Just saw this thread hit the front page. Pretty timely actually since I'm feeling good about my last fortnight/ish.
Decided about two weeks ago that I'm sick of my gut and moobs (man boobs). Decided to start swimming laps again. I have been wanting to get fit again since some time in winter. I spent $850 on a flash new mountain bike that has been used twice. Winter isn't the time to start riding where I live. Found this out on my second ride when a testicle froze to the seat through the sweat I lost.
Anyway. On Monday the 14th I went to the university fitness compound and bought a 1 month membership. So far I've swam all but two days. I only missed the first day because I thought they'd close at 9pm weekends like weekdays. Showed up last Saturday and it was closed which pissed me off. Unfortunately missed my second swimming session yesterday because again they closed early.
Anyway, my goals are to basically lose the gut and get back closer to the swimming body I had in my 20's. At almost 2 weeks in I'm impressing myself a bit. Back when I was 23 I used to swim for 1.5 to 2 hours daily. This week I've done a 1.5 hour session and a 2 hour session. I don't have time for that every day, but it's good that I can manage it within a fortnight of starting again given it's been about 14-16 years since I last swam regularly.
I don't really want to be fast in the water, never have been. I am noticing my chest is a bit more toned already. Still have the moobs though and expect to have them for a few months at least. But also seeing pecs starting to appear again. The long term goal at this stage is to just stick with it. At present I'm loving the excercise high I get. Had three days where the pain the next day was torture. But it's kind of a badge of honour thing to me.