Being a professional swimmer comes with a great deal of reward. The lifestyle is healthy and athletic, the time in the water is enjoyable and competitive and the glory of a won competition is addictive. However, professional swimming does not warrant award and achievement all the time. It comes with its drawbacks as well. There are certain hardships that professional swimmers face that are particular to their lifestyles and the demands that fall upon them. There are very high pressures that fall upon them, they struggle with reoccurring health issues and many of them struggle with a substance abuse. Professional swimmers are remarkable people, but people who struggle with particular issues none-the-less.

The performance pressures that professional swimmers face can be tremendous. Like all athletes, their livelihood depends on their ongoing ability to out perform the competition. Year after year, they push themselves to achieve above and beyond what was previously their personal best. However, everyone comes upon the limits of their personal best at some point and are forced to think about what to do when others surpass their personal best. These thoughts prove to be very stressful for some competitive swimmers. For many of them, all they know is swimming, and the stress of not knowing what to do once they are no longer competitive at swimming can push some professional swimmers into a negative mental state.

The pressure that is placed on professional swimmers to out perform themselves and everyone else can lead to substance abuse problems among many professional swimmers. Many people are unaware that professional swimmers are a particular demographic that struggles with substance abuse problems, but studies do indicate that professional swimmers are particularly vulnerable to this hardship. This may be in the form of performance enhancing drugs that alter the outcome of their swim competitions, or it may be in the form of substances that are used as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety. Regardless, addiction and substance abuse in professional swimmers is a very serious matter and requires professional intervention. If you or someone you know is a professional swimmer who struggles with substance abuse or addiction, seek professional treatment right away.

Professional swimmers struggle through a great many trials in their careers. Professional swimming is fraught with health issues, performance pressures and opportunities to abuse substances, but professional swimmers love what they do so much that they push through these trials. For them, the reward is the only thing they see. Their eyes are on the prize, so to speak. Professional swimming can offer widespread acclaim, the opportunity to compete and titles and medals that signify glory. Competitive swimming is challenging, but for some, the rewards far exceed the hardships.

Being able to compete in a swimming match is a thrill that some people live for. Some professional swimmers love to be in the water, but the element of thrill is introduced when the sound of the shotgun firing indicates that a match has begun. Competition is one of the driving forces for many professional swimmers, and professional athletes in general. Some of them claim that they cannot reach their full potential unless they know they are in competition with other athletes for the same title. Competition is a major attraction to swimming for professional athletes.

For those who have given everything they have to becoming the strongest swimmer possible and have managed to beat out the competition, the reward is the recognition of being the best. Professional swimmers, such as those competing in the Olympic ceremonies, are recognized and accredited by the level of swimming achievement they attain. Swimmers are often recognized by gold, silver and bronze medals, and are given titles ranking them as first, second and third best competitors in whatever rank their competition presides over. The Olympics obviously honor the best athlete in the world, and the competitions get smaller from there.

The acclaim that comes with the award and title that professional swimmers compete for is enormous. Professional swimmers will be asked to endorse products, appear in commercials and even make celebrity appearances in the media because of the recognition they achieve. These gestures are frequently ways that professional swimmers supplement their income, but to them, the glory of being titled the best at what they do is where the pride comes from. Fame is not what an athlete pursues, but recognition as the best is.

Swimming is a hobby many of us take up when we are young, and many of us carry it on into our adulthood. For most people, swimming is a fun, therapeutic activity, but for professional swimmers, it is life. Professional swimmers cannot afford to be carefree about the time they spend in the water. The level of dedication that swimming requires in order to be one of the best is more than most people can handle. It calls for a grueling schedule, rigorous discipline and incredible time and energy devoted to practice.

A professional swimmer’s schedule revolves around their time in the water. The amount of time they spend in the water is considerable, but even when they are not swimming, the rest of their day revolves around their swimming. Meal times need to be planned around their time in the water. Additional exercise outside of the pool is designed to benefit time in the pool. Other unique considerations are made, such as setting a schedule for when to shave body hair. Body hair is grown out during practice then shaved before a competition to create less resistance of movement in the water.

The discipline it takes to be a professional swimmer is remarkable. Professional swimmers deny themselves foods, free time and less strenuous activities, opting instead for diet foods, as well as constant hard work and dedicated practice. Swim coaches are known to be some of the most strict professional athlete coaches, however, professional swimmers are already well aware of the level of discipline they need to put forward in order to be competitive. Their drive and determination is very intense.

The energy that a professional swimmer puts into their performance is seemingly never ending. Professional swimmers practice their sport racing against a clock and attempt to beat their own times as well as the record times they are attempting to break. All swimming competitions come down to time measurements, which means that professional swimmers put every ounce of energy they have into improving their speed. They push themselves to extreme exhaustion in order to out do time marks.