Author: Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

Stockhomssimmet: excitement and cold!

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

“You can do this. You can do this. Fuck, it’s cold. I can’t really feel my feet. You can do this. You can do this. Ok. we are going to turn around now and then it’s going to be easier with the current. Jeese…Why does not it get better? Ok. I am just gonna slow down and swim on my back. Just breathe.” That is approximately what was going in my mind during today’s swim. The weather was beautiful: one of this rare in Stockholm warm days with sunshine and cloudless sky. A perfect day for a long swim in Djurgårdsbrunnskanalen. Me and Anna got there on our bikes, the race wasn’t big, just around 200 people for both the 3,3 km distance(that we were doing) and the shorter 1,1 km stretch. I was feeling great. Until the moment I got into the water. It. was. cold. It felt like the Atlantic ocean in Cape Town. It kind of tickles your feet and you have an urge to get out (at least I do). – …

Stockholmssimmet tomorrow: excitement and fear!

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

UPDATE: We did it! Read how it went here: Stockholmssimmet: we did it! Tomorrow is the main event of this swimming season for us. We are swimming the Stockholmssimmet 3,3 km race. Me and Anna(NordA) are starting at 11:00 at the Maritime museum. Come and support us or just check out for results here tomorrow. Not everything went as planned this training season. Work and family challenges, weather (it has been raining and storming the entire summer in Stockholm), all those excuses we always have. But now is the time to put ourselves to work. I am actually terrified. This is going to be the longest open water swim for me to this date. Anna has swam across the Bosphorus last year, which is 6 km, while I have done done my first open water race last year, which was just 1,6 km. And even that was challenging and did not leave me too happy about my speed.  I was fighting with the current, waves, my own fear. I have since then swam in Greece(nice and warm) and …

How Can I Improve My Crawl?

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

Crawl. It’s the fastest, most majestic, and most difficult of all strokes. So why on earth does it look so easy for experienced swimmers? Why can’t YOU glide through 25 meters effortlessly like the person in the lane next to you? I wish I had quick-fix solution for you but I don’t. In fact, it is a step-by-step, stroke-by-stroke process that will teach you to move through the water with minimal effort. Technique Technique, technique, technique. That’s what any coach will drill into your head during training sessions. Having the right technique is key to NOT getting tired too quickly, NOT losing your breath and NOT struggling to swim faster, longer. Check out this video by Speedo–it’s the best one I’ve seen so far. Watch the videos and follow the instructions. Or better yet, sign up for a swimming course… or hire a swimming coach to cover the basics. Without the fundamentals, you might be swimming in-place for the rest of your life 🙂 f you practice on your own, remember to focus on every …

The courageous you: 10 steps to overcome fear

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

What are you afraid of? You always wanted to make that step, to speak up for yourself in a toxic relationship, to set on the adventure of your dreams, to stop shaking in the dark and finally feel certain of yourself. But what is it exactly that you fear and how to fight and win over it? Let’s walk through the 10 steps to the courageous you together. This is a summary of what I tell my students during the swimming classes when they face their fear of deep water, but you can certainly apply it to fighting other fears as well. 1. Say hello to your fear. Say it out loud. Write it down in your journal. Don’t pity yourself, don’t avoid any more, don’t come up with excuses and reasons. Just admit it to yourself. Say hello to your fear. Say: “I am afraid of deep water”, “I am afraid of the dark”, “I’m afraid for my family alienating me forever”, “I’m afraid of…”.  Write it down. Admitting what you are afraid of to …

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” ― John Lennon We are all scared of change – and have been since the dawn of time. It is hard-wired into our brains through evolution….so our first reaction to “change” is to run from it or simply avoid it. It is the classic “fight or flight” reaction to the underlying fear associated with change. Even if you truly want your life to be different, it will be incredibly difficult to take that first leap….and then adapt. If you are someone who is yearning for change, that is, changing for the better, then please read on. Here’s something to consider when you’re on the verge of taking that first step. Think of this concept as a mental “exercise” to help …

Wild women DO, – interview with Marie Milligan

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ― Nelson Mandela The human beings are strange in the defining the place that we call “comfort”. We need to have stability and diversity of new possibilities. Some of us are living the life with a wish of a stable family, life in peace and when they finally reach that, – they are still not satisfied. Some of us decide to climb to the top of the career ladder while sacrificing our private lives, and the day they become the CEO/CFO/COO they do not feel happy anyway. We decided to talk to Marie Milligan – a motivational speaker and coach from London, UK, who helps women to define their goals and plan their life in balance with the their ambitious goals and wishes.   Actual Marie holds a one-day free workshop for women in tech in collaboration with PyLadies STHLM “Define your purpose & build a …

Top 5 Swedish apps that help you save money

Published by Oxana a.k.a. Merenlin

If you’re like me, a young professional making a decent income and living in Scandinavia, chances are you’re not as clever as you think; that is, with your finances. You’re probably hitting the nearest convenience store on your way to work and picking up a yummy latte, or heading out for lunch on occasion. In any case, you probably also consider the money left over from your salary as “savings.” The reality is that “savings” should be invested wisely and grow, grow, grow. Eating out and consuming lattes do not pay off. For instance, you would save roughly 7000 SEK per year (about 760 EUR) “if” you didn’t stop for that latte everyday. At ten percent annually, that 7000 can grow to 10,000 SEK in only five years. How many “obvious” saving methods can you accomplish? Let’s not kid ourselves, saving is hard work. Unless you’re an accountant, and love being one (who in their right mind would do this anyway? :-), you most likely hate spreadsheets. Imagine constantly hunting for a better price, or entering all your receipts onto a spreadsheet every month. Or, evaluating your budget goals every time you make a purchase. It can be time-consuming and frustrating. Investing, on the other hand, is another …