Reap the Health Benefits of Swimming while Staying Safe

Swimming is a great way to stay healthy, particularly when you take steps to avoid the most common dangers. The benefits for your physical and mental health include alleviation of stress, enhanced endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. In order to have the best swimming experience possible, it is important to keep in mind the benefits and risks of swimming and to understand basics such as swim safety guidelines and swimmer’s ear treatment methods.

Physical Health Benefits of Swimming

Swimming is a physical activity that involves the whole body. Exercising in the water involves resistance that helps to build strength and tone for all major muscle groups as well as overall endurance. The water resistance causes muscles to be conditioned must faster than land-based workouts. Since there are a variety of strokes that can be used, swimming also is easy to customize for your particular fitness goals. For example, freestyle emphasizes the core, arms, and legs while butterfly also leads to a stronger back and shoulders.

Beyond strengthening and toning, a regular swim can improve cardiovascular fitness while being easier on the body than activities such as contact sports or running, which can be particularly hard on the knees. This means that it can help you to maintain lung and heart health as well as proper weight without causing as much joint and muscle pain. For people with injuries or certain medical conditions, the low-impact nature of swimming makes it the best form of exercise.

Mental Benefits

Regular physical activity stimulates chemicals in the brain that can increase feelings of happiness and relaxation. Often regarded as a peaceful activity, swimming can support mental health by improving mood in men and women. For people with certain conditions such as Fibromyalgia, it can even lower anxiety and depression. Even for those who do not have serious medical conditions, swimming is an enjoyable form of exercise that can

support wellbeing and a calm state of mind. Since it can be done with family and friends, swimming also can provide the basis for social interactions, making it a fun way to stay active and happy.

Tips for Staying Healthy and Safe While Swimming

Proper Hydration

When you engage in recreational and sports activities, perspiration is often the cue that you need to drink more water. Unlike playing tennis or taking a hike, however, the act of swimming can obscure the fact that you are sweating. While you may not notice, your body temperature gets higher, and you sweat while swimming so that you don’t overheat. Swimmers often report that they don’t feel as thirsty, but it is important to drink water regularly. Try to take a water break every 15 minutes if you can, and remind children to take breaks as well.

Hydration helps to maintain ideal performance, which is important whether you are engaged in recreational or competitive swimming. The danger of drowning or having an accident increases when your body can’t perform well. Healthy swimming involves taking every step to make sure you are functioning at your best.

Protection from Germs

By keeping in mind safety, germ exposure, hydration, and sun protection, it is possible to engage in healthy swimming, have fun, and reap exercise benefits. While chemicals such as chlorine and other disinfectants are used to reduce germs in private and public swimming pools, they do not work instantly. They also must be maintained at a certain level otherwise their efficacy is reduced. If you own a swimming pool, it is important to test the chemical levels in your pool regularly to ensure that they remain at the proper free chlorine level (1–3 mg/L or parts per million [ppm]) and pH (7.2–7.8) to maximize germ-killing power according to the CDC. Hot tubs have a different proper disinfectant level (chlorine [2–4 parts per million or ppm] or bromine [4-6ppm]) and pH (7.2–7.8).

One of the best ways to promote healthy swimming is to prevent germs from entering the pool in the first place. Anyone with an illness should avoid using the pool, and everyone should shower before going for a swim. Once you are in the pool, avoid swallowing the water. Children should be encouraged to leave the pool regularly for bathroom breaks,

and babies or young children should never have their diapers changed poolside.

Oceans, lakes, and other natural bodies of water also contain pollutants and bacteria that can lead to infections of the eyes, skin, ears, and respiratory tract. Heed water safety warnings, which may be more common after rainfall.

Sun Protection

Whether you are spending time in a backyard swimming pool or at the beach, you are exposed to a high level of UV exposure that can lead to skin damage and an increased risk of skin cancer. The reflective

nature of water is partly responsible for this exposure, which makes sunscreen application even more important. Even if you are taking a break and simply sitting near a swimming pool, you are exposed to UV rays that bounce off the water surface.

A broad-spectrum, waterproof sunscreen that offers protection from UVA and UVB rays is essential for healthy swimming. Other ways to reduce your exposure include avoiding swimming or increasing your level of protection during the hours when the sun is strongest, typically 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., wearing sun protective clothing, and taking regular breaks in the shade.

Water Safety

Beyond exposure to germs, pools and natural swimming areas can pose a threat to swimmers due to the risk of drowning, injury, or accident. One of the best ways to promote healthy swimming is to stay within view of a lifeguard whenever possible and to ensure that someone near the swimming area is trained in life-saving skills such as CPR. Supervision of children, seniors, and others who may require special assistance is

essential, but all swimmers should be watched. Any adult assigned to watch swimmers should eliminate distractions that may prevent accidents from being seen.

If you own a swimming pool, make sure that it is up to code and meets all safety requirements not only for the pool itself but also for surrounding areas and components such as the fence, deck, and entrances and exits.

Risk of Swimmer’s Ear

Despite the many benefits for physical and mental health, swimming does pose some risks. One of these is swimmer’s ear, a painful condition that develops when water gets trapped in the ear, allowing for the spread of bacteria and fungus. If water is present for a long period of time, it creates the ideal environment for these organisms to grow. Even pool and sea water that appear clear contain pollutants and bacteria that can cause infection so it is important to understand proper swimmer’s ear treatment methods.

At the onset of swimmer’s ear, a feeling of fullness quickly progresses to itch, pain, and swelling as well as possible ear drainage. Swimmer’s ear treatment involves acting quickly to dry the ear and remove trapped water and to see a doctor if symptoms such as

pain, irritation, rash, or discharge persist. One of the most effective methods is to use swimmer’s ear drops that serve as a drying agent by dislodging trapped water from the sides of the ear canal, allowing it to run out or evaporate. This eliminates the environmental conditions in which bacteria can grow and cause infection. Swimmer’s ear drops can be used after swimming or even bathing. Other ways to keep the ears dry include using a bathing cap or ear plugs, drying ears thoroughly with a towel, and tilting the head to each side so that water can escape.

Drowning, Injury, and Accident Dangers

Following proper water safety guidelines can help to prevent drowning, injury, and accident. Children and adults who are using a pool or swimming in a body such as the lake or ocean should have sufficient experience or have taken lessons that have prepared them. While swimming, it is important to stay within view of a lifeguard whenever possible and to ensure that someone near the swimming area is trained in life-saving skills such as CPR. Supervision of children, seniors, and others who may require special assistance is essential, but all swimmers should be watched.

If you own a swimming pool, make sure that it is up to code and meets all safety requirements not only for the pool itself but also for surrounding areas and components such as the fence, deck, and entrances and exits. Accidents commonly occur when people are getting in and out of the pool as well as walking around the swim area.

By following these steps, you can have a healthy swimming experience and avoid the most common dangers. It is important to understand the risks and benefits of swimming so that you can help to avoid some common dangers while reaping the physical and mental health benefits. Knowing the facts about swimmer’s ear treatment and the prevention of injury and accidents can help you to be more prepared for your next dip in the pool or ocean.