I want to start swimming laps daily...

Don’t worry too much about form.

I used to swim laps with a friend whose mother was an almost-Olympic swimmer. He has an incredibly flat crawl and wonderful form. I would just get in the slow lane and swim away. We went almost daily to the Y for more than a year. One day, a substitute life guard that had not seen us stood at the end of the lane and as I touched the wall before my turn, he leaned down and said sympathetically, “It’s been a while since you’ve been swimming, huh?”

I didn’t care. My stamina improved, my speed improved, and swimming is a wonderful stress reducer for me. Hard on the hair, but otherwise great.

Sometimes hotels let locals “join.” They are open evenings, but not 24 hrs.

Hmmm there are a ton of hotels around here, I will check them out. Thanks!

When do you think you would optimally like to swim? Lots of pools are open really early in the morning because high school swim teams practice before school.

I recently joined a gym with a pool that’s open from 5am to 10 or 11 pm. They offer lessons called “Swim for Fitness” or you can take private lessons. The best way to find out what’s available is to ask! You could also check with colleges in the area that might have some public access to their pools.