Beth Davis

Swimming Instructor – Competitive Swimmers – Adults Learning to Swim – Triathletes – Young Competitive Swimmers – Getting Children Started

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Lesson Four: Overcoming Being Self-conscious

By Shoney

Taking swim lessons means getting undressed in a locker room, getting into a swimsuit – seeing my wrinkles and weird little bumps and saggy places and yes, some fat – and being seen. Even writing this makes me sweat. I wonder how many people won’t take a lesson because of swimsuit fear?

Since beginning swimming lessons, I realize that I have been angry with my body for several years now – I felt my body had betrayed me. It is not what it was 10 years ago, though healthier than it was four years ago when I suffered months of serious illness and stronger than it was last year after a dog attack left me with two broken bones. I used to be a good runner. I ran 30 marathons, 50-60 miles every week, and five marathons a year for a long time. While running, I felt like I could fly – I loved my ropy muscles, my flat belly, being strong, being in my body. Being a runner was my identity.

Runners are mostly some version of slim. In the pool there are all kinds of bodies.

Beth constantly reminds me to feel the swimming motions, the breathing — in my body, not just my brain.

I’m not the only self-conscious one – other women change in the bathroom stalls. This is my body at 55. I want to look in the mirror and think good things about my body and banish the self-conscious, critical voice. No more comparisons between myself, and those who can swim, no more comparisons to my younger body – this is the body I live in, it is a gift and precious.

Beth is an excellent role model for accepting and celebrating the body I live in now and being grateful — she has endured her own struggles with a changing body. And it’s not just Beth; I see people who due to age or disability struggle to get in and out of the pool, a teenager who slips off her cast before lowering herself into the water, a child with a guide dog (the dog naps alongside the pool) taking lessons. I see men and women of all shapes, ages, and sizes get into the pool. I get into the pool.

My hips and belly are bigger than they once were — but in the water nothing bounces like it does on land. And amazingly, after a few lessons and hours of practice, my body is changing. Muscles are developing in my upper arms, my chest, and back for the first time in my life. And I find that nothing banishes hot flashes quicker or with more pleasure than the pool.

I’m not going to let my embarrassment stop me from achieving my goal. I’m doing this for me! This is the body I will love now, in water and out. And be grateful for it.

 

Dear Shoney:  I understand exactly what you are describing. I had always been the person who could eat whatever she wanted and still lose weight easily – until I had a major accident. After that, I became the person who continued to gain weight no matter how much I exercised or how little I ate because my body had changed in a dramatic way. I would look in the mirror and feel confused. I no longer recognized my own body.  Finally, I realized that the only thing to do was to love and accept my body, and believe that in time I would feel at home in it again.  ~Beth

Life Altering Experiences …

Stories from Courageous Adults Learning to Swim

My inspiration for asking my adult students to write about their swimming experiences came from reading an article in the Wall Street Journal. The journalist had interviewed me for the piece on adults … [Read More...]

ROKA Sports Partnership

roka-logo2SwimBoulder, Inc. has partnered with ROKA  to bring all of you the best quality swim gear at a discounted price. Contact me to learn more about this benefit.

What Beth's Clients Are Saying

Beth Davis is an amazing coach. She worked with me to create a plan that pushed my limits while supporting and fitting it into my everyday life. She believed in me when I had no idea of my strengths and limitations. Best of all, she consistently pushed me to look within. I highly recommend Beth for her personalized approach, her consistent support, and her superior knowledge as a coach and athlete.

— Erin Blakemore
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:03:42+00:00
Beth Davis is an amazing coach. She worked with me to create a plan that pushed my limits while supporting and fitting it into my everyday life. She believed in me when I had no idea of my strengths and limitations. Best of all, she consistently pushed me to look within. I highly recommend Beth for her personalized approach, her consistent support, and her superior knowledge as a coach and athlete. — Erin Blakemore
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/beth-davis-is-an-amazing-coach
I came to Beth when I was 11 years old. At that point I liked swimming, but had had little success in competition. One year later I qualified for summer league finals for the first time. In high school, I qualified for State and earned a spot on an All-American relay. Through Beth’s help, I was recruited by Division III schools and ended up swimming for Claremont McKenna College, where I had success in numerous conference finals. Without her help, I would not be the swimmer or person I am today.

— Nathan Lenssen
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:05:17+00:00
I came to Beth when I was 11 years old. At that point I liked swimming, but had had little success in competition. One year later I qualified for summer league finals for the first time. In high school, I qualified for State and earned a spot on an All-American relay. Through Beth’s help, I was recruited by Division III schools and ended up swimming for Claremont McKenna College, where I had success in numerous conference finals. Without her help, I would not be the swimmer or person I am today. — Nathan Lenssen
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/when-i-was-11-years-old
When I started working with Beth I was the typical 9-year-old who didn't want to focus on anything for more than 10 seconds. I went from only being a breaststroker (and a slow one at that) to a well-rounded swimmer, getting relay spots in freestyle and excelling at butterfly, posting State times in all three strokes in my time at Fairview High School. Beth was very positive about my personal development as well and helped give me confidence that was hard to find elsewhere.

— Michael Lenssen
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:05:45+00:00
When I started working with Beth I was the typical 9-year-old who didn't want to focus on anything for more than 10 seconds. I went from only being a breaststroker (and a slow one at that) to a well-rounded swimmer, getting relay spots in freestyle and excelling at butterfly, posting State times in all three strokes in my time at Fairview High School. Beth was very positive about my personal development as well and helped give me confidence that was hard to find elsewhere. — Michael Lenssen
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/didnt-want-to-focus
When I was 5 years old, I fell out of a boat in the middle of Broadmoor Lake. Since then I have had a continuing fear of water. Beth Davis has helped me ease that fear, to begin to trust myself in the water, through amazing patience and understanding. She has zillions of exercises for me to try in the water; if one is too hard, she comes up with another that's easier.

Beth is a topnotch swimming instructor. She is knowledgeable, dedicated, and kind.

— Jane Carlson, age 72
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:06:15+00:00
When I was 5 years old, I fell out of a boat in the middle of Broadmoor Lake. Since then I have had a continuing fear of water. Beth Davis has helped me ease that fear, to begin to trust myself in the water, through amazing patience and understanding. She has zillions of exercises for me to try in the water; if one is too hard, she comes up with another that's easier. Beth is a topnotch swimming instructor. She is knowledgeable, dedicated, and kind. — Jane Carlson, age 72
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/fell-out-of-a-boat
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Contact Beth Davis • 303.554.8857 • [email protected]