Swimmer's Daily

  • Erie County officials provided updates on parks and recreation activities as the first day of summer approaches.

  • As part of our Women in Water series, we caught up with marathon swimmer – Alice Dearing to talk staying fit out of the water, furthering her involvement with the Women’s Sport Trust and the Black Swimming Association, which she helped to co-found earlier this year. Read more here – www.britishswimming.org/news/latest-swimming-news/dearing-making-important-impacts-out-water

  • Pool water generally kills the virus. It’s the playing and lounging around the pool that’s a problem. Health guards help prevent that.

  • The contentious issue of the billions being spent on the postponed Tokyo Olympics has entered the debate in the race for governor of Japan’s capital.

    Incumbent Yuriko Koike is a strong favorite to be reelected — and a strong supporter of the Olympics — in a field of more than a dozen candidates. The campaign officially opened Thursday.

    Taro Yamamoto is a popular actor, turned politician who has entered the fray. He said in a debate this week that the Olympics should be called off and the billions redirected to help people struggling with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

    “The Olympics should be canceled,”Yamamoto told Koike. “There is no guarantee to hold the games safely in Tokyo, and we don’t have a vaccine yet” for COVID-19.

    Read Yahoo! Sports

    tokyo 2020 photo
    Photo by MIKI Yoshihito. (#mikiyoshihito)

  • I review the Phlex by Edge. A Smart Swim Tracker that takes all sorts of metrics while you train such as your heart rate. Purchase at https://phlexswim.com/

  • Swimming in a saltwater lake that’s green and has low visibility – would you do it?
    During COVID-19 we had no choice because the pools were shut.
    Evandale Lake scares me a little bit because you can’t see anything and it’s dark and green. It reminds me of the Creature of the Black Lagoon.

  • Ireland’s double Olympic swimmer Melanie Nocher has an important message for guardians.

    An estimated 700 families lose loved ones to drowning in the UK & Ireland every year, but Melanie can see easy ways to reduce this.

    In aid of the Royal Life Saving Society’s Drowning Prevention Week, Melanie is asking guardians to teach their children about water safety from a young age, by signing them up to their local Learn to Swim programme or Swim School.

    Giving them the opportunity to develop this important life skill and water safety knowledge at a young age, will hopefully set them up for life – and could one day end up saving that life.

    For more information about learning to swim visit https://www.swimireland.ie/get-swimmi…

    To find out more about water safety and Drowning Prevention Week visit https://www.swimireland.ie/news/swim-…

  • Are you without pool access? Whether it’s due to the coronavirus pandemic or anything else, you can still train for the swim even without access to water. Watch as ROKA triathletes explain how to do just that!

     

  • Ocean pollution is a serious environmental concern and it is estimated that there are 150 million metric tons of plastics that are currently in marine areas. The impact of ocean pollution is diverse affecting not only marine life such as animals and plants, but also human activities. One of these activities is swimming, a fun and enjoyable way to stay fit. Sadly, swimming in the ocean polluted with trash and plastics is not pleasurable and can even become dangerous.

    Photo by Marcis Berzins on Unsplash

    Polluted Waters Affect the Health

    Swimming is a life skill that everyone should learn. It can save yourself and others from drowning which is the 3rd cause of unintentional injury according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Even older adults who have not swum before can benefit from swimming. Start by getting a swim coach who will introduce you to the water and build up your confidence in swimming. The non-weight bearing exercise builds and tone muscles, improves endurance, and enhances overall cardiovascular fitness.

    However, swimming in polluted waters can offset the health benefits of the exercise. The ocean is estimated by experts to contain 6 times more micro-plastics than plankton. Polluted waters can make swimmers sick because of the presence of pathogens that can cause stomach flu, respiratory infections, skin rashes, and hepatitis. The good news is there are several ways to combat ocean pollution. Simple yet effective lifestyle changes such as avoidance of single use plastics and proper disposal of hazardous and non-biodegradable materials can contribute to cleaner water. Participating in beach or river cleanups and supporting bans also help.

    Contaminated Water is a Safety Hazard

    It’s not only the health of swimmers that is affected by fouled water. Swimming in an ocean that is contaminated can also affect the safety of swimmers. The ocean’s water is not only tainted with pathogens, but is also filled with debris from plastics, nets, and other trash discarded intentionally or unintentionally. These can become safety hazards for both marine animals and humans.

    Marine debris is already getting ingested by animals and it is estimated that one sea mammal or bird dies every 30 seconds because of plastic pollution according to Surfers Against Sewage. Humans are also victims of marine litter. Imagine getting tangled with a trawler’s net or injuring yourself with a fishing hook that is embedded in the ocean floor. In addition, although you don’t see the big pieces of litter on the surface because they have broken down into microplastics and microfibers, they are present in the water and can be easily ingested causing injuries.

    Ocean Pollution Has Economic Implications

    In addition to health and safety concerns, ocean pollution also threatens livelihoods and businesses. In one study, researchers calculated that a typical swimming day costs around $35 per individual. Loss of beach visitors due to polluted waters and closures can result to significant revenue damage. Furthermore, the health costs associated with water contamination also leads to medical bills, lost workdays, and low productivity.

    Swimming in the ocean is a great aerobic workout that offers physical and mental health benefits. However, polluted waters can affect the health and safety of swimmers in addition to the economic costs.

    Guest post by Sara Zipf