Older adults’ lifelong embodied experiences of leisure time aquatic physical activity in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Aquatic physical activity has considerable benefits for older adults. However, participation rates remain low in the United Kingdom (UK). Recognition of the importance of embodied and narrative elements of ageing has increased in recent times. Old age is considered a life stage interdependent with other, earlier life stages, rather than as a distinct period. This study uses a figurational perspective to investigate older adults’ changing perceptions and embodied experiences of aquatic activity throughout their life courses. Selective memories of perceptions were contextualised by completion of a literature review relating to the development of recreational aquatic activity in the UK. Participants were cognizant of changes in provision and envisaged purpose of aquatic activity during their lifetimes. Previous embodied experiences of aquatic activity contoured present perceptions and helped participants rationalise their experiences in the present context. Descriptions of positive early experiences emphasised the social and spatial context of aquatic activity. Also, negative experiences were recounted in which the olfactory and haptic elements of embodiment were described. Participants were able to recount detailed experiences of poor pool hygiene and threatening experiences of learning to swim during early experiences. The importance of support from family members in the pool environment was also outlined. The significance of lifelong experiences is discussed in relation to figurational principles, including the interweaving of long-term socialisation and short-term, magnified moments and their effects on habitus development. The implications for physical activity provision are discussed in relation to the development of older adults’ perceptions

Comparison of vitality states of finishers and withdrawers in trail running: An enactive and phenomenological perspective

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Risky bodies, risky spaces, maternal ‘instincts’: Swimming and motherhood

“…Such spaces were considered to offer specific threats to their child’s embodied integrity. Changing areas are often considered transitory spaces within which ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ routines, behaviours and also physical matter mix and blend, sometimes dangerously (Evans and Allen-Collinson, 2014; Evans and Sleap, 2015; Fusco, 2006). In these spaces, outdoor ‘everyday’ clothing is shed, and bodies are transformed into ‘swimming’ bodies through techniques of performative regulation and tacit etiquette.…”

“…Indeed, it has been highlighted how within such a configuration of power relationships, swimming bodies begin to self-regulate such that they become the ‘principal of their own subjection’ (Foucault, 1979: 172), even when, as when monitoring ‘excess’ weight in elite swimming, some of the practices are unhealthy and damaging to wellbeing (McMahon and Penney, 2013). Furthermore, studies have identified how embodied experiences of aquatic activity are influenced by expectations regarding hygiene, health and fitness (Evans and Allen-Collinson, 2014; Evans and Sleap, 2015), and that some aquatic activities, including aqua aerobics and ‘parent–toddler’ sessions, are often associated specifically with women’s body projects (Evans and Sleap, 2012, 2013, 2015). These studies bring the centrality of the swimming body in gendered and gendering practices to the fore.…”

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