The holiday season is a time of joy, gatherings, and indulgence, but for ocean swimmers, it can also mean disrupted routines and limited access to training.

However, maintaining your swimming fitness during the holidays is achievable and can be a fun and festive part of your celebrations.

Here are our top tips to help you stay on track while enjoying the season’s cheer.

1. Prioritise Quick Workouts

When schedules get hectic, time-efficient workouts are your best friend. Here are a few quick swim sets for a 30-minute session.

Session 1: 

• Warm-up (5 minutes): 200m easy swim, alternating strokes.
• Main set (20 minutes):
  • 4x50m sprint with 30 seconds rest.
  • 6x100m at a moderate pace, focusing on technique.
• Warm down (5 minutes): 200m easy swim.

Session 2:

• Sprint Pyramid: 10 x 50m at your best effort, alternating between 20 and 30 seconds of rest.

Session 3:

• Interval Swim: 8 x 100m, building your pace every 25m and taking 15 seconds rest between sets.

Session 4:

• Technique Tune-Up: To sharpen your form, dedicate 20 minutes to drills like fingertip drag, catch-up, and sculling.

If you can’t get to a pool, try a dryland workout to maintain your swim strength. Exercises like planks, push-ups, and resistance band pulls mimic swimming movements and keep your muscles engaged so they are ready to go again once you hit the water.

2. Embrace festive swim challenges

Turn holiday workouts into something exciting with themed challenges. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• 12 Days of Swimming: Gradually build your workout each day, starting with a single 50m swim and adding one more repetition daily until you complete 12x50m. You can use this as the main set of your session.
• Festive Relay: Gather friends or family for a fun, friendly relay; you can add this to the end of your session to give you incentive throughout. Include a holiday-themed prize to help keep it light-hearted and bring the competitive spirit.

3. Plan around your holiday schedule

Family gatherings and festive meals can make sticking to a routine challenging, but you can find time for fitness with a little planning.

Early morning swims are a great way to start your day and avoid conflicts with social events. While they are early, just think—you’ll be sneaking in your swim before your day even starts.

If you’re travelling, research nearby pools and ocean swimming groups to join ahead of time, and remember to pack your swim gear.

4. Make it an ‘Ocean swimming adventure’ with the family

If you’re celebrating the holidays near the coast or a lake, as most of us do, take advantage of the natural setting for a refreshing open-water swim.

Grab your family and enjoy a cheeky ocean swim wherever you are. To make it festive and fun, incorporate challenges such as ‘Reindeer Sprints’ or ‘Snowman Races’.

Be sure to keep safety in mind. Always check the conditions before swimming, swim with a buddy, and wear a brightly coloured swim cap to ensure you’re easily seen.

5. Stay accountable with friends

Holiday cheer is best shared, and so is fitness motivation.

Schedule a time to hit the pool or ocean early in the morning to help keep each other on track even after those late nights spent at holiday parties.

Sharing sessions and setting goals together can make staying fit a part of your holiday celebrations and easy to stick to.