May 2025 ‘Swim Lifestyle’
Outdoor Swimmer Extra: Get the best of Outdoor Swimmer magazine online.
Many readers will know that as well as my role at Outdoor Swimmer magazine, I also teach young swimmers, coach open water swimmers and guide swimming outdoors in wild and wonderful places. Most days I get to slip into my swimsuit at some point and I feel very fortunate to do so. While it wasn’t a plan to centre my life around the water, it wasn’t an accident either. Over my life I have just followed my interest, my enjoyment and my curiosity until I have managed to somehow merge my work with my passion and life has become a swim-life. When I say swim-life, I mean swimming isn’t just something I do for work, or for sport or even as a hobby, it is what shapes my life. It is in the books I read, the music I hear and the people I meet.
This month’s issue is a celebration of swim lifestyle. How it has seeped into British culture, how swimmers don’t just swim, they live a life shaped by the water. When can they swim next, what challenge can they conquer and how swimming has improved their life despite juggling many other demands that living brings.
Someone once asked me if I ever got bored of swimming and everything about it. I am not sure how many people plunge into books about their work or surround themselves with art inspired by what they do every day, but I do. As a writer it can be frustrating, as I can and have written about many other things but writing about swimming and all that it brings to my life is magic and you can’t get bored of that. It’s surprising to people that we manage to publish so much about swimming and never be short of content, but this life, this watery world is full of wonder and stories. The people are the jewels, they bring the good stuff, the things that inspire adventure and conjure emotion. They are the life at the water’s edge, offering warming hugs and mugs of hot coffee. They are the protectors of the ocean, the creators, the writers, photographers, hat makers, cake bakers and they make a life, swim-life, worth living.
Enjoy this month’s issue!
Ella Foote, Editor
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- Swimming is training for life
Simon Griffiths encourages you to widen your swimming repertoire! - Lifestyle swimmers
Why is outdoor swimming so much more than a hobby? Rowan Clarke finds out - On your marks
Rowan Clarke finds out how Olympian Adam Peaty is helping to instill a positive swimming lifestyle in young swimmers - Nuliajuk’s swim
Netflix’s new series, ‘North of North’, brings an Inuit sea goddess to the surface. Words by Elaine K Howley - How to care for your wetsuit
How to rinse, wash, repair and store your wetsuit so that it lasts for many seasons to come - How to bring open water events and challenges into your training
In May, inland water temperatures in the UK start reaching the point where longer open water swims are possible, if not yet comfortable. It’s a good time to take your training outside and start increasing your time in the water. Here are a couple of things you could try. - Swimmable Rivers in London: a bold 10-year vision
An ambitious plan to make London’s rivers swimmable within the next decade - Bathing season in the Thames Valley
George Townsend explores the lost swimming places of the Thames Valley - Swimming seeps into British culture
Ella Foote dives into a new exhibition celebrating swimming, floats through a lecture about faith and learns about the history of private swimming pools. It seems our love of swimming has sent ripples into all corners of art, culture and lifestyle - From Udaipur to the UK
New contributor Jharna Kumawat fell in love with open water in India and now swims locally in Essex and Suffolk. This year she is aiming to finally conquer Ullswater end to end after her diabetes impacted her attempt last year. Jharna will be regularly sharing her swim-story with Outdoor Swimmer readers. - Is outdoor swimming a hobby? Therapy? Treatment? Or is it a lifestyle?
For adaptive swimmer Sophie Etheridge, outdoor swimming is the gift that just keeps on giving - Get into the flow
Editor Ella Foote is also an open water swim coach, outdoor swim guide and teacher. This month she encourages us to go with the flow when we are in wild water. - Sensory swimming in May
This is what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste at the water’s edge this month. - Boost your speed and power in the water
Our new contributing coach Nicola Butler has passion for the pool and a lifetime of sporting prowess and experience. This month Nicola shares why it’s important to have a purpose for each pool session, and how to boost your speed and power in the water. - Best spring suits for swimmers
Shorties, long Janes, neoprene swimsuits: spring suits are a great option for when you don’t need a full suit, ideal for warmer waters or taking part in a swim run event. Read our expert reviews. - Live well, swim well – a holistic approach
Fuelling your workouts, balancing your hormones and getting good quality sleep with all improve your performance, says personal trainer Vivienne Rickman. - Thirty swims before 30!
Sometimes the best swimming challenges are those we dream up for ourselves. Jodie Hoskin tells us her story - Best open water swimming wetsuits
A super flexible suit for breaststroke swimmers, a thermal suit for the coldest of temperatures and the first colourful open water swimming wetsuit: read on for our guide to the latest wetsuits - Yulex 2.0
A new iteration of the natural rubber alternative to neoprene, Yulex 2.0 has a superior degree of stretch and elasticity. We spoke to Yulex CEO Liz Bui about this new innovation. - Yoga has your back
Building back strength, while working on mobility and flexibility, will help us to feel strong in the water says personal trainer Liz Lowe. Try these yoga poses for a strong, healthy back. - Big swim, big feelings
Mental Health Swims Community Engagement Manager Sarah Groves updates us on her training and plans to swim the length of Windermere - Weekend swim retreat: Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
Rowan Clarke heads to Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel for seafront luxury, hiking and dipping - Deep Dive: Swimmer’s Skin
Cancer Research UK reports that melanoma skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for five percent of all new cancer cases. Outdoor swimmers are at high risk for melanoma, sunburn and skin issues so we speak to GP in Community Dermatology, Dr Rebecca Alsop to learn more. - Top 6 wild swimming walks in West Wales
Nia Lloyd Knott, author of two Wild Swimming Walks books, including the brand new book for West Wales, shares six of her favourite wild swimming walks in West Wales - Outdoor swimming kit we love this summer
A plant-based protein shake formulated specifically for women, a backpack that doubles as a tow float and a fully immersible sling bag: read on for our round up of the best pieces of outdoor swimming kit we’ve tried, tested and loved this summer
