#4 - Swim

Another week, another splash of Jinn's newsletter.

3 ideas to wade into.

Stroke by stroke

One of the routines I'm proud of is a dip in the pool before the kids wake up.

Three years ago, after a 20-year hiatus, I was roped into a trial membership (the marketing worked).
At the time, my body was in shambles, my mind burnt out, and my sleep all over the place.
Hitting the water didn’t magically fix any of that.
The first weeks were messy - sluggish laps, weak endurance, and cramps(ah, hello my old friend).

But there was something there.
Slowly, the edges of burnout softened. Sleep found more rhythm. My body started to cooperate again.
The pool wasn’t a quick reset - it was a long, quiet rebuild.

Progress in health, career, or life doesn’t come in one burst. It’s built stroke by stroke, day by day.
The truest evidence isn’t my Garmin data, but the string of mornings I can look back on and say: I showed up.

Even on the days I struggled, when the kids had me up all night, or when I chose rest because my body said stop.
​
That’s still progress.

Sometimes the truest metric isn’t quantitative, but the commitment itself.

Support

At first it was just me and the pool.

Then I got a watch. Started watching YouTube (highly recommend Effortless Swimming!).

Took a 4-week Master’s workshop. Saw a physio.

Along the way, I even asked old mate ChatGPT what an Olympic coach would suggest.

I didn’t need any of these things, but each one made the journey lighter.

I sought assistance. I asked for help.

Sometimes we don’t ask. Asking feels like some sort of weakness.
Judgement is ready to pounce.
Yet once it’s received, wow, what a difference.
Disempowerment reverses.

It can be a system, a person, or a tiny change that makes things easier.

Support makes progress possible.

Deeper wins

My physio nudged me to try ocean swimming. My immediate reaction: sharks, rips, staring into deep murky nothing… yeah, no thanks.

I was grappling with fears I didn’t know I had.
​
But slowly, my curiosity (and making sure I didn’t swim alone) drew me into the depths.

After my first attempt in the deep blue, something changed.
Not in the sense of “I’m now going to swim the English Channel” kind of change, but a realisation - “hey, I can do hard stuff”. These exact words.
Not exactly literary gold, but powerful to me, for me.

Since then, I’ve swum a bunch of events, and even a 10k earlier this year (on my list of celebrations!). And the biggest win wasn’t my Garmin clocking my longest ever swim or biggest month by distance.

Doubts, setbacks, big moments - I can do hard stuff.

What’s your win that reminds you you ARE capable?

Always fun to finish together