After a year of “at-home activities”, it’s normal for your family to be a little stir crazy. If you’re looking for new and safe ways to get the family out of the house, consider swimming during the winter. The benefits will have you heading out for some family fun in the pool.
1. Stay Active, Stay Healthy
Exercise is key to keeping your immune system functioning at its best. It improves circulation, reduces inflammation, and produces antibodies.
In the winter season, however, staying active can seem like a chore. But time in the pool is always fun and swimming indoors means no harsh winter air.
Kick any misconceptions about wet hair and cold weather to the curb. According to Dr. Sam Hay, “People may be surprised to know that swimming through winter can improve a child’s immune system by keeping them fit and healthy, reducing their risk of catching a cold. So, it’s time to stop fearing wet hair.”
At Njswim, all our locations have showers, changing areas, and a place to dry your hair. We want you and your family to feel comfortable while learning to swim.
Our team adheres to a strict cleaning schedule in accordance with our pledge to provide a safe environment to all our families.
2. Sharpen Safety Skills
Practice makes perfect is the age-old saying about owning a skill set. And when it comes to a life-saving skill, regular practice is necessary. Continued education about water safety is important for adults and children. Swimming lessons save lives.
Children gradually forget vital water safety skills if they take a hiatus from the pool. Retention of these skills and safety information is the number one reason to keep your child swimming year-round.
It’s also important for children to continue to build on skills by developing new ones. If they build upon water safety skills during the winter months, children will be stronger swimmers when the warm weather returns.
3. Raise Your Endorphins
The release of endorphins is necessary for both the body and brain. Endorphins minimize discomfort and provide an overall sense of well-being. They give your brain a boost of positivity and your body a jolt of activity.
Exercise reduces cortisol, a stress hormone, and increases the body’s release of endorphins. Swimming just a couple of laps in the pool can easily get your body moving and the endorphins flooding in.
4. Enhance Circulation
Swimming is one of the best ways to effectively combat poor circulation. Growing muscles and bones in children can swell and often cause circulation issues.
Being in water alleviates strain on muscles and reduces inflammation. As your body moves through the water, your heart rate steadily increases. It begins to pump more blood and oxygen throughout your body improving circulation.
5. Ward Off The Winter Blues
After a tough and challenging year, your kids may need extra help relaxing or unwinding. Swimming is considered a great anxiety reliever. Evidence suggests it is also effective in reducing the symptoms of depression in both adults and children.
The rhythmic breathing used while swimming is proven to reduce stress. Concentrating on your breathing significantly aids with feelings of anxiety. Laps in the pool will pump out feel-good endorphins while floating will encourage muscle relaxation.
Some brain studies have shown that swimming can encourage hippocampal neurogenesis. This refers to the growth of new brain cells in a part of the brain that weakens under chronic stress. What better time to ward off depression and stress than after a year that left us all strained?
6. Flex Those Brain Muscles
As a physical exercise, swimming is hard to beat. It is a no-impact activity that enhances both muscle strength and cardiovascular performance. Often overlooked, however, are how the mechanics of swimming improve cognitive function.
Swimming is rhythmic with bilateral strokes that help connect neural pathways. Studies have shown that swimming activates both hemispheres of the brain. It improves cognitive function and makes learning easier.
According to Medical Daily, children who learn how to swim at a young age reach many developmental milestones earlier than their peers.
7. Burn Those Calories
Swimming is a total body workout, as each stroke uses a different muscle group in our bodies. The rhythmic breathing of swimming also makes it a great cardio exercise, which is key for excellent heart health.
The American College of Sports Medicine estimates that a 130-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour burns up to almost 600 calories!
Bonus Tip: If you want to use more calories when exercising, try swimming at a cooler temperature. The coldness decreases your temperature so that the body works harder and quicker.
FYI: The pools at Njswim are always warm to keep our families and water babies comfortable.
8. Gain Confidence
Your child’s self-esteem and confidence play a major role in how they perceive the world. Positive feelings about themselves will help them see the positive in others. These attributes will help develop social growth. Having confidence in their own actions will encourage them to build on skill sets.
Swimming allows children to set goals that promote personal fulfillment. Each milestone reached during swim class is a confidence boost. Swimming creates space for achievement and confidence at any age.
9. Remember To Have Fun
Challenges can be enjoyable and rewarding but it’s also important to have some fun. Pushing the boundaries of how one would usually exercise is a great thing to do.
Getting kids out of the house and into a pool has been proven to benefit children’s health, development, and safety. By continuing to visit the pool during the winter, your child will maintain his or her confidence in themselves and their swim skills.
Please contact us at Njswim to learn more about our swim programs and available class times.
