Swimmer's Daily

  • It all started with a mystery box delivered to the WISN 12 News Sports Department on Monday with a stuffed alligator and a note asking someone to return Wally Gator to his rightful home — 40 years after the mascot was kidnapped in good fun.

  • Do you want to master your Backstroke Swimming technique or improve your Backstroke Swimming Kick? Check out this tutorial with USA’s Olympic medallist Elizabeth Beisel who knows some very effective exercises and tips which will help you become better and better in the pool!

  • I went for a lovely indoor swim this morning and am very much looking forward to some cold water swimming outdoors in the spring. Here are some hardy folk swimming in the see off Brighton in January. Brrr! Wish someone had been cooking me sausages after my swim, I am starving!

  • Canada’s Artistic Swimming duo of Jacqueline Simoneau and Claudia Holzner reflect on their double gold medal performance at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games which qualified them to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and what to expect from their performance at the Games this July.

    https://youtu.be/5MMIY_pkTOA

  • The MS 24 Hour Mega Swim is a fun, all abilities team event. In 2020, we are celebrating 20 years of the swim in Fitzroy. Don’t miss out on the fun! Sign up today. Your laps in the pool will make a real difference to people living with multiple sclerosis. Register or donate: https://www.msmegaswim.org.au/

  • Today, Luke talked to Lewis Pugh about his adventure to Antarctica , and why he went.

  • Too young to walk, but old enough to swim – seems counter-intuitive, right? Well, studies have shown that dipping your babies’ toes in early can have long-lasting benefits throughout their development. From improved cognitive functioning to reducing the impact of those phases of fear that every toddler will experience, a new family tradition of splashing around may be exactly what your baby will benefit from.

    baby swimming photo
    Image by firstview_digital_signage from Pixabay

    But do be aware, that many doctors encourage babies under 6 months to avoid chlorine-based pools as their immune system is not fully ready. But once they hit that magic number, it’s all systems go for a family fun-day in the water. Let’s dive in below and find out why!

    Cultivating their Cognitive Performance

    It’s widely advised, that activities that call upon both sides of the brain are proven to help in the development of your baby’s brain. Curious, right? This means that an early start to your baby’s time in the water will assist in their reading skills, spatial awareness, and even communicative capabilities. “Not only is all that kicking and screaming (for joy) helping their brains to develop, but their bodies’ naturally become accustomed to the sensation of water against their skin – an essential cognitive process that most parents will agree can make bath time less of a stand-off!” says Michael Pitts, a health writer at Simple Grad and Academized.

    Replace The Fear Factor with The Fun Factor

    It’s a natural process to encourage your child to enjoy the water as early as possible. By doing so, you may find that it naturally reduces their susceptibility to that dreaded fear phase all of our toddlers go through. Instead, you’ll have welcomed and familiarized them with a new and exciting environment that they’ll be excited to dive back into anytime.

    The ‘D’ Word

    It’s never fun to discuss – but oh, so important to remember, getting your baby in the water will most likely reduce the risk of drowning. There are no studies to guarantee, and of course, we always implore vigilance and care in the water, but starting your baby swimming early will certainly increase their cognitive awareness in their less familiar, watery environment. Let’s not forget, drowning is one of the unfortunate leading causes of young deaths – a tragic fact. Even if you believe your child is a fish in the water, they should still be 100% supervised at all times, particularly during these early development years.

    Bonding, Baby Bonding

    A license to swim is a license for fun – as even one swimming lesson involving the parent and baby-making a splash together in the water, improves that one-on-one quality bonding time your baby craves. Skin-to-skin contact and interactions with other caregivers and instructors will have your baby beaming with confidence in no time. It’s not only initial benefits they’ll enjoy, but studies have shown babies who were introduced to their water environment early on had greater self-confidence, self-control, and a desire to succeed when starting school years later – not bad for a little splish, splash!

    Muscle Development

    Swimming with your baby, in a controlled environment, will assist in their functional development. A stronger cardiovascular system will make their strong little heart and lungs even stronger. “The coordination of their legs and arms will also engage their core muscles sooner giving your baby the balanced and playful experience their quickly developing muscles are calling out for – and maybe a little excuse for us parents to hop off the couch once in a while (we’ve all been there, Dad especially!)”, explains James Gonzalez, a lifestyle blogger at Big Assignments and Uktopwriters.

    A Good Night’s Rest

    It’s no secret now that all of this activity is good for your baby’s development. But one pleasant side effect is that their sleeping pattern is bound to improve along with it – imagine what a good night’s sleep for your baby means. Their little bodies are using up a lot more energy, engaging their muscles, working on coordination skills, and even using excess energy to stay warm. While a good sleep pattern is a welcome bonus, it’s important to make sure that you accommodate additional nap times or even adjust your babies sleeping schedule to facilitate their new family fun activity.

    Conclusion

    So, what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time you and your newborn dipped those toes in together and bond in a new and fun way through those early development years.

    Molly Crockett, a renowned health blogger at Revieweal and Student writing services shares her latest personal development ideas with articles in online magazines, and via her own blog at Topcanadianwriters.com.

  • Another way for the manufacturers to state that their products are waterproof, splash-proof or dust resistant is through the so-called IP rating. In the following paragraphs will try to make the IP rating more understandable.

    waterproof photo
    Photo by popofatticus

    When we are looking at some products we may be confused by all the claims from the manufactures. Yes, they can state that their product is water-resistant, but is it really the truth? All these terms remain just plain words if the IP rating is not clearly pointed out.  When you understand the digits in the IP rating you will know whether your new device is protected from rain and whether you can take it to a pool party or at the beach without having to worry about whether it will survive that event?

    Let’s take a look at the digits in the IP rating scale and what each of them means.

    What does IP rating stand for?

    The IP rating generally looks like this, for example, IP67. The two digits show at what level the device is protected from solid objects (the first digit) and liquids (the second digit). The protection is better if the digit is higher. The IP is basically an abbreviation for “ingress protection”.

    The good thing about IP rating and why you should look for it on the package is that because the manufacturer can’t just write anything as he wants. The IP rating is given after a thorough testing by a certified company.

    Here is a brief explanation of all the digits and their meaning.

    What does the first digit mean?

    This digit represents the protection from solid objects and ranges from 0 to 6.

    • 0 – Not protected.
    • 1 – Protected from objects > 50 mm.
    • 2 – Protected from objects > 12.5 mm. Your fingers are in this category.
    • 3 – Protected from objects > 2.5 mm such as wires and tools.
    • 4 – Protected from objects larger than 1 mm.
    • 5 – Dust resistant. This is the one we normally need to see. Although it is possible for some dust to get inside, it wouldn’t be enough to damage the product.
    • 6 – Completely dust-tight.

    What does the second digit mean?

    This digit represents the protection from liquids and ranges from 0 to 9.

    • 0 – Not protected
    • 1 – Protected from vertical dripping on the device.
    • 2 – Protected from liquids hitting the device at ≤15° angle.
    • 3 – Protected from water sprays up to 60°.
    • 4 – Protected from water splashes coming from various directions.
    • 5 – Protected from continuous low-pressure water spray.
    • 6 – Protected from high-pressure heavy water sprays.
    • 6K – Protected from high-pressure water jets. This one is not used quite often.
    • 7 – The device can handle being submerged for half an hour at a 1m depth of water.
    • 8 – The device can handle being submerged deeper than 1m of water. The manufacturer should specify the exact depth.
    • 9K – Protected from high-temperature, high-pressure spray at a small distance. It’s very rarely used.

    It is good to know that if your device is at level 7 or 8, it doesn’t necessarily mean it provides protection of lower rating. Because of this, some products carry a dual rating. For example, IPX5/IPX7 waterproof rating which means they can resist low-pressure water sprays and be submerged at 1m.

    My product doesn’t have an IP rating. What now?

    Well, in case your product isn’t labeled with an appropriate IP rating it doesn’t mean you are buying a low-quality product. It simply means that the device hasn’t been tested based on this standard. It is also very common to test a product for just water resistance. In that case the protection from solid objects is marked with X.

    On the other hand, maybe the company decided to test the product by a different rating standard. In that case you should look for some other labels and markings telling the device is water-resistant or dustproof.

    And finally, avoid products that are labeled as completely waterproof but have no certification to prove it. There are great chances you will buy a faulty and low-quality product.

    Guest post by Chris Howard