_{unplash via Thomas Park}

HOWEVER

Unlike regular gym exercises, dryland workout is geared towards the improvement of a swimmer. So, it mostly involves exercises that increase strength, flexibility and overall physical mobility. For me, living in Bali, I didn't get that much exercise. So, my swimming and gym were stalled. It left me with little progress. And only when I got back home, I gave the gym one more chance and got back into the water. Not to mention, because the good food in Bali made me gain an extra few pounds.

Scheduling the workout

In the past, I didn't really like going to the gym. I wasn't comfortable and found the gym quite intimidating. But since I found out that it would elevate my swimming skill, I persisted through it. I tried scheduling my workout with 3 days cardio for 30 minutes with swimming 45 minutes, another 2 days for strength training with a day rest, and a day full of swimming for 60-120 minutes. Though it all can be done outside the gym, I just find going to the gym is more motivating. Because at home, I would definitely choose to either sleep or work or binge watch movies.

I did my dryland workout based on my fitness capability. So my plan might not work for you. But if you want to get an inspiration, here's what I do on a cardio day:

• treadmill for 25 minutes with various speed
• Indoor cycling for 10 minutes
• Pull down bar with various weights.

For a strength day,

• leg hamstring curl 5x10rep
• leg press 3x10 rep
• kettlebell exercises
• lat pulldown with various weight
• 10x push up

You can also check out myswimpro plans if you are planning to take it more seriously. I usually take a 20 minutes break then change into my swimming gear and start swimming.

What I eat in a day, these days....

When it comes to eating, I am not really clean. I still eat whatever I like and not try to go on an extreme diet. But one thing for sure, I take minimal sugar, drink a lot of water, snacking on vegetables and salads when I want too munch on something. I try not to stress on the micro and focus on the macro.

So as you can see below, that's what I eat in a day after a vigorous exercise just for the day. I ended up eating at max 1200 to 1800 calories/day. I also drink coffee with whey protein before workout. I know, it's for men but since I like the taste and it gives me a placebo boost effect to want to go to the gym, why not?

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Also the reason that I don't really eat that clean is because reason below. Here is an article I wrote about Some Misconceptions I have about Weight Loss and What I learned. When I looked at that meal plan, I was honestly quite astonished how restrictive I was with my food. That sure, ended up making me gain the following week. Fast forward, I learned that it's okay not to eat plain food as long as I don't overeat and stick to eating food that sure makes me full.

In the past, I used to overcomplicate what I eat but these days, I just eat things I like. Thankfully, where I live now we don't have fast food or even starbucks in sight. So they are definitely off the list as I used to have them daily in the past.

But what I eat in a day isn't far off from above. I also try to change some habits such as after swimming I always go to a cafe and eat the food from there. Now, I would rather cook. Not to mention, you know it's a bear market so ramen diet it is haha.

Here are some of my swimming articles if you want to read some helpful swimming posts and also interested in following my swimming journey.

• Getting Back Into Swimming

• From 0 to 2km swimming

• I swam 5x a week for a month. Here's What Happened

• Let's Talk About Basic Swimming Must-Haves

Mac's Pinmapple Travel List

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