Lifeguard class and swimming can be fun, challenging and relaxing not only for a child but for parents as well. Did you know that, according to several studies, this activity brings so many cognitive and physical benefits? In this article we explain why you shouldn’t waste time and enroll your child in a swimming course right away.
14 benefits of Lifeguard and swimming for children
Swim lessons are a great way to prepare young swimmers to enjoy the water in a much safer way. But that’s not the only benefit, here are 14 ways swimming lessons help kids achieve extraordinary results in the pool and beyond.
Teach water safety
A child up to 3 – 4 years of age can find himself in difficulty even in a few centimeters of water and 3 to 6 minutes are enough to drown. Starting from these data, the American lifeguard has created a brochure for the prevention of children drowning in swimming pools. Among the tips, there is that of teaching children to swim safely, as is done in a swimming course, and to always supervise them in the water, even if they can swim with ease.
Provides exercise
Swimming can be a fun way to keep your kids active and healthy all year round. As everyone knows, swimming is great low impact cardio exercise and offers a whole host of other health benefits, such as improved strength, endurance, flexibility and balance.
Helps cardiovascular health
When it comes to cardiovascular health, swimming is one of the best activities because it helps the heart and lungs work together more efficiently. As a result, the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood and oxygen around the body.
Strengthens lung capacity
One of the most important things that swimmers are taught right from the very first lessons is how to control their breathing, which in turn helps increase lung capacity. This allows oxygen to reach every muscle in the body and deliver energy more efficiently.
Improve stamina
Swimming is a sport that exercises every muscle group, not just the arms and legs, that work to get us moving in the water. This translates into better physical endurance, which lays the foundation for extraordinary results in all sports.
Builds muscle tone
During swim lessons, your child uses muscle groups that they otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to strengthen. With each swimming style he learns, he uses different muscles to glide across the water.
Improve sleep quality
Children seem to have an infinite amount of energy that they often can’t burn at school or during the day, that’s why they need to play a sport to get tired and sleep more soundly .
Increase energy
It may seem strange to you that swimming can both improve sleep and increase energy but it is true. When your child sits playing on the computer or watching TV series all day long, he seems to have no stimulus or interest in doing anything else, but if you get him to move around a bit, you will see that he will often want to do something movement activities, more active. If your child is a lazy kid and doesn’t like sports, we bring you some activities and sports for lazy kids .
It makes you lose weight
Swimming makes you lose weight because it allows you to burn up to 900 calories in one hour of class. This activity can guarantee results after 6/8 weeks of constant training. Of course it all depends on your starting body fat percentage, diet, frequency and intensity of training. According to the National Institute of Health, obese school-age children have a greater chance of being obese as adults. Unfortunately, obesity does not go away naturally with adolescence and development but with a balanced diet and constant physical activity, such as swimming.
Also Read About: Benefits of Lifeguard Swimming
Improve digestion
In general, movement and physical activity have a positive effect on digestion but must always be practiced intelligently. Physical activity promotes better gastric emptying and regulates the production of acids, reducing the risk of heartburn and stomach acidity. It also promotes intestinal motility, regulating the work of the intestine and helping to fight constipation.
Sports activities, except walking, should not be carried out immediately after meals. Both digestion and physical effort in fact need a large amount of blood, which is diverted from the stomach to the muscles, slowing down digestion. The result of this process is that it will be difficult to digest. It is always good to wait and then wait to have digested before jumping into the water, to avoid a big stomach ache.
Reduces stress and anxiety
Whether it’s the soothing sensation of effortlessly floating, being in water has a calming effect for most people. But that’s not the only reason swimming is said to be an anxiety-relieving activity . When people are active, they tend to be happier and healthier. That’s because exercise releases endorphins, the brain’s natural feel-good chemicals, and reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Swimming gets the blood pumping and this fills the body with happiness naturally. Due to the increase of endorphins in the brain, swimming therefore helps children relieve stress effectively.
Improve memory
Exercise also helps strengthen the part of the brain associated with memory and learning so while your child practices backstroke, breaststroke or freestyle he is not only doing good for his body but also for his mind.
Improve concentration
Children often struggle to concentrate to do their homework, due to lack of interest or too many distractions from noise or social media. Swimming requires a lot of coordination, not only physically, but also mentally. One concentrates on the movement of the legs, arms and breath control and this does not leave much room to concentrate on other thoughts. As a result, children focus on improving their sports performance and begin to see good results, realizing that concentration really makes a difference in their ability to achieve a goal.
Increase confidence
Children can be stressed in the face of new experiences and it can be scary for them to let go of the edge and throw themselves into the void to get to the other side of the pool.
That’s why lesson after lesson, children gain confidence in themselves and in their abilities. This self-confidence can become very helpful when they are in school and worried about failing a test . In general, having self-confidence leads to an improvement in relationships with others, as well as greater independence.
