Rules to Follow When Swimming For your Health And Safety

Be it a swimming pool or open water, you will always find instructions in place with rules and safety tips. If you wonder why, then this article will help you understand these rules that are meant for children’s health and safety when swimming. You certainly do not want them to become hurt due to the lack of knowledge, only to know how it could have been prevented by following a simple guideline.

Here are 14 Rules That Should Be Followed For Health And Safety When Swimming

1. Always read the safety instructions, if you and your kids are going to a swimming pool. Follow the pool rules.
2. Always wear proper swimming gear whether your child is in a public pool or taking private swimming lessons. Swim suit fabric is specially designed for swimming and swim caps are available to protect hair. Since, swimming pools have certain level of chemicals in water, not wearing goggles may hurt the eyes and cause irritation.
3. Do not go into the pool with jewelry on. Ensure that you have removed your child’s jewelry like earrings, bracelets or necklaces.
4. Remind your child to listen to the directions of the lifeguard. They are there to help and have been trained just for this. Swim only when a lifeguard is on duty. Swimming lessons in Toronto have lifeguards on duty at all times for the safety of swimmers.
5. Since the ground around the pool is usually wet, it is advisable to be cautious while walking near it. Pay extra attention to your kids and don’t let them run, because they most likely will slip and fall into the pool.
6. Pools usually have ‘No diving’ signs, because the pool is not deep enough and they may sustain head injuries if not obeyed.  Always advise children of these areas explaining why diving is not allowed.
7. It is advisable to never swim alone. Always swim under supervision and this is a must in case of kids, because you never know what can go wrong. Even if your child is taking private swimming lessons, still maintain constant supervision.
8. Avoid swimming if your kids have flu or cold because they may infect others very easily or feel worse.
9. For adults, never swim under the influence of alcohol or medicine. Your weakened body will not have enough energy to swim and that increases the chances of drowning.
10. Do not swim during a thunderstorm because of the risk of getting hit by lightning.
11. Learning CPR and knowing basic first aid tips certainly helps in keeping your kids and friends safe. You never know when you or they may need it and there are situations where there isn’t enough time to wait for help. Swimming lessons like the ones offered by Zodiac Swim School provides first-aid safety and CPR courses which will prove useful in case of emergencies and reduce the response time.
12. Always take a quick shower and wash off all dirt before going into the pool. Nobody wants to swim in a dirty pool, hence keeping it clean for others makes sense.
13. No matter how much fun it may seem to fool around in water, never try stunts that are dangerous and may end very badly.
14. While taking private swimming lessons, ensure that your child is protected from the sun. Apply sunscreen to protect your skin from direct sunlight as well as from the chemicals in the water.

Before you go swimming…check for safety instructions. Save yourself and your loved ones from a mishap. Find  swimming lessons in Toronto from reputable swim schools like Zodiac Swim School and be a pro. To learn more about Zodiac, check them out here.

Swimming For Fitness: Living Healthy

When it comes to fitness, everyone tends to think of hitting the gym or doing yoga to maintain a healthy body. There are so many options out there and swimming is an excellent choice to keep fit by having fun. Swimming is an exercise which helps you shed weight really fast. It also boosts your metabolism and strengthens the muscles of your body. If you want a total body workout, go outside and dive into a pool.

Since people are becoming more and more health conscious every day, they will go to any level to make their body look and act healthy and perfect. The swimming clubs nowadays have a variety of  swimming programs to make it more convenient for people with their busy schedules to attend.

What are the some of the health benefits of swimming?  Why should you sign up for  different swimming programs? Here are some answers to those questions:

1.       Swimming is an excellent Core workout and helps to strengthen the muscles in your legs and the shoulders. When you are in the water, there is a  resistance which requires more force to move your body forward. As a result, this force works on all your muscles without really feeling the exhaustion from working out.

2.       Swimming is said to boost up the overall health of your heart. Swimming teaches breathing techniques  you have to learn to breathe deeply which will force your heart and lungs to take in more oxygen. Naturally this will strengthen the muscle of your heart.

3.       Swimming helps you to relax. This is one of the essential elements if you want to have a healthy body. You attain the same level of fitness as you can through workouts or weight training exercises. If you have overworked limbs or you are bored by sitting all day in your office chair, swimming can be a healthy break.

These are just a few reasons why swimming as an exercise is beneficial to your health. Doctors even prescribe swimming to people suffering from obesity, diabetes, and other ailments to put in their everyday routines.

There are many swimming programs out there, but the Red Cross Swim Levels is one of the most popular and all-inclusive programs. This is offered by the Red Cross Association spread over all continents. The objective of the Red Cross Swim Levels is to teach people how to be safe in the water with the obvious aim of promoting a fit body.

The Red Cross Swimming program is divided into various levels.

a.       In the first phase, students are introduced to water and how to enjoy floating freely and comfortably. They also learn to kick in the front and back under water along with some water safety rules.

b.      In the second phase, students learn the fundamental skills of swimming. They learn how to control their breath, how to step from the side in the chest-deep water and come out in a vertical position, back crawling arm action and much more.

c.       The third phrase deals with stroke readiness. It deals with tasks like retrieving objects, swimming underwater, safe diving rules, jumping into the water and wearing life jackets etc.

d.      In the next level, swimmers learn tactics like floating, deep water bobbing, the breaststroke, rhythmic breathing etc.

e.      The next level swimming programs focus on alternate breathing, front and back crawl, underwater swimming, racing dives, butterfly, front crawl with a flip turn, breaststroke with open and speed turn and many others.

These are the comprehensive swimming training provided by The Red Cross Swim Levels which not only shapes your body but teaches you everything about being safe in the water.

Zodiac swim school offers a variety of swimming programs that strictly abide to the Red Cross Swim Levels standards. For more information, click here.