Kaitlyn Crouthamel - (Author)

Motivational Monday: No Reason to Wait - Put in the Work Now! “I’ll start it in the New Year.” “Sounds like a great New Year’s resolution.” “I’ll worry about it when the New Year comes along.” ‘Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions! We have arrived at the time of year where many people establish...

Wellness Wednesday: 5 Excellent Recovery Drinks; Which Is Your Favorite (Take Poll) Many swimmers look at pre-practice nutrition as extremely important. You don’t want to eat so much that you feel sluggish or crampy during a workout, but you also need to make sure that you’re consuming enough calori...

Motivational Monday: Don't Overlook the Little Things That Matter It’s that time of year again. Early November has a tendency to be dreaded by swimmers. Training is ramped up, and meets are out in full force. The holidays are approaching, and for swimmers, this means painful sets. You’re sore, tired...

3 Key Features of a Successful Coach-Athlete Relationship As swimmers, our coaches are our backbone. They teach us the ways of the water and how to move through it as quickly as we can. They are there to give us high-fives when we have a good race, and they are a shoulder to cry on when we have a ba...

Motivational Monday: How to Set Goals in An Achievable Way (Example Included) It’s the end of a long practice. I’m out of breath, my cheeks are red hot, and my arms feel like spaghetti noodles. I look at the clock to see I only have a few seconds until the next rep. Everything hurts, and it feels li...

Motivational Monday: How Practicing Mindfulness Can Benefit Swimmers In today’s society, more and more athletes are willing to speak out against the stigma surrounding their mental health. From gymnast Simone Biles to swimmer Caeleb Dressel, the topic is becoming more widely spoken about. In a sport...

Motivational Monday: 20 Quotes to Provide Inspiration and Help You Through Tough Times In the sport of swimming, setbacks are inevitable. We miss qualifying times, fail to hit that personal best we were aiming for, and have bad days at practice. There’s no question that these things will happen to a...

Motivational Monday: Early in the Season, There's Importance to Trusting the Process Ah, October. There’s a chill in the air. You break out your stash of flannels and cozy sweatshirts. Green leaves turn red and orange. Stores are selling pumpkin spice-flavored everything. For swimmers, the meaning o...

Motivational Monday: Putting Pen to Paper - The Benefits of Keeping a Journal Have you ever written in a journal? Many of us kept diaries as kids, writing down our deepest and darkest secrets. While the concept may seem youthful, journaling can be extremely beneficial for one’s mental health. By wri...

Motivational Monday: 5 Books That Provide Inspiration In the Search For Success Movies, songs, affirmations. There is a plethora of options when it comes to sources of motivation for swimmers. Yet another addition to this list is books! Words are a fantastic option when it comes to ways to ...

Visualization Is a Great Option to Prepare For Races - and Promote Success It’s sometimes difficult to mentally prepare for big races. In fact, those final few moments spent standing behind the blocks can be rather overwhelming. People are yelling, whistles are blowing, and you’re frantically tighte...

The Benefits of Adding Running to Your Training Program Swimmers, you won’t want to hear this. What if I told you that running could actually benefit your swimming? Yes, you read that correctly. Running, the dreaded activity that most swimmers avoid at all costs, can help you swim fast...

Motivational Monday: Why Do We Do Embrace The Sport of Swimming? There Are Good Reasons Why?  It’s a simple word with a deep meaning. Others may say it to us, and we may say it to ourselves. In the sport of swimming, we are constantly surrounded by the word, “why.”  First, there’s the “why” question...

Friday FunDay: 5 of the Best Pump-Up Jams for Swimmers Music can work wonders for athletes. From inspirational lyrics to adrenaline-pumping beats, a good song can put you in the right mindset for swimming. It can get you through the toughest of workouts, as well as get you ready for your championshi...

Motivational Monday: Try These Movies as a Source of Inspiration Sometimes, finding the motivation to go to practice each day can be difficult. Picture this: It’s the middle of the winter, your next competition is weeks away, and the last thing you feel like doing is going to practice. In times like...

Motivational Monday: Positive Affirmations for Swimmers Breathe in, breathe out. The moment has arrived. All swimmers know the feeling of having a big race in front of them. You stand behind the blocks, anxiously adjusting your cap and goggles. You count down the heats in front of you until it’s fin...

The Importance of Finding Your 'Why' in Swimming The alarm on your bedside table goes off at 5 a.m. Your room is pitch black, the covers are keeping you warm and cozy, and the last thing you want to do is get out of bed. Why do I have to get up so early? You somehow manage to make it ...

Fueling for Success: What and When to Eat For Optimal Performance As swimmers, we require a significant amount of calories to fuel ourselves properly for many hours of training. It’s easy to come home from practice and scarf down the entire kitchen’s junk-food supply. But, in reality, these foods si...