Get into Tough Zone: - Swimming
Swimming is a wonderful sport, giving you a great full-body workout whilst being low impact! If you want to swim in the Tough Zone, you want to have a little bit of adventure and excitement too. Thankfully it is easier than you think to get into Tough Swimming.
All you need is a large body of water to swim in; this could be a river, lake, reservoir or even the sea that allows swimming, and that's it. Just jump in and off you go; you might need a swimming custume of some description although 'skinny' dipping without a costume is still popular in many places!
Be sure to check that you are legally allowed and it is safe to swim in the area you've chosen, but provided you are a competent enough swimmer for the area you are ready to go!
You might want to pack a towel, some people swim with flippers, swimming cap, swimming mitts etc but these aren't essential. In colder environments, or if you're going to be in the water a long time, you might want to consider wearing a wet suit.
If you're a non-swimmer or not a strong swimmer, it is worth getting some proper swimming lessons in an indoor pool from a professional tutor.
Swimming in large bodies of water outdoors does come with some extra safety considerations, so you should familiarise yourself with our safety briefing and get some professional advice before starting out.
It's worth researching good places to swim, there are plenty of well known places and some quieter places to give you some experience. Researching allows you to understand what local conditions are like what to expect from the water.
The rewards of being, literally, immersed in the natural environment is wonderful. Many people feel a great sense of relaxation and contentedness when swimming in the wild.