Whether you have installed your own lap pool at home in order to improve your fitness with swimming or head to your local public swimming pool in order to get into regular swimming sessions, there is one thing that is undeniable about fitness swimming: it can get a bit repetitive. If you are the sort of person who wants to swim for fitness rather than for any competitive reasons, then you should think about ways of spicing up your daily swimming routine in order to keep your brain active. All too often, people get into swimming for six months or so and then their enthusiasm drops off because their programme is not varied enough. What can you do to make each of your lap swimming sessions more enjoyable? 

Change Your Stroke

By simply altering your stroke from time to time, you can break up each lap swim and find that you exercise different muscle combinations into the bargain. If you only swim breaststroke, for example, then consider taking swim lessons that will help improve your front crawl technique so that you do at least a few laps each time your exercise with this more dynamic stroke. Equally, swim classes can help you to work on less popular strokes, such as butterfly and back crawl so that you are not always doing the same thing in the water. 

Alter Your Breathing Pattern

A good tip for breaking up the usual routine when you are in the pool is to get into the habit of breathing on either side. When freestyling, many swimmers will take their breath as their dominant hand pulls through the water. However, switching to a different breathing pattern so that you take gulps of air either side will not only give you a new target, but it will also help your lap times to improve. Nearly all top-class swimming athletes have this ability which can give them an edge. 

Buddy Up

By swimming with a friend, you will always push yourself that little bit more. Even if your mate does not have the same level of fitness as you, just by teaming up together, it can make each swimming session more motivational. What's more, it makes swimming a social occasion rather than a mere chore when you are counting down the laps until you finally hit your target. Even if your friend is faster than you, just trying to keep up for a few laps will help your overall fitness no end.