Finding Her Fitness Community in the Pool

One senior has found her fitness community and supported her health through swimming. Besides the competition goals she sets for herself, she supports teaching kids to swim and encourages other adults to find their own fitness outlets.

Motion is lotion they say. As I’ve aged, I know that to be true. I’ve learned to keep moving to keep up with my community. What has helped me the most in the past 10 years has been swimming. In fact, you can find me every weekday morning in the pool at SwimRVA.

I want more of my peers to join me in the swim lanes. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 85% of U.S. adults 65 and older are not getting enough exercise. It’s one of the reasons about one-third of people over the age of 70 have trouble walking, getting out of a car or climbing stairs, according to the National Institute on Aging.

You see, exercise and movement are really important as we get older.

Thankfully, my passion for sports and physical activities began at an early age, which helps me now. After college, I became a middle school gym teacher in Church Hill in the 1970s.

Fast forward 50 years and I’m working at SwimRVA, a hub for swimming in Richmond as well as a nonprofit with the mission to make aquatics accessible and inclusive. It’s a mission close to my heart.

As a water aerobics instructor, I teach people of all ages and abilities the joy and benefits of exercise. I’ve seen students improve their mobility and energy since taking classes – and some older adults even learn to swim for the first time in their life.

When I was 65, Adam Kennedy, Executive Director of SwimRVA, encouraged the entire staff to participate in an upcoming triathlon. I thought, “At my age, no way!”

But somehow, he convinced two of us to participate. I am so glad he did. I began training in swimming, biking and running. I fell off my bike and my knees ached, but I always got myself back up.

I went from competing in no races to completing seven half-Iron Man races and have qualified for Nationals multiple times in the past decade. I share this because you can find an exercise or race that works for you, too. Just start small: One lap, block or set at a time.

This October, I will travel to Wollongong, Australia, to compete in the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals at the young age of 75. It’s such a wonderful opportunity, but I’m still nervous.

As a part of my race, I am raising funds for SwimRVA’s Learn to Swim program, an initiative to teach kids how to swim in schools across the region to drown proof Richmond. When I was a middle school teacher, I saw too many kids, especially students from low-income neighborhoods, not know how to swim. Today, we’re changing that. Through the initiative, second graders across the Richmond region have access to free swim instruction.

The pool has become my happy place. It is how I started triathlon training and where I met my husband.

In our community, we have knee replacements; we’re stiff in the morning and can’t move how we used to. But we’re all in this together. I encourage you to find a group fitness program to stay active and to avoid isolation.

What my students needed in the 1970s remains true for folks in their 70s (and beyond). Physical activity and swimming can positively affect your life. Swimming benefits not only your physical health but also your mental health.

I hope my story can encourage you to keep your body in motion. Put on that swimsuit (or whatever clothes you’re comfortable wearing) and jump in the pool. We’ve got a lot of laps and fun ahead of us.

Amp Up Your Swimming Workout with Aquatic HIIT

You can reach Suzanne at suzannemcwilliams2@gmail.com. To learn more about SwimRVA and sign up for a class, check out swimrichmond.org.