Swimming is the top choice for hot summer days with temperatures of 40 degrees. However, if you are not careful, you will easily get dermatitis, eye cramps, exhaustion in the pool leading to drowning.
Be careful of the sun and chlorine
Some chemicals in swimming pool water have the characteristic of absorbing sunlight very strongly, making the skin prone to darkening, dermatitis, and redness. At least 20 minutes before getting in the water, you need to apply sunscreen (water-resistant sunscreen) and reapply every 2 hours.
Swimming pools that are not thoroughly disinfected will be a habitat for many types of bacteria such as Cryptosporidium – the main cause of diarrhea in humans or Chlamydia Trachomatis – the culprit of conjunctivitis in the eyes. However, swimming pools containing too much chlorine can irritate the skin, and eyes, and increase the risk of asthma and bladder cancer.
How to know if a swimming pool is safe or not:
– If the swimming pool has a characteristic shocking chlorine smell, making you feel uncomfortable when smelling it, it means that the water in the pool has not been treated well.
– When the water color is naturally clear, the bottom of the pool is clearly visible, has a moderate blue color, no turbidity or foreign objects, the swimming pool meets the standards. If the pool has an unusual blue color (different from the color of the sky), you need to pay attention.
Glasses, swimming caps, and earplugs are as important as swimming clothes
Swimming pools are places with many chemicals that will harm the body if exposed frequently, especially to sensitive parts such as the skin, eyes, and ears. Therefore, in addition to good quality swimwear, we should also equip ourselves with quality goggles, swimming caps, and earplugs to protect sensitive areas of the body from infection. A pair of quality swimming goggles, earplugs, and swimming caps will also help you feel completely comfortable and significantly increase your swimming speed.
The importance of warming up before swimming
The phenomenon of cramps, muscle spasms, and sudden heart palpitations while swimming comes from not warming up before swimming. According to experts, before swimming, you should warm up for about 10 – 15 minutes. Warming up before swimming also helps to “warm up” the body, preventing fatigue when swimming.
When warming up before swimming, you need to note:
– Do movements to warm up the muscles and joints, and practice twice with different intensities.
– Run a short distance (100 m) slowly – gradually faster – gradually slower and return to a state of balance.
– Continue to warm up the joints in order: cervical vertebrae, lumbar fascia, hip joints, knee joints, ankles, toes, shoulder joints, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Perform the movement of rotating the joints clockwise and counterclockwise.
Drink enough water when swimming
Like many other sports, swimming also causes us to lose water. Drinking water before, during, and after exercise helps maintain moisture for the joints, making you comfortable, and reducing the risk of inflammation and pain while swimming. Thirst can affect your health, cause fatigue, and lead to many unfortunate accidents. However, you should avoid using carbonated soft drinks, and alcohol, do not drink too much to the point of bloating, which will make exercise difficult and can affect the digestive system.
Take care of your body after swimming
Chemicals and dirt from swimming pools can cause many harmful effects to the body such as ear, eye, nose, gynecological diseases, etc. Immediately after swimming, you need to pay attention to bathing, cleaning your ears with cotton swabs, and using eye drops to avoid infections. To avoid dry skin and hair after swimming, you should add moisturizer, skin and hair masks to help keep your skin and hair healthy.
Do not eat too much before swimming
The time it takes for your body to digest the amount of food you take in will be about 45 minutes. If you swim right after eating, you will feel sluggish, uncomfortable, causing fatigue, stomachache and affecting your swimming performance. You should only eat lightly before swimming and at least 45 minutes before swimming to give your body enough time to digest.