5 Benefits of Swimming Through Winter

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5) It boosts your immune system

As we all know; coughs and colds are common throughout winter, but research shows that regular exercise (such as swimming) strengthens our immune systems. This helps us become better equipped to fight any nasty bugs we may be exposed to.

Swimming itself is well-known to aid in maintaining good cardiovascular fitness – just what you and your family needs during winter!

4) Maintaining / developing skills

If your children attend 1x 30 minute swimming lesson per week, their maximum lesson time is only 26 hours per year. This total then decreases with every sick day or holiday. Children (and their bodies) need repetition in order to learn and develop, and by taking a break over winter, the risk of skill regression largely increases.

Staying consistent is the best way to ensure you get maximum value for the time and money you invest in swimming lessons.

3) Quieter classes = more attention!

Unfortunately, it is inevitable that some families will pause their swimming lessons over winter, but that comes with benefits for those who choose to remain!

You are far more likely to get your child into the lesson of your choice during winter. This in turn means that when summer rolls around, you will already be booked into your preferred day and time.

There is also a good chance that your child’s class size will be smaller during this time, and your child will receive more one on one time with their teacher.

2) Your child will be stronger for summer

As mentioned above, children learn through repetition. By maintaining your regular swimming lessons throughout winter, your child will be stronger in time for summer. This is so, so important for all of those days at the beach, playdates at the pool, and for your family’s safety while on holiday.

This brings us to…

1) Safety!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: swimming lessons provide a vital lifesaving skill. Children can drown at any time of year. Regular swimming lessons are a vitally important step towards keeping your children safe around water. During swimming lessons; along with technique; children learn about safe entries, safe exits, reaching the side if they are to accidentally fall in, and who to go to for help in case of an emergency.

Keeping this information fresh in their minds will hopefully keep them aware around water all year round.

 

Top tips from the team:

•Pack a hot water bottle in your bag!
This will make your towels nice and warm for when your child finishes their lesson

•Bring a beanie!
Body heat escapes quickly through your head, so put on those beanies after class!

•Dry off and wrap up
Spend the extra three minutes on poolside to dry off and wrap your child up before leaving or going out into the cold.

And my personal favourite:

•Hot chocolate 😊
If, like us, you are lucky enough to have a cafe at your pool, why not treat yourselves to a hot chocolate or tea for the journey home.

©notsogreatcatsby2018

6 thoughts on “5 Benefits of Swimming Through Winter”

  1. Sarah says:
    Reply

    I love your top five benefits for swimming during winter and I couldn’t agree more.
    Do you stop reading to your child during winter? Do you stop going to the playground during winter? These things including swimming all benefit and enhance our children’s development, why would you stop? I believe we have very mild winters in Queensland and the water is heated, the children are continually moving and not getting cold. Having to re-learn a skill and build fitness and confidence after a long break from swimming lessons is much more stressful and harder than popping on a beanie and uggs boots and snuggling up in your warm towel after a fun swimming lesson!!!! Swimming during the colder months keeps our kids, active, fit, engaged, learning, they grow and learn during Winter too!💦💦

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  3. Davina Wirth says:
    Reply

    Great advice Cat! Going to your weekly swimming lesson (when its cold & rainy) is always a great excuse to get the children out of the home & active. Increasing appetites, longer naps & enhanced learning opportunities. Having a swim/play after lessons, in a heated pool with your child is always beneficial. Our swim school even offer half price discounts for 2nd weekly lessons all through Winter. That drastically improves a child’s skill progression. I love hooded towelling robes for getting wet little swimmers from the pool to the showers.

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  4. Kirk Marks says:
    Reply

    Great tips for those of us in swimmimg but it is all about convincing parents and carers that Winter Swimmimg is beneficial and it certainly is. Year round practice is important and ensures the skills are well learnt and become autonomous.
    Keep up the great work

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