Winter Swimming for Healthier Kids

Winter is here! If life were a greeting card commercial, we’d all be planning trips to the snow where the kids go sledding and have snowball fights, then settle in for a mug of hot cocoa (extra marshmallows!) In reality, around this time of year most parents are stocking up on Children’s Tylenol, researching humidifiers and praying the baby doesn’t catch her brother’s cold. Swimming doesn’t fit into either one of these scenarios, but maybe it should. Here are three reasons swimming should be on your list of fun winter activities for your kids:
Swimming boosts the immune system. If your child swims in a warm-water, indoor pool, she is no more at risk of catching a cold than she is after her bath at home. In fact, she might be better able to fight off that nasty bug going around school. For years research has shown that moderate exercise strengthens the immune system. So the choices are a weekly swim lesson vs. a possible sick, cranky kid for a week? Hmm, let me think. . .
Swimming is one of the best whole body workouts, especially for small children. It incorporates all major muscle groups plus cardio! Which is great when you’re looking to burn off your toddler’s cabin fever. You need to figure out an activity to direct all that energy – or he will! Unless you prefer the kids using their sleds to race down the stairs (true story!) Swimming is fun, exciting, and ultimately cheaper than patching drywall.
Swimming year-round keeps those safety skills sharp. How many of us have watched our child act like she never saw water before when she first got in the pool at the beginning of summer. Instead of “starting over” each year, your child will be ready to dive right in to all the water activities in and around Santa Clarita. And you’ll have peace of mind knowing that her skills aren’t rusty from months of disuse.
Thirty minutes in the pool is your prescription for a healthy child who falls asleep at bedtime. At the end of the day, isn’t that all any of us want?
For more information on swimming lessons and water safety, contact Academy Swim Club at 661-702-8585, or visit www.swim4life.com.