From 1km to 20km - Why I Swim

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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

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An update about this blog

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

It was a soft, grounded space where healing, personal growth, real food, and gentle truth meet.

A living journal - a place where I shared 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.

But now it is retired ...

Thank you for being here - some of you for years now.

After a lot of reflection, I've decided to step back from this chapter and follow a new calling: natural gardening. It's where my heart is right now, and I want to give it everything.

But nothing here is disappearing.

- The courses are still here - log in anytime with your existing account.

- The blog is still up to read, and the podcast is still here to listen to, whenever you like.

- Nothing is being taken away. I'm just not adding to it anymore.

If you've walked through this content with me, thank you. Truly. It mattered.

And if you're curious where I'm headed next - into the soil, into growing things, into a slower and simpler kind of healing - I'd love for you to come along.

[Visit Natural Companion → https://www.naturalcompanion.co.nz]

With gratitude,

Aley