same fatigue and laziness. To me, just staring at them or watching them swim makes me feel like swimming myself.
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Switch to another cross training program. Yes, we are all entitled to get bored with the same routine, so, get that bike out of the storage and start pedaling or get your ipod/mp3 and start walking. If you are into weights, go for it.
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Read articles about sports and swimming in particular, books about people into sports, look at photos of people doing sports, watch you tube's people doing sports. Imagery is very potent in reinvigorating your sagging interest.
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Be active and self controlled. Man is meant to move. The worst thing about exhaustion is this overwhelming desire to stay in one corner doing nothing (some call it rest). This is ok until three days later and you are still resting. Muscles tend to deteriorate with immobility. It is hard to get them working again after prolonged disuse. Practice active recovery. It is a recovery that involves very very light activities such as walking, light jogging, light cross training. Obviously you won't do any active recovery when in pain or you're sick. In that case you need to rest and see a Doctor.