It's Learn to Swim Day!
Learn To Swim Day is all about encouraging people to learn how to swim and to ensure that from a young age children are encouraged to learn how to swim for safety in the water.
Don’t be shy, no matter how old you are! Adults can learn to swim too! Here are a few of the many reasons you should learn to swim.
With the warm weather now in full swing, everyone is excited to have some fun in the sun at the swimming pool with their little ones. But before you jump in the water, it is crucial to prioritise pool safety for your children to let you have a more joyful and accident-free swimming experience.
Congratulations! You’ve just given birth and have a lovely bundle of joy. We know swimmers after giving birth that hop straight back into the pool like they never left, but for others the routine can be a struggle. With less time and less energy, it can feel discouraging when you have to stop and rest more frequently. While it’s not easy to get back into your swimming routine after giving birth, exercise is important. Here are some of our top tips to help you get motivated to return to swimming after giving birth.
Your doctor will provide the best medical advice about when you can safely start swimming after giving birth, so make sure to follow that before getting back into the water. Every woman’s body is unique and will respond differently, so do not be disheartened if you are not back in the water as quickly as others. As a general rule of thumb, you should wait until your six-week check-up before returning to skilling, as this will allow your body to appropriately heal before entering the water. It will provide enough time for vaginal bleeding, called lochia to stop. When the vaginal discharge stops, it signifies that your body is recovering properly.
What are the benefits of swimming after giving birth? Swimming is a great form of exercise that works out all the muscles in your body and is a low-impact exercise that helps improve physical and mental health after giving birth. It can contribute to weight loss and toning your muscles. For mental health, it can be a form of stress relief and helps decrease the effects of postpartum depression.
If you swam before pregnancy, it is great to get your body and mind back into a familiar routine. Even if you are new to swimming, the benefits for your health are rewarding as it will help elevate your mood and energy levels.
Exercise should be made a priority, as it will help you feel more energetic, and the health benefits justify the time investment. In order to get back into exercising, here are some tips:
Hold yourself accountable, and put it into your schedule just like any other appointment, and don’t let yourself cancel unless you have a really good reason to.
Swimming may not be enjoyable at first if your physical health has deteriorated a lot. Create some positive motivation by promising yourself to get a reward! Maybe a little treat after each workout or a new swimsuit, or even watching your favourite TV show afterward. Allow yourself to be rewarded for your exercise and workouts to help get motivated for the next time you visit the pool.
Do you want to lose the baby weight? Get back into swimming? Swimming for a little me-time? Identify why you want to swim and set some manageable goals for you to reach that can help motivate you as needed. If your overall objective seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller goals to tackle each week to reach your goals.
If you feel like your exercise routine is becoming repetitive with the same exercises time and time again, try bringing some variety to it! Work on different swimming strokes, alternate your swimming routine with some dryland training or playing other sports. Keep your routine fun, exciting, and explore new ideas!
We tend to create our own goals, so make sure to think of yourself as a swimmer and not an ex-swimmer, you can practise visualisation exercises of yourself completing the swim, and remember all of your favourite swim experiences from the past and remember the positive emotions that brought you to the sport to begin with.
On one day, you’ll have more energy than the next day. That’s okay! Any exercise is better than none, so don’t worry if you can’t do your full-body workout. Don’t feel bad if you have to skip a day because your energy is low. What’s important is to develop healthy habits and lifestyles. It can be easy to get focused on caring for your family and put your own needs last, we get it. But exercising, along with eating healthily and finding ways to manage stress, are more important than ever now that you’re a parent.
While the first weeks of postpartum might feel challenging as a new parent, it is important to keep in mind the benefits of exercise to not only your body, but your mental health. As your energy levels improve, and you begin getting back in shape, you will be in a great mindset to take care of your new baby and yourself!
Water safety is very important for children to learn from a young age due to the risk of accidents and even drowning. It is one of the only sports you can teach your child that can save their life.
Drowning is one of the top causes of accidental deaths in children, so being able to swim is an essential skill, not only for your child to exercise and socialise with friends but also so they can survive if they accidentally fall in the water.
Swimming is fun! It’s a great form of exercise that is fun for all ages, so it is much easier to get a child to learn. Swimming is also an accessible sport for children, regardless of age and ability, and can be a key form of exercise for children with additional needs. It can have the advantage of making your child more self-confident, and to make friends.
Swimming keeps your child’s heart and lungs healthy. Swimming works out the whole body, helping to improve their strength and flexibility, as well as their posture and stamina. Swimming has many health benefits that work for all different muscle groups and help to promote a healthy life if your child is introduced to swimming at a younger age. This can also help to increase their confidence in the water and be able to keep themselves safe with more knowledge and experience.
Swimming is also a great sport to meet new friends and work on team building, allowing your child to learn new social skills and helping them build a team atmosphere. Swimmers learn to support and help each other from their shared experiences in the pool, often making great friendships for life. A positive atmosphere and team skills are skills that can be carried through life.
Swimming also helps your child to learn self-motivation and goal setting, to push themselves to learn more skills, and to be more confident in the water. Swimming ties teamwork and individuality into one sport.
Swimming is also a sport you can have for life if you teach your child how to swim from a young age. The skill is forever with them and is something they can take with them as they get older. Since swimming is a low-impact sport, it is a hugely popular and safe option for older adults, unlike other sports which can risk falling, swimming is good for the joints and is great for people of all levels.
At Proswimwear, we have a large variety of swimming costumes for children, ranging from performance swimwear to training swimwear. We also have training aids to help support your child in learning how to swim. Make sure to check them out!
https://www.proswimwear.co.uk/swimming-accessories/swimming-training-aids.html
As race season is fastly approaching, it’s easy to get distracted by your child who is a confident swimmer that is preparing for the races, but what about your younger child that is still frightened of the water and is not confident in themselves? Here are some hints/tricks to help improve their confidence in the water.
Getting familiar with the water
For babies and toddlers, early swimming experience can be hit or miss, some children downright refusing to get into the water. The key is not to push the child to get into the water but to slowly introduce them to it. Take little steps with your little one, gradually getting them closer to the water. From sitting at the side of the pool to dipping their toes in the water, without taking them out of their comfort zone. Take your time to let them get comfortable with the sight of the water before they approach it.
Distract them from their fear
Think about what your child loves to play with, in the bath. Squirty toys? Floating ducks? Transfer these to your local swimming pool and get a family member to play with them enthusiastically - or your little one might want to join you! For children, water pistols provide an unprecedented level of excitement - especially when they receive an over-exaggerated reaction to being soaked. Pop one in their hands, ask them to gently squirt a willing victim, and stealthily move your child down a pool step further in the water.
Letting go - floating with buoyancy aids
When you’re in the pool with your child, they’ll happily splash around with the safety of your arms holding them. Let them build their confidence with this. Swish them around in the water, sing songs and nursery rhymes to get them feeling comfortable and happy. When you know they are ready (normally shortly after their first pool experience or weeks after), the next step is to let them float in the water, away from your arms. Buoyancy aids such as armbands and float vests will help your child float around in the water safely and independently. This should make the transition fun and easy.
Keep in mind, small babies do not have the control or stability that of an older child to float by themselves unsupported. If your child is under one or between 1-2 years old, make sure they have full support in the water.
Don’t forget to praise your child as they make progress. Never underestimate the encouragement that you give them. The cheers, compliments and support will have great power on their growing confidence.
Getting their faces wet
Even confident water-babies can find the thought of getting their faces wet, or putting them underwater, unappealing. If your child really hates getting wet, you should try to slowly familiarise them with water with games in the bath. When you’re in the pool why not help them become more confident when submerging their face by challenging them to a water-blowing contest? Just ask your child to blow bubbles on the surface of the water and make it fun. Goggles can help to encourage your child's underwater confidence while Dive Toys provide them with the incentive to take a peek underwater on the pool floor.
Building their swim confidence with pool games
Pool games are a great way for building both confidence and a love for swimming in the water. Go for themes you know your child will be excited by. This could be a mermaid game where they collect their shells from points around the pool. Chasing, racing, and dive games always prove popular and most children love to play with the inflatable animals as well as the foam noodles!
Let your imagination run wild to increase the fun in the pool!
Don’t forget at Proswimwear, we have a large range of swimming aids to help your child in the water including kickboards, floatation devices such as armbands, and fun pool toys to increase your child's curiosity and confidence in the water.
Proswimwear Training Aids
https://www.proswimwear.co.uk/swimming-accessories/swimming-training-aids.html?product_list_limit=60
Ah, it’s that time. The first swim meet. It’s easy to look back at the good old days, where expectations were low and we were just happy that the kids made it from one side of the pool to the other. Many new swim team parents enter the world of competitive swimming, with no point of reference of what to expect. What they’re expecting is often far different than their first swim team experience…
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Every swim parent will be able to relate to these thoughts!
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In this blog we will be taking a look at 5 Confessions of a Swim Parent... 
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All Swim Parents have these confessions... can you relate?Â
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