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Comment by vivferrari | Hacker News Reader

I was recently reading a book called Why we Swim where the author traces how the ape got back into the water. I think she rightly points out that Swimming is the best place to think because there is no way to be distracted by your phone or anything else for that matter.

While I am also in a landlocked city with little access to pools but it would be interesting to get the point of view of swimmers.

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Although I never carry a phone to begin with, as a previous non-swimmer I have started swimming in open water this year ( obviously I learnt to swim as a child ).

The 'just you and the elements' part is real, in the open water you can't just stop and get out, you have got to complete what you started. The 'completeness' of the exercise is different than biking or walking : every joint and muscle seems to be involved.

Back on land, the exhaustion is a different level than any other. Very deep breaths. When I get home, I am hungry as hell. Chronically under-weight, I seem to be gaining weight, very happy with that.

The end of summer is approaching and the water is getting colder, I am exploring the indoor pools in my vicinity.

> The end of summer is approaching and the water is getting colder, I am exploring the indoor pools in my vicinity.

I don't know where you are, but would wetsuit help to extend the time you can swim in the open waters? Obviously, I'm just assuming you're not doing that already... :)

It might. But the problem is not only the temp of the water.

If it is overcast, windy and not too warm, it takes a lot of mental strength to engage in the activity.

I am a bit disappointed by the entrace fee of the indoor pools : about € 5. These are municipal pools.

I don't know about you, but I'm particularly motivated by endurance activities in the cold. The mental aspect of accepting the cold's effect on you is often more interesting than the motoric process of running or swimming.

You should read or watch Wim Hof. He advices cold weather exercise. His method involves swimming in freezing waters.

When I was younger I swam a little over a mile a day, five or sometimes six days a week. While there weren't that many distractions, I didn't find it as easy to daydream. I usually got bored. I would count the full laps, and because I was bored I would be thinking things like "12 more laps and I'm over 50%" or whatever, but I never had the free-roaming thinking that I associate with walking. Maybe because I only had so much time before I had to turn around yet again.

I don't recommend swimming that much a week, btw, because I eventually started losing stamina and had to stop completely because I got to where I couldn't do even a quarter mile. That was where I learned the power of resting.

Some "serious" swimmers wear sports watches that collect and show all kinds of information: lap times, strokes per lane etc.

Plenty of opportunity to get distracted.

There's headphones for swimmers :)

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