Rachel Syme Gets Suited Up

A well-equipped, affordable YMCA across the street makes gym access effortless, with chilled air and visible classes from a nearby window. After years of failing to maintain cardio motivation, a chlorine smell triggers curiosity about the pool. A one-hour swimming refresher course leads to swimming at least four days a week. The new habit creates a need for swim gear, but initially available suits feel unsuitable for training. Two favorite one-pieces are more for lounging than workouts, and many athletic options seem dowdy. After struggling in a basic Speedo, a bright red patterned training suit in the locker room provides a better alternative, leading to improved comfort and continued practice.

"I live directly across the street from a remarkably well-appointed, lusciously air-conditioned, and shockingly affordable (for New York City, anyway) Y.M.C.A. in Brooklyn, which is all to say: I have absolutely no excuse not to go. The gym is practically an extension of my apartment-so close that when I open my kitchen window, I can feel the chilled, tangy air wafting out of the Y's linoleum lobby. The window next to my desk overlooks the gym's large communal exercise room, and throughout the day, I am taunted by the sight of gyrating bodies panting through a Zumba class or a kettlebell set."

"Then, one afternoon last summer, I was walking past the gym when I was hit with a sudden nostalgia-inducing whiff of chlorine. The pool! Why had I never thought of it? I'd assumed the Y's basement lido was the domain of serious lappers and diehard aquarobics addicts-not the place for a fitness dilettante. But my curiosity proved stronger than my nay-saying. I signed up for an hour-long swimming refresher course and hopped into the slow lane. Now, I swim at least four days a week."

"My new hobby came, thrillingly, with the need to buy new gear. At first, I struggled. My two favorite one-pieces, a vintage-inspired bottle-green ruched suit from the Esther Williams line ($88), and a crinkly, scoop-backed number from Hunza G ($240), were made more for lounging than for working out, but I find most "athletic swimsuits" to be so dowdy as to feel punitive. I spent a few unhappy weeks wriggling into a sad navy Speedo, until I spotted a woman in the locker room wearing a bright-red training suit, printed all over with whimsical watermelon seeds."

"She was kind enough to share that it was by Sporti, and t"

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