Here’s a little food for thought about Americans and obesity rates. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):

• More than one-third (36.5%) of U.S. adults age 20 and older and 17% of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years were obese as of 2015-2016 (37.9% for men and 41.1% for women).
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.
• Only 1 in 10 adults get enough fruits and vegetables

In a CDC study entitled, Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in the United States, 2011-2014:

• Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States putting kids at risk for poor health. Despite recent declines in the prevalence among preschool-aged children, obesity amongst all children is still too high. In 2011-2014 for children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, the prevalence of obesity has remained fairly stable at about 17% and affects about 12.7 million children and adolescents.

Swimming Your Way to a Healthier Family

Perhaps it’s time to look at your backyard pool in a different light. As you lounge beneath the shade umbrella with a great book, or plan your next pool party, it might be a good idea to view your pool as a means to an improved end.

What you actually have shimmering before you is a built-in gym that offers a more refreshing way to get some cardio going! You needn’t try to fit a pricy treadmill into your home office or garage to get the workout you need to feel and look better. With a pool, the best part is that you won’t be sweating in a crowded and expensive fitness center that always seems too far out of your way to drive. This one’s right outside your door.

Getting healthy takes commitment, but it also takes the realization that you yourself want to do something about it. If you have been thinking about making a positive lifestyle change, this may be the sign that you’re ready!

Exercises to Blast Fat & Tone Your Body in the Water

Do a search online for “fitness exercises in the swimming pool” and you’ll find that, while a handful of them require a piece of gear, the vast majority involve just you and the water.  The natural resistance makes it easy to get the workout you want in an ideal, stress-free environment. A stress-free environment that happens to be a private one! Gyms can feel like competitive places that may cause people just starting out to feel intimidated and therefore less likely to visit with consistency. When your gym is in your own backyard, however, you will be more likely to stick with your schedule.

As any fitness guru will advise, don’t start by setting the bar so high you will become discouraged. Begin with a reasonable amount of repetitions for each exercise and then build to your tolerance, always pushing yourself just a little more each week. You will be surprised how quickly you will advance.

Once you wish to get to that next level, there’s an extraordinary selection of pool workout gear on the market to outfit your exercises including: pool water noodles, paddleboards, and water dumbbells.

Getting Ready for Your Swimming Pool Workout

• Confirm. Regardless of your age, checking with your doctor before you embark on any fitness journey is the best idea. Even though pool workout routines are comparatively low impact, you’ll want to continue with confidence.
• Consult. Have an honest conversation with yourself. How do you set yourself up for success? Are you naturally better at exercises that require repetition, or do you need to be fooled into exercising? Like swimming and volleyball pool games?
• Plan. Plan those workout times when it suits you. If you are not a morning person but decide on a 5am wake-up to work out, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Be realistic.
• Schedule. Put your workout dates on the calendar – when you schedule them like appointments, you’ll be more likely stick to it.
• Chart. Take your measurements, set your goals. When you formalize objectives on a spreadsheet or with a fitness app, it is also more likely you will remain accountable.
• Partner. Perhaps you have a friend or family member with similar goals. You needn’t necessarily work out together, but at least report back to one another about your progress and your successes. It may be a good idea to reach out when you are feeling discouraged or want to quit.
• Persevere. You didn’t get out of shape overnight. You therefore won’t snap back into shape in a week. Have patience with yourself. This is a process.

Swimming Strokes

We like these tips from Livestrong that outline the benefits of swimming for weight loss, but also provide fine detail about the types of swimming strokes that are the most effective:

• Different swimming strokes burn different amounts of calories, influencing how long you need to swim to lose weight.
• Maximum calorie burn: butterfly stroke and then the freestyle stroke.
• The breaststroke and backstroke are other swimming techniques that burn lots of calories, equivalent to a fast walk or slow jog for the same amount of time.
• The more you swim using a particular stroke, the faster you’ll improve your technique and the more calories you’ll burn.

Tips from a Personal Trainer

Personal trainer Alice Burron, M.S., an exercise physiologist and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise recommends interval training to up your calorie burn and lose more weight:

“Swim as fast as you can for a lap, then swim the next lap at a more relaxed pace. By increasing your workout intensity, even if only for short spurts of time, you’ll increase the calories burned and raise your metabolic rate, so you’ll continue to burn calories even when at rest.”

Burron also recommends wearing a bathing cap. “It will reduce resistance in the water, allowing you to increase your swimming speed and burn more calories.”

We love the difference we can make for your family by providing something that puts years of memories within reach. Call 877-754-5966 for more information about our pool loans and backyard improvement financing options.