3 Best Ways to Keep Fit

July 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Supervised physical therapy may be helpful to ...

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If you want to get fit and stay that way, you can do it with just a little help and a lot of discipline. Getting into shape is all about working out, so be sure to choose activities you enjoy as this will ensure that you exercise regularly. Even the most exciting sport can get boring when you do it frequently, though, which is why you should choose a few activities to alternate when your routine feels bland.

You should also make sure you have quality equipment. If you are using a treadmill, elliptical or weight set at home, ensure that they are in good working order and are considered safe and durable. If you prefer to use fitness videos, choose those rated most effective by customers, and be sure to select only high-quality athletic equipment when you play sports to stay in shape. If you need new supplies, check Canada 411 to find shops that sell high-quality equipment. You may be able to find a gym through this same method, if you decide to take that route to fitness.

Finally, make sure you stay hydrated while getting into shape. Working out can make you feel parched; however, by the time you are thirsty, your body has already needed water for a while. Therefore, drink water before, during and after your workout, and consider regularly eating foods that contain lots of water, such as fruits and vegetables. These tips can help you avoid dehydration and allow you to get into shape.

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Safety Through Flotation: Swimming

July 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A man wearing a life jacket, with another life...

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It’s a rush of water, a dive beneath the surface — you’ve flung yourself from the edge of a pool, flail happily among the chlorine. It was an easy impulse, a wish to experience relief from the summer. The ripples beckoned; the promise of being cold thrilled; and you jumped without concern for the depth…. or your lack of experience.

You can’t swim: this is an unfortunate truth and one that can’t be denied as you struggle in the water. Slick walls defy your fingers; a floor sprawls too far away to balance against; and the rumble of the drains is deafening. You’re trapped.

And this is when you rely on a flotation device to save you.

Too often is the notion of a floatation device dismissed — especially by adults. Life jackets, buoyancy aids, compensators and more are deemed unnecessary. Their styles don’t please; their designs don’t impress. They instead conjure images of bobbing uselessly in a pool, unable to move under the weight of straps, locks and bulky foam.

The necessity of these devices is without question, however. Those not yet able to swim (without knowledge of at least one stroke) must wear some form of protection. These items maintain safety – reducing the possibility of drowning by over 90 percent.

Such a statistic can’t be ignored: even as adults may wish to, thinking these aids render them suddenly childish. Precaution isn’t offered only to youths, however. It’s instead needed for all — and floatation aids ensure that accidents are greatly (if not almost entirely) reduced.

 

Filed Under: General, Swimming Tagged With: , ,

Everybody Needs a Change Sometimes

June 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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There are a lot of different things you can wear when you work out. While you can always fall back on tried and true favorites like nudity, they have laws against that in most instances. You could also try wearing trash bags and the heaviest wool you can find like a wrestler would, but heat stroke can be a problem. Sometimes you need to go with a happy medium, and it may take some experimenting to find that medium.

Take Nike clothing, for instance. While you might not be wearing a huge amount of fabric when you don some Nike gear, you won’t get arrested for indecent exposure with it on. You also won’t feel like you’re wearing a giant burlap sack, either. There is a happy medium when it comes to athletic wear. You need to be aware of how your workout clothes affect your performance. Of course, Nike clothes come in a lot of different varieties, and they aren’t just for one type of athlete. Both men and women can wear different lines, depending on their sport of choice.

Nike has come a long way from just selling and making shoes. You can wear clothes designed to keep your muscles in place during track and field events, as well as looser fitting clothes for golf or tennis. Naturally, men’s clothing needs to be cut differently than women’s because of the dramatic differences in their body types and fashion trends. However, the biggest thing to keep in mind isn’t just wearing clothes specifically designed for your sport and your gender. You need to think through how your clothes will help you perform better.

Filed Under: General

Nutrition and Swimming

May 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Nutrition during any workout is essential. During swimming it is crucial since workouts while swimming you are using increased intensity and burn more calories. Ensuring that you maintain your health while working out is very important, otherwise the benefits of swimming can lessen performance to your body and total health. Nutrition as a whole helps your body perform. Whether you are swimming for pleasure, workout, or competition, you definitely want your body to perform well.

Some nutrition tips to consider are to stay hydrated. With any exercise regimen, you want to ensure that you are keeping your body hydrated. As muscles work hard, your heart rate increases, and expels water in the form of sweat. Yes, even while swimming you can get sweaty. So, keeping hydrated should be your number one concern while working out.

Eat well balanced meals that include lean proteins and complex carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables. These are what your body will be burning as you workout, so not only do you want to ensure you eat a well-balanced meal prior to a workout, but you will want to restore these complex carbohydrates after your body cools off. The body absorbs nutrients at its best capacity between thirty and ninety minutes after a workout. So, make sure you feed your body well during this time when nutrients go straight to the muscles you’ve worked so hard.

Eat as fresh as possible. Modified and processed foods pose potential risks to your body and can leave you feeling ‘heavy’. Eat the foods your body needs for true success during your workouts.

Filed Under: Swim, Swimming Tagged With: , ,

Salt Water Pools

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Swimmers know exactly how damaging chlorine can be on the clothing and hair. It can really have some effects on the body such as rougher skin and other problems. This is why many pool manufacturers have started to create what is known as the salt water pool.

A salt water pool is a traditionally swimming pool that is filled with water. The only difference is that instead of having chlorine that is used in the water it uses salt crystals. The natural salt crystals along with the water creates its own chlorine so there is no need to add the chlorine to the pool.

The reason that many people have started to use salt pools instead of chlorine pools is because it is better on the skin, clothing and body. It also offers a more natural swimming experience compared to the chlorine infested pool.

One of the best features of the salt water pool is that it does not require the use of harmful chemicals or other items in it. Instead pool owners can go years without putting chemicals or other items in it. In fact, it is seven years before the pool owner needs to put more salt in the pool. The only thing the pool needs is a pump that will filter in the salt and the water. This will keep the pool fresh and clean and allow everyone to enjoy their pool.

Salt water pools are quickly becoming a growing trend and many many people are turning to it instead of the traditional chlorine pool.

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How to Teach Children To Swim

March 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Every parent wants their child to learn to swim. This is especially important if you are active and around water. However, some parents do not know how to properly train their child to swim which could lead to fear of the water and not learning to swim. Here is a look at what you need to keep in mind if you are going to teach your child to swim.

Inner Tubes/Floating Devices. To help get your child comfortable with the water try a floatation device that will allow them to see the water and how it works. Try to encourage them to move around the water and really get a feel for it.

Start Out Slow. Start out slow and in the lower end of the pool so your child can get a feel for the water.

Lay on Their Backs. Many parents use the laying on their back method to help their child. This is where their child lays back and the parent holds them. They will slowly move their hands away from the child so that they are not supporting their child. Before they know it their child will be supporting themselves.

Encourage Movement. It is important that you encourage movement in your child. Tell them to keep kicking their legs and arms. Try to swim along with them and just offer encouragement.

Do Not Use Arm Floats. Arm floats are not recommended for children. Many children do not have the upper body strength to help them learn how to swim with these items. In fact this could hinder the swimming process. Try to avoid arm floats whenever possible.

Filed Under: Swim, Training Tagged With: , ,

Helping a Chronic Problem in Swimmers

March 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A common problem that almost all swimmers face at some point in time is a condition known as swimmers ear. This is when the ear gets water that is trapped inside it. There can often be a swishing sound or a muffled sound. If the water is left in the ear too long it can result in loss of hearing or infections. If you are experiencing swimmers ear here are some ways you can cure it.

Drops for Draining. Put your head to the side and place a few drops of water into a dropper. Place the drops of water into the ear and quickly turn your head to the side. Wait a few second and do this again. You will try to drain the water out of the ear this way.

Vinegar/Water Solution. Try to put into your ear a solution that is made up of half water and half vinegar. The vinegar should be able to dry and evaporate the water of the ear in no time at all so that you can get the water out.

Sleep with Ear Up. If you sleep with your infected ear up the gravity of the earth will tug on the water and could loosen it up so that your water will drain.

OTC Eardrops. There are over the counter antiseptic eardrops that are specifically designed for swimmers ear. Try to put those into the ear and see if it will help clear up the ear and water.

Hair Dryer. You can try to dry up the water using the low setting of the hair dryer. This has not been successful in a lot of people but it could be worth a try to try this method.

Filed Under: Swim, Swimming Tagged With: , ,

How to Listen to Music While Training for Swim Meets

March 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Swimming training can be intense. You will spend hours and hours in the pool swimming lap after lap. Some swimmers love to listen to music while they swim. However, since their ears are in the water they cannot hear any stereo equipment. This requires the use of special equipment to hear music. Here is a look at how you can listen to music if you are an intense swimmer.

Waterproofing the MP3 Player. There are waterproof cases that swimmers can invest in. If you purchase one of these the MP3 player will be protected against the water. It is also important to make sure that you invest in a good pair of underwater headphones as you can’t hear the music without them. There is a recommended pair of earphones known as Bone Conduction Earphones that almost all swimmers use.

Swimming MP3 Players. There are actual MP3 players that are specifically designed to fit the needs of swimmers. Some of these MP3 players have actually been tested and can survive under the water of certain depths. It is important to make sure you are buying an MP3 player that fits your needs. This is a great option for those that do not want to ruin their regular MP3 player by putting it in the water.

Bone Conduction Earphones. You will want to purchase something known as bone conducting earphones. These are headphones that work by putting the music vibration through the ears. When this is done the swimmer is able to hear the vibrations regardless of where there head is in the water. These earphones can be very expensive so make sure you truly want to invest in the set and listening to music while you are underwater.

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Learning the Trudgen Stroke

March 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

There is a swim stroke that works kind of like a combination of the crawling swim stroke and that of the scissor kicking action of other swim strokes. This swim stroke is known as the Trudgen Stroke and is fairly popular swim stroke to be used by swimmers all over.

Here is how to perform the Trudgen Stroke when swimming.

Step 1. You will want to start in a face down position that will leave you looking into the pool. This is often called the glide position and is how many swimmers start swimming.

Step 2. Start to perform the crawl stroke that is famous with the crawl stroke. This is swinging your arms around like they were windmills. Make sure the hands are sorta cupped so that they can cut through the water and get you to the other side.

Step 3. When moving the arms make it so that they are back to your back and you will be able to push the water away. A slight bend of the elbow is recommended as it allows people to move forward.

Step 4. Move your head. If you have your left hand up you will breathe on the left side and if you have your right hand up you will breathe on your right side.

Step 5. You will start to snap your legs as if they were a pair of scissors. Do this while your arms are moving into and out of the water.

Step 6. Every few minutes you will stop moving your legs so that you can focus on the arms. When you are changing arms your legs will not be snapping. The key is to combine both so that they appear to work together.

Filed Under: Swim, Swimming Tagged With: , ,

Swimming Facts

March 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Swimming is the general term for what people do to move through the water. However, the technical term for what they are called is swimming strokes. There are a lot of different facts about swimming and swimming strokes that people do not know. Here is a look at some of the facts about swimming that you may or may not have known.

Types of Strokes. There are different types of swimming strokes that swimmers all over the world use. There is the butterfly stroke, backstroke, freestyle and even some called the sidestroke.

Benefits. Swimming and swim strokes have long been used as a leisure form of exercise. It has also been used as a way for people to compete against each other and even as a way to spend their warm summer days. Swimming has been around for a long long time.

Where it Started. Swimming does not have a place where it is invented. It dates back so long that many people do  not know who came up with what swim stroke and therefore it is just assumed everywhere has always had swimming. There is even evidence that there were Egyptian carvings and paintings with swimmers and swimming strokes.

The Doggy Paddle. Even though people make fun of the doggy paddle it is actually an actual swim stroke. It is believed to be the easiest swim stroke which is why many people learn it first before any other swim stroke.

Freestyle Competition. When there is a swimming competition that is titled freestyle the swimmers are allows to use any style of swimming they desire. In fact in competitions there is only 15 meters of underwater time for every swimmer the rest is done by swimming.

Filed Under: Swim, Swimming Tagged With: , ,
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