Sports, they say are essential for living, from enhancing longevity in humans to keeping us fit, we find that our way of healthy living isn’t confined to taking the right kind of food alone
Swimming has become one of the most lucrative sports of all time. People now indulge in this sport for both gaming and recreational purposes. The massive increase in the number of participants is difficult to ignore.
Swimming refers to an individual or team sport, either recreational or competitive. It requires the use of ones entire body to achieve movement through water.
While competitive swimming which is mostly conducted for Olympic purposes, possibly includes specific rules and restrictions concerning strokes, the kind of apparels allowed and movements permitted, recreational swimming allows flexibility of movement with a few general restrictions
Other than leisure purposes, the rise is not only driven by the new love of people for the sport but, because of the almost scorching climate in countries like Nigeria, it is highly enjoyable and refreshing.
Contrary to other sports, this is one that stays open to people regardless of their age and sizes. While we consider swimming to be a great way to pass the weekend with family and friends, the President of Nigerian Aquatic Federation through The Guardians source explains that he considers it to be live saving and that people should seize every opportunity they get to swim. He also added that parents should never be limiting of their kids due to fear
HEALTH BENEFITS OF SWIMMING:
A large number of people refuse to be a part of sports either due to their inability to participate or a sheer ignorance or lack of knowledge, we consider this our responsibility to carefully outline the benefits of swimming aside the usual refreshing feeling we get from it.
It tones the muscles and builds strength, endurance and cardiovascular fitness
Maintenance of a healthy weight, heart and lungs.
It alleviates stress constantly and more effectively than a sleep conditioned mind.
Swimming keeps the heart rate up while taking impact off the body
Improvement of balance, coordination and posture.
It is a form of low-impact therapy for some conditions.
It improves flexibility and endurance
It is a great way to maintain balance in humans and reduce burn out effects.
Swimming is also a great sleep inducing exercise and works better than medicinal sedatives.
It enhances fitness in all persons as the sport is a lifelong activity suitable for any age.
Regular swimming has been proven to improve memory, immune response & mood and cognitive response. It has also proven to increase the IQ of humans by 10 points
Other benefits of swimming include;
Provides socialization opportunities via pool interaction amongst individuals
Swimming aids in the development of sportsmanship, fair play, discipline and teamwork in people
It helps reduce fall risk, especially in aging men
POOLSIDE HAZARDS AND ACCIDENTS:
While its benefits are endless, there are certain adverse effects that evolve as a result of improper exercise or neglect of general rules of the game.
For instance, eating or drinking before heading to swim or right after alcohol consumption could cause an individual to hyperventilate or drown due to pressure in breathing.
It is therefore necessary to know the possible poolside hazards and accidents in an attempt to curb their continuous occurrence. They include;
Pools with overly high water levels is a primary hazard which may incur drowning on people who have little or no knowledge of the sport.
Diving board accidents: Diving boards are essential in swimming games but become hazardous when its users have zero or little awareness on its proper use.
Dangerous of extremely large drains and suction of pools enhance and increase the rate of entrapment injuries in pools.
Shallow water levels in pools may cause divers or swimmers to bump their heads which in turn leads to various poolside casualties
Improper wiring and electric connections lead to electrocution
The US Centre For Disease Control reported that between 2005 and 2014, an average of 3536 people died by drowning and other poolside accidents, making it an average of 10 deaths daily.
These occurrences can be avoided, following tips and global recommendations, water safety could be achieved by merely adhering to a set of mapped out rules and regulations.
Therefore, it is important to create awareness on general swimming pool etiquette that will not only enhance safety but professionalism and a decrease in mortality both nation and world wide.
OBSERVING POOLSIDE & SWIMMING SAFETY TIPS:
The general rules for staying safe while swimming include;
Foremost, follow the instructions of the lifeguard
Diving should always be done at the deep end of the pool and never without proper supervision.
Parents should continuously keep an eye on their children when swimming.
Avoid running along the poolside, if you must move, walk at the pool side to avoid slipping
Avoid playing roughly in the water and avoid sharp equipment that pose any form of threat to another person
While swim caps help keep the pools clean and prevent hair clumps, it is necessary to own and use one as it prevents the passage of chlorine water to the head.
About swimming underwater, especially after ventilation as there are high chances of being knocked out
Make sure to shower before using the pool and wear a clean swimsuit.
Parents should make sure their kids stay in their lanes and toddlers be given waterproof diapers to curb the amount of dirt flowing in the water
The pool must be cleaned more that twice daily to prevent infections of any sort
SWIMMING PRECAUTIONS BY POOLSIDE MANAGEMENT:
Young children must use approved life jackets and shouldn’t be allowed to swim without supervision
Enroll in swimming courses to learn how to prevent and respond to emergencies.
All pool owners must secure their pools with appropriate barriers and properly erected fences to restrict unsupervised access
It is advisable to never go swimming alone, that way, casualties are resolved more easily.
All swimming rules must be abided to.
Both recreational and competitive swimming must be conducted only in designated areas, and supervised by lifeguards
Pool owners should mandatory have lifesaving gears and equipment.
Single or main drains with powerful suction should be replaced with dual drains.
Pool sides should be kept dry for safe walking
Those without swimming knowledge should avoid going to swim unsupervised.