Dive in to university life

Keeping fit and exercising is an important aspect of staying healthy, however for some people finding the time, and the money, can be somewhat impossible when being a student.

One sport which proves quite popular amongst students is swimming.

I spoke to Hertfordshire swimmer Emma Daly, 20, to find out exactly how to the make the most of your time in the pool, and how easy juggling this with University life is.

After talking to Emma for only a few minutes, I learn about her strong passion for the sport, which she has had from a very young age.

"I started swimming from the age of 3 and enjoyed it so much that I naturally progressed through the sport and into club swimming quickly. I was competing by the age of 9".

After developing a love for the sport, Emma realised that swimming had many advantages and it was something that she wanted to continue.

She tells us why she feels it is important.

"The advantage of swimming is that it is a sport that requires use of all the muscles, providing an all over workout. Moreover, it increases flexibility and stamina."

Although at University your life is preoccupied with other priorities, Emma feels that Swimming is a sport which can be continued without denting your University experience, and in fact actually add to it.

"Swimming training certainly doesn't need to affect university life. Exercise that is incorporated into your timetable will benefit concentration and the friends made on the team will increase your social life".

However, she does believe that a swimmer needs to be consistent with their training.

"Consistency with swimming is important and so regular training is needed to keep up stamina, as this can be lost quickly.

For the more serious University swimmer, swimming training can be balanced with gym training."

She also believes that to increase your fitness and ability as a swimmer, you should stick to a training regime, but combining this with a good diet and alternative exercises.

"A good regime would be to have a training session in the morning as well as in the evening, balanced with a good diet. [-[more]-]

Swimming will keep you in shape to an extent, but a good diet is important help keep your body working at its best.

Toning exercises alongside swimming would be my advice, such as doing the "plank" to target an untoned stomach".

If you have never tried swimming as a sport there is one major rule to follow, and this is to make sure that you warm up.

"Warming up is vital, whether you are just swimming for fun or in a competition.

Swimmers should especially make good use of warming up time before a race to familiarise themselves with the pool, as well as preparing their muscles.

Each pool is different, and even minor changes, such as the type of tile on the wall at the ends can affect a swimmers performance".[-[quote]-]

When talking about the amount of students involved in University swimming, Emma revealed that she felt people did not have enough encouragement and money to swim.

She felt that more social events were needed to attract more people to the clubs.

Also one other factor is that the club should have good swimming training times to ensure that all members would be able to attend.

"I think that more students would be likely to join their universities swimming club if they had access to a pool which is both nice and close to student accommodation.

Fees should also be competitive with the other sports, to attract those that may just want to have a go and not be too serious.

Moreover, Universities could work alongside local swimming clubs that have the benefit of full time professional coaches."

So, here is proof that you can keep going with a sport you love, without letting it get in the way of University life.

If you manage to find the right balance, you can be keeping fit or winning competitions, as well as getting the top grades.