-Introduce yourself in a few lines: Name, surname, age, profession, hobbies, passion(s), family life, etc.
My name is Raphaëlle, I just turned 23, and I'm a swimming instructor specializing in aquafitness. My hobbies and passions are music, movies, paddleboarding, sports, and scuba diving. As for family life, I live alone with my cat, who puts up with me every day ;)
-Why swimming and what does it bring you on a daily basis? (At what age did you start, why this sport, what are its benefits, how do you feel afterwards, etc...)
I started swimming at 11 with a friend and at 15 I started competing in a club. I wanted to do this sport because I liked the idea that it is an individual sport but also a team sport during relays, we always give our all, for ourselves and for others.
Do you have any icons that inspire you daily? Could you share them with us? Or even some motivational quotes?
I greatly admired Camille Muffat's determination and drive to succeed, as well as that of great business leaders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Steve Jobs. And my very personal motto: "Move more to eat more."
-How do your training sessions go and how many times a week do you train?
When I was competing, I trained five times a week. The sessions lasted between one and one and a half hours, and before that, we had a dryland warm-up out of the water. As I was a sprinter and a backstroke specialist, I mainly practiced that stroke in training. We had a short warm-up in the water, followed by two or three intense sets of exercises to work on either endurance, cardio, strength, or explosiveness, depending on the day, the length of the session, etc. We finished the workout with active recovery, swimming more slowly, and if we were good, we were allowed to go down the water slide!
-Do you have any advice for swimmers or people who would like to get into competitive swimming?
Go for it! Don't hesitate to watch instructional videos online to fully understand a movement, or simply ask the lifeguard if they can correct you. Plan your workouts, find a realistic goal, and go for it!
-Why do you like the Adventurer swimsuit so much?
Because it's just too beautiful! It's incredibly comfortable and made of an amazingly soft and pleasant material. Its fitted cut provides good support during my swimming workouts or aquafitness classes.
