I hate swimming, I really do.

Unfortunately, it's the only think that I've really been OKed to do (but more than one doctor, I went and got a second opinion) due to bad knees. Well, I can lift but being that I have tendinitis in my arm my doctor said he didn't want me to continue until I start seeing a trainer BUT this month is seriously tight financially for a lot of reason so that won't be possible until next month so instead I just lift once/week, just uppper body with exercises that I know don't irritate anything.

So that leaves swimming. I go about 3x/week for an hour each time. We are incredibly lucky to have a pool in our apt building so I can go whenever i have free time (as a working mom that's really important!) but I have to say it's incredibly annoying. There are two lanes and you'd think that that would mean if there are kids playing they'd all stick in one lane and let swimmers, swim, right? Um... no, instead they'll throw balls at you and sometimes switch lanes randomly while the parents chat on their cell phones.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the couples who make out there on the weekends and apparently need two separate lanes to do that? And these lanes are big! Ugh!

Plus it's boring. I've taken water aerobic classes before so I'll swim laps for about 30min, then do some water aerobics and then swim for maybe another 10 minutes. But it's so boring. When I used to run I could listen to music, watch TV or if I was outside just enjoy the scenery. I'd love to play a sport but the ones I like best (soccer, tennis, basketball) would all kill me knees.

I don't know, i just want to whine a bit. I'm so sick of swimming. I love to exercise normally but this really is getting to me. Normally this would be the point where I'd switch something up but I can't afford classes anywhere and swimming is all I'm cleared to do until I can get a trainer. Any idea how I can curb the boredom at least for another month????

Do you switch up your strokes?

I had to do a lot of swimming for my tri training (and I have to get back into it soon, ugh) and I used to switch my strokes up to alleviate some of the boredom.

Other than that, the only thing that helped was when the lifeguards would blast music through the speakers at the indoor pool. I thought about investing into those goggles with a radio on them for a bit, but I couldn't justify the amount of money.

Yep, I switch up strokes. I normally try to do one lap slowish then one fast that sort of thing too, Still so boring, ugh!

I haven't heard about those goggles... how does that even work?

Otterbox makes a waterproof cover for Ipod nanos. I've seen it at Best Buy. And there is an MP3 player specifically designed to be worn on your goggle strap - it uses the bone conduction of your skull so you can hear your tunes or audiobook. You can likely find it on the Masters swimming website (usms.org) - there is a page for gear.

Just a thought... how about incorporating some core work into your exercise each week? I know it's not the kind of strength work that one can do a lot of at a time, but maybe it would help with the boredom to incorporate something different for 15 minutes here and there each week?

I have a book on bodyweight exercises, and some of the core exercises that look like they could be done without much/any strain on your knees or arm include crunches, scissors (lay on your side and, keeping your legs straight, raise your top leg as high as possible, hold for a few seconds, bring it back down, repeat), seated twists (sit with arms crossed and knees bent, lift your feet off the ground and twist at the waist from side to side, touching your elbows to your knees), leg lifts (lay on your back with your hands under your butt and your legs straight, and lift your legs to 45 degrees, hold, bring back down and repeat), flutter kicks (same thing, but do one leg at a time, always keeping both feet off the ground), "hello darlings" (same thing, but instead of lifting your legs up, spread them open, hold, close, repeat - again keep feet off the ground) and iron crosses (lay on your back with your arms straight out to the sides, palms down. Keep your legs straight, lift both legs up to a 90 degree angle with your body, then lower both legs to one side so you're in an L shape, bring them back up to 90 degrees, then lower your legs down to the floor. Repeat with the other side).

Also, depending how tough it is on your knees to stand for a while or put small amounts of pressure on them, you could probably do some glute and hamstring exercises as well. One exercise with minimal strain to the knees would be to stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and with your hands on your hips, bend as far forward at the waist as you can, hold for a few seconds, then stand straight up again. Seems simple, but you'll feel it in your hamstrings on the holds. You could also try laying on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your sides, palms down, lift your midsection up as high as you're able, hold for a few seconds, and then come back down. Again, they seem simple (and are), but after doing a bunch of reps you'll definitely feel it.

Not sure if that's helpful or not, but just a few suggestions.

you can still listen music - just find waterproof case for mp3 player.

I have the Nu Dolphin Touch waterproof MP3 player and it is wonderful for swimming.

The thing about the Finis (goggles one) is that you cannot use it out of the water.

I think Michael Phelps was endorsing them for a bit...

It's just a waterproof transmitter in the goggles.