TAKE THE PLUNGE

Nicola Foster, 57, and Jessica Walker, 58, from London, are on a mission to encourage everyone to make a splash this summer!

- HANNAH CROCKER

Nicola says...

Spotting a familiar little Shih Tzu runnning up to me, I smiled.

‘Hello, Marcel,’ I said, giving him a scratch behind the ears.

‘Hi there,’ Marcel’s owner said when she caught up. ‘How are you doing today?’

I often saw the very glamorous-looking lady and her pooch when I was out walking my Scottish Terrier, McTed.

But we never progressed past a dog-name basis.

Then I saw her at a mutual friend’s party, and she introduced herself as Jessica.

‘I go swimming every morning at Brockwell Lido,’ she told me.

‘You’re brave,’ I chuckled.

‘Why don’t you come with me?’ she suggested.

‘Challenge accepted!’ I replied, feeling determined.

So, after a night of steak and good wine, I agreed to get out of bed early the next morning and meet Jessica at the lido.

As I stripped down to my cossie, the thought of jumping into the chilly pool wasn’t very appealing at all.

But as soon as we got going, I realised why Jessica was hooked.

And I never looked back.

We started swimming regularly together at our local, Charlton Lido.

Thankfully, that one is heated to 23 degrees all year round!

Swimming outdoors, in the elements, is truly the most wonderful feeling.

Not only that, but there are so many health benefits to swimming, too.

I've never been a calorie counter, and my head was always in the fridge.

But since I've been swimming regularly, I've lost weight and become so much more toned.

As women of a certain age, it's so important to stay strong and retain muscle mass.