IT’S ONE OF THE MOST BENEFICIAL SPORTS WE CAN DO

breathe in on (unless you are Michael Phelps, who breathes every two).

The other game-changer was to keep my body in a straight line; if you look up, your bottom and hips sink. Olympic long-distance swimmer KeriAnne Payne gave me a great piece of advice: to imagine a pole running down my middle from my crown and to rotate my body around it as I use my arms.

The results were instant – I went from being able to do two lengths to 30. I did the triathlon (OK, with a bit of breaststroke too), but the best part is I feel I can now swim reasonably well. In fact, it’s one of the best things in wellness I’ve ever done. When we go on holiday I now don’t sit on a jetty

– I dive off it. I think nothing of swimming round that buoy out

7 Asylum seeker (7)

8 Between the elbow and the wrist (7)

10 Country in the southern hemisphere (3,7)

11 Greek liqueur (4)

12 Buy (8)

14 The capital of Austria (6)

15 Irrationally, meaninglessly (11)

19 As worked by firefighters, factory staff, nurses, etc (6)

20 Disappoints (someone) (4,4)

22 Shakespearean king (4)

23 Undertakings with no chance of success (4,6) 25 Destroy the force or legal effect (of a deed or contract) (7)

26 Humourless, disapproving (2-5)

DOWN

1 How Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are known (7)

2 Canal in the Middle East (4)

3 US state which borders 6 down (6)

4 Historical region which united with Wallachia in 1859 to form (modern) Romania (8)

5 Changed or altered the structure (of something) (10)

6 US state – joined the Union in 1912 (7) 9 The attitude of someone who wants to possess lots of things (11)

13 US state which borders 6 down (10)

16 Antiquated, outmoded (8)

17 The capital city of 6 down (7)