From 1km to 20km - Why I Swim

SHARE

Day 1 Back in the Pool – Small Steps Matter

Today was my first swim in three weeks. I clocked 1km (40 lengths) in 26 minutes - switching between freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke. It wasn’t perfect. I paused for breathers. I didn’t pace myself. I even forgot my pre-swim snack!

Still, I turned up.

And that’s what this journey is about. I’m swimming 20km to raise funds for Coastguard, and some days will feel slower than others. But every swim builds strength. Every breath is a reminder to be kind to myself. Every stroke moves me closer to the goal.

I’ve raised $160 so far—and when I reach $250, I’ll earn a Big Swim beanie (a small but meaningful symbol of this journey). Can you help me get there?

Your support goes straight to Coastguard’s volunteers who donate hundreds of thousands of hours each year to save lives at sea.

Let’s keep them strong, supported, and ready.

Donate here: https://bigswim.org.nz/a-young

Popular posts

About this blog

I'm Aley Young, the heart behind this blog.

A soft, grounded space where healing, personal growth, real food, and gentle truth meet.

This is my living journal - a place where I share the moments, lessons, and inner shifts that have shaped my own journey, from nervous system healing and regulation to motherhood, identity, and becoming alongside the slower, earthier parts of life: the garden, the sourdough starter, the kitchen.

I'm a multi-passionate person, so you'll find writing here on whatever's actually inspiring me - that might be ancestral healing one week and something I learned from my swim training the next. I look at all of it through the same lens: as a healer, someone deeply connected, intuitive, and grounded.

From slow living and mindfulness, to rebuilding self-trust and reconnecting with your intuition, to companion planting and everyday baking - this is where I write the things I once needed to hear, and the things I've learned along the way.

Every piece here is an invitation to soften, breathe, and reconnect with who you're becoming.

This is a space for personal growth and real, grounded living, where you're supported in feeling seen and less alone as you rebuild yourself from the inside out.

Move slowly.

Begin wherever your heart lands.

  • Aley Young (Mother of 4, Reiki Master, BN, BA (Psychology and Education), Diploma in Small Business & Project Management)