Archive for Health
Summer is a time for kids in traditional schools to have fun. But you don’t want them to sit at home, inside playing video games or watching shows all day on the TV. For those who have community pools, it’s not that hard for kids to get physical activity by romping around in the water. However, many people do not have pools that are accessible without paid memberships so they can’t frequent the pool.
By joining a summer swim team, you are giving your child a healthy activity which is fun and healthy.
Generally, summer sporting activities are expensive and don’t last very long. The summer swimming season kicks in right when area schools get out and is completed right before school starts back so you don’t have to worry about what to do with the kids on off weeks. It is an activity that is fun, social and healthy. It can introduce your child to competing in a sport without the pressure of a club team.
If your child has expressed interest in year round swimming, this is the perfect way to ‘test the waters’. In fact, my son started on a summer swim team and started year round swimming as a result. He has swum year-round ever since.
- Swimming is an excellent form of exercise
- The cost of participation in a summer swim team is very reasonable
- A summer swim team introduces young people to swimming in a non-threatening way
- Allows for a great deal of social interaction
- All swimming skill levels can participate
- Builds self esteem
For more information about summer swim teams in your area, you can check out local community recreation centers, the area YMCA or some year round teams offer summer swimming clinics and/or teams.
For swimming equipment or gear, I would recommend checking eBay for NEW items or ordering online somewhere like SwimOutlet where there are always great deals. Many stores are expensive and have a lot of impulse items you have to maneuver through to get to what you need.
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Members of USA Swimming have a new tool available! Have you ever wondered what you are eating and how it maintains (or not) optimal training nutrition and a healthy body for peak performance on and off season?
With USA Swimming’s nutrition tracker tool, you can create a personal database of specific foods, nuttrition content, menus, recipes and more. A swimmer can evaluate a full day’s nutritional intake, track nutrition habits over a swim season or analyze how your diet is affecting your energy and nutrient intake.
Every serious swimmer knows that a consistently healthy diet is as important to training as regular practice. Your body cannot perform to its potential if it doesn’t have the proper fuel.
Check out the Nutrition Tracker on USA Swimming today. If you don’t have a membership, consider joining, There are many other useful tools available to members.
Benefits of a USA Swimming membership
Nutritional Supplements for Swimmers
Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark
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Those who have the privilege to be involved in swimming at a competitive or recreational level know first hand of the many benefits of swimming. It’s a low impact, healthy sport for all ages and fitness levels. It builds a strong work ethic because it requires self-discipline.
But, these swimmers can often overlook the fact that simply knowing how to swim can save lives. In our neighborhood a young boy drowned in a fountain only 2 feet deep. Unfortunately, swimming is not economically possible for many people in the United States.
USA Swimming is making a difference. The USA Swimming Foundation’s mission is to make swim lessons accessible to children who otherwise would remain helpless in situations requiring the skills to prevent drowning…USA Swimming Foundation, through it’s supporters and programs, saves lives by making swim lessons available to children of families who do not have the economic means to pay for swimming lessons.
So check out the Foundation’s website and save lives!
There are many opportunities to help. Sponsor lessons for a child, support one of the grassroots learn to swim programs in your area through “Make a Splash”, volunteer to become an instructor…just do something.
Cullen Jones “Making a Splash” and having fun…
Become a member of USA Swimming Foundation on Facebook!
Sponsor a series of swim lessons for a child!
Join Splash Nation! ($10 of membership will go to sponsor swim lessons and Speedo will donate $30 toward swim lessons for a child).
Article about Cullen on ESPN news
Filed under: Age Group, Basics, Health | |1 Comment
This is a great recipe that has a good combination of carbs and protein and postassium and my picky swimmer LOVES it.
Here’s all you need:
- Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango Fruit Smoothie (1/2 of a small container)
- Plain Non-Fat Yogurt (1/2 small container)
- Banana (1) (organic if possible)
- 1-2 cups ice
Basically, all you do is pour the Amazing Mango Fruit Smoothie into the blender, add banana broken into pieces for easier blending, plop in the plain non-fat yogurt and add 1-2 cups ice. Then blend…this makes two large glasses (one for my son and one for me).
The yogurt adds the protein, banana adds the postassium, the fruit adds the carbs and the ice adds some water for hydration. This is a great pre-, between, or post-workout snack. It’s fine to drink a bit of this up to 15 minutes before jumping in the water since it’s liquified and can make it’s way through the digesstive tract quicker than protein bars, etc.
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You swim several times a week and take a shower right after you finish swimming laps. So why are your feet so dry and cracked? And what are those clusters of dark spots on the bottom of your feet?
Plantar warts are fairly common (but very rarely spoken of) among swimmers. Like athlete’s foot, it is fairly easy to get the virus which causes plantar warts from showers, the pool deck, or the locker room. Because plantar warts are caused by a virus, the ointments, creams and powders intended for athlete’s foot fungus are destined to fail.
If you already have plantar warts, you want to keep them from spreading. Because plantar warts are caused by a virus, they spread easily and fast. The goal is to get them to dry up and fall off. Try using one or more of the following methods to get rid of these unsightly, and sometimes painful, outbreaks.
- The first attempt to rid your feet of plantar warts should be to apply acne medication (salicylic acid) which will help dry the wart. Clearasil wipes actually work well.
- If the bottom of your feet can handle it, you can try to scrape the warts off with a pedicure file, callus scraper or pumice stone.
- If the warts are already getting out of hand, products like Freeze-Off by Compound W are a great option for blocking the virus from spreading and helping the infected skin dry out. This can be somewhat uncomfortable, but works fast if applied according to the directions on the package. *** If you feel like you cannot do this yourself, you can have a dermatologist, or a general practitioner, do it for you (but the product they use is basically the same).
- Dr. Scholl’s Medicated Pads (medicated anti-wart padded discs which cover the wart using an adhesive) in combination with a freezing product will quicken the process.
In a few days, you will notice the warts changing appearance as they dry up. After several days, most fall off by themselves. In some cases, you may have to remove them manually, but this should not take much effort and since the skin is dead at that point it causes very little discomfort.
The BEST treatment for plantar warts is to take steps to prevent them. Keep your feet clean and dry them thoroughly (don’t forget the skin between the toes) before putting on socks or shoes. Always wear shoes on the pool deck, in the showers and in the locker room. Crocs are great for this, as are flip flops.Even when you have not been in a swimming pool for a few days, your general routine should include keeping your feet clean and moisturized so they do not crack or peel. The virus that causes plantar warts gets into your body through tiny openings in the skin barrier.
*** Although treating athlete’s foot is different, preventing athlete’s foot is basically the same. Proper foot care and minimizing contact with the fungus is key.
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My son is going through a bout of swimmer’s ear – his first time. From the intensity of his crying and from my friend’s description of the pain as the worst type of ear pain she has ever experienced, I decided to learn a little more about how a person gets the infection and what will ease the pain – better yet, I looked for ways prevent it from happening again.
Otitis externa (aka Swimmer’s Ear) is an infection of the ear canal. The infection can be bacterial or fungal.
CAUSES: In the case of swimmers, the cause is excessive moisture in the ear canal which alters the acidic environment and weakens the barrier that normally protects the ear canal from infection.
The bacteria or fungi can also enter by a tear or break in the skin of the ear canal which leads to the infection.
Interesting Fact: You don’t have to swim to get swimmer’s ear. There are several other things that can cause irritation or a break in the skin of the ear canal:
- Vigorous ear cleaning
- Inserting objects into the ear canal (Q-Tips, for example)
- Certain hair dyes, bleaches, and shampoos
SYMPTOMS: When an ear becomes affected by swimmer’s ear, there may be a tingling or itching sensation.
Other symptoms may include pain when:
- coughing, sneezing or burping
- pressing on the outer flap of the ear
- tugging on the earlobe
- chewing
SWIMMERS may experience pain or discomfort when doing flip-turns or entering the water from a block start (due to the pressure of the water and change in equilibrium)
TREATMENTS: Depending on the severity of your infection, your physician may use antibiotic eardrops, oral antibiotics, or a combination of an antibiotic (to combat the infection) and a steroid to keep swelling down. In addition, a pain reliever may be used to help with discomfort until the ear heals (most commonly 7-10 days).
PREVENTION: There are several things swimmers can do to prevent an infection:
- Use ear drying drops after swimming (Also helps keep the ear canal acidity in check) You can buy ear drying drops from most pharmacies. To mix your own use a half and half mixture of Isopropyl Alcohol and Distilled White Vinegar
- Wear a swim cap to reduce the amount of water entering the ear canal (swim caps aren’t boring anymore…they come in a wide variety of designs allowing you to express your personality)
- Wear earplugs (there are several types available specifically for swimming)
- Use a Neoprene Ear Wrap
- Use an Ear-Dryer (Sahara Dry Ear)
If You Currently Have (or Suspect You Have) Swimmer’s Ear:
Seek medical treatment for the infection. Conservative doctors will recommend staying out of the pool for 1-2 weeks. In comparison, some swimmers get right back in as long as the ear has been examined by a physician to rule out other problems and is currently being treated. Obviously, if there is pain from pressure, you might want to sit out for a few days while the antibiotic starts working. Earplugs or a swim cap will suffice to keep the ear from becoming waterlogged. In the event that water does get into the ear canal, use the ear-drying tips above. (The ear drop solution is preferable because the pH will need to remain balanced to prevent worsening and a new infection from occurring.
* Visit Swimoutlet.com for a wide selection of earplugs as well as other swim gear
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How do you know if you should swim when you are sick?
Every time my son or I get sick, I struggle with the decision over when to swim and when to stay out of the water. After searching online, here is what I have found out.
Spreading a cold in pool water is not likely to be an issue because of the conditions the virus needs in order to survive.
So, if you have a cold or upper respiratory infection, it is a personal decision you will have to make based on your own situation.
Many believe you should allow your body to heal before getting back in the pool, while others think that exercise decreases the duration of a cold. A rule of thumb for runners has been, if the congestion is above the chest, then you should be fine with normal activity – if the congestion is in the lungs, you should take some time off until you’re strength is back.
If your head is stuffy - be ready for the possibility that flip-turns and underwater drills might cause pain due to pressure changes.
One MAJOR rule to remember is that you should NOT swim if one of your symptoms is diarrhea – while you may feel like you can stick it out, think about the others who will be swimming in the same pool with you. Even if you can’t see anything in the pool,
according to the CDC “tiny amounts of fecal matter are rinsed off all swimmers’ bottoms as they swim through the water”. The germs in fecal matter are much more resistant to the chemicals in the pool and the water takes much longer to be decontaminated.
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