Melodee Liegl - Just a Girl That Loves to Swim Motivational Speaker from Delafield, WI

Just a Girl That Loves to Swim - This is a perfect way to describe Melodee. Her love of the water started at a young age, spending many hours at the local pool. Due to congenital hip dysplasia, swimming was her chosen sport that allowed her to swim without causing pain for the joint. Childhood and recent surgeries on the hip were quickly healed in the water. For the last 30 years, she has been swimming consistently, while juggling family and work responsibilities. Her swimming has grown from competitive short pool distances to open water marathon swims. Training for these swims involve many hours in the water. Melodee has completed marathon swims in 15 different US states. Her recent personal feats include “20 Lakes in 2020”, swimming around Manhattan, St. Lucia Channel (St Lucia to Martinique) and ‘Au’au Channel (Maui to Lanai). She is always thinking about her next adventure. Melodee can relate to a well-known Aristotle quote, “We are what we repeatedly do… therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” One of the reasons she swims so much (close to three hours a day) is because she loves the feeling after a good swim. Nothing can replace the endorphins after a swim. Endorphins are hormones that are released with exercise and help to relieve pain, reduce stress and improve mood. She feels like she can tackle the world, and this is why she rarely misses a day. Melodee inspires others with her swimming. She knows that not everyone loves the water, but feels it is important for everyone to get some type of exercise. A 1-hour workout is only 4% of your day, a very small percentage. Even when her children were young, she was happy to get in any pool time. It was not always easy, but she made it happen. Melodee developed a habit of morning swimming that continues to this day. Habits are what keeps us moving and the best way to form a new habit is to keep doing it over and over again. Regardless of the type of physical activity, just keep doing it. Be a cheerleader and encourage others. There are so many benefits from the 4% statement, your body will love you for the attention! The Daily News of Open Water Swimming agrees with Melodee’s motivation and published an article entitled, “Melodee Liegl, A Deeply Passionate Aquatic Ambassador (February 2024). Melodee is always busy doing other “swimming related” activities: • Her professional work as a statistician has allowed her to assist open water swimming organizations with statistical information on events or scientific studies. She recently co-authored an article that was published in February 2024 on the cookie cutter shark encounters in Hawaii (Moonless Night Sky Increases Isistius Species (cookie cutter shark) and Live Human Contact). • While swimming in the lakes in her area, she cleans up any garbage she sees on the bottom and collects treasures along the way. Early morning swims are the best, especially seeing the moon and stars and then the colorful sunrise. • She is a product tester for a swim company called Finis: testing out the latest electronic swim products. • She is also an Ambassador for Finis. Their vision is to help every person in the world enjoy the water. Melodee is a perfect person to share her love of the water with the world. After all, Melodee is “Just a Girl Who Loves Swimming!” • Melodee creates swim art in the water using her Garmin watch to spell out names in the water. A local artist told her, “The water is your canvas”. • United States Master Swimming (USMS) Wisconsin Fitness Chair/Coordinator: Promote participation in fitness. Melodee shares her swim journeys over the last 30 years and how swimming has shaped her life outside of the water as well. Swimming made her a strong woman, and she believes she would not be where she is now if it was not for this sport. Swimming has also taught discipline, and this has helped her mentally to get out of her comfort zone and try new swim adventures. This leads to another favorite quote, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Push your dreams, it may hurt along the way, but live the life you always wanted. Testimonial Inspirational, encouraging and WOW! You have shared your swim journeys of courage and determination with your stories, pictures and videos, year after year in our Wellness Newsletter feature, Healthy Living in Action. Your passion for life, nature, and people sings strong from the written page. While you alone do the swimming, you help everyone understand the team it takes to make it all happen. Thanks for sharing yourself and your journeys. -Teri Hecker, Wellness and Benefits Consultant, Medical College of Wisconsin