Benefits of Swimming

 If you are looking to start swimming or water aerobics, but are having trouble finding motivation - look no further! There are countless benefits of swimming and The Lifeguard Store has compiled a list of the most beneficial! Swimming will get you in tip-top shape in no time!

 

Keeps you Healthy & Fit

Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise which helps you stay nice and trim! Unlike other cardiovascular exercises, swimmers have the water to use as resistance which helps increase your muscle tone. Water is 12x as dense as air! With that said, swimming is both cardiovascular exercise as well as resistance training. It's also known that swimming lowers the risk of diabetes, improves cholesterol, and aids with weight control.

 

Heart Health

Another word for cardiovascular exercise is aerobic exercise, which is an exercise for the heart! That's right! Swimming strengthens your heart, making it more efficient when pumping. The American Heart Association states that 30 minutes of exercise per day can reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30-40%.

Flexibility

Swimming uses a lot of different body motions which aids with increased flexibility. Each stroke or kick, you are stretching your limbs leaving them flexible and loose. Swimming is easy on the joints too, unlike running, jogging, or weight training. Try using water aerobic equipment to get a great workout. We have the perfect barbell exercises for you.

Improves Asthma Symptoms

Research has shown that swimming reduces asthma symptoms in children. Children ages 7-12 were broken into two groups, one undergoing a 6-week swimming program. All children in that group showed improvement in their symptoms. Problems with snoring and chest deformities were also improved.

Keeps you Cool

Unlike ordinary exercise, swimming doesn't make you hot and sweaty. On hot days, you can still work out without breaking a sweat. Plus, it's a great alternative to ordinary cardio and weight training with plenty of health benefits!

 If your looking for a new workout regimen, or you are health conscious - swimming is a great choice! Not only does it offer a great workout, but it can keep your heart and body healthy and protect it from harmful diseases. Give it a try today!

Lifeguard Apparel: The Basics

As a lifeguard, you have a very important role - saving lives. When there is an issue or someone has a question, you are the person people are looking for. With this said, you want to be seen! This is why wearing Guard Apparel is important in order for you to do your job. 

Depending on your location, your summers can be hot one day and cool the next. If this is the case, you want to dress in layers that can easily be taken off in case of an emergency. We sell a variety of Guard Apparel to suit the temperature changes in your area! Check out our RISE Guard Hoodie and our RISE Guard Tee. We also carry sweatpants, jackets, rashguards, and more!

Don't stop with just apparel, you need accessories too! With the sun blazing on you day in and day out, you need something to protect your face and eyes from the sun! We offer many visors and hats in a variety of colors ranging from red to khaki. We also offer many different styles of sunglasses with polarized lenses that offer UV protection.

The Lifeguard Store offers the best quality at the best price.

Making it Through your Swim Practice

Everyone loses motivation at one point or another, it happens! How you choose to deal with it is what defines you. Don't get defeated, follow these steps to push through and conquer!

1. Picture Success

Everyone wants to succeed, right? Visualize yourself performing your very best, with your strokes being the best they have ever been. Imagine yourself beating your best time and how great that would feel. Use your mind as your best asset and you will be on your path to success!

2. Create a Mantra

This goes along with picturing success. Don't fill your head and mind up with negativity. By doing this, you are demeaning yourself and your capabilities. If you think negatively, you are going to start believing it and in return you will not perform your best. Banish all negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Say to yourself, "I can do this, I'm not a quitter.' You can even compete with yourself if that helps you. Aim to beat your time each set.

3. Push yourself

After a long day, you may be feeling sluggish and filling yourself with excuses. You've already been up for 10 hours and you have homework and chores to get done - plus your exhausted. If your feeling this way, you need to push yourself to get the job done! Harping on yourself and making excuses isn't going to get it completed any faster. Get a positive mindset and just keep moving. You will be finished before you know it, and you can move onto your other tasks. Quitting will only put you further behind.

4. Favorite Playlist

One of my favorite things to do is to listen to music when I'm not feeling motivated. You tend to focus on the music and not the thoughts in your head. It has been found that music with a higher tempo improved intensity. It also helps time go by faster by occupying your brain! If you haven't tried this, what's stopping you? The Lifeguard Store has the FINIS Neptune MP3 Player which has 4GB of storage and works without the use of ear buds!

5. Technique

Focusing on areas you may need to improve on is a great way to make practice go by quickly. Whether it's breathing or perfecting a stroke, it's a win-win! You improve on your technique and your brain is thinking about that instead of a problem or issue your facing. Before you know it, practice will be over!

Now your set and ready to make the most out of your swim practice! Try one of these today to ease the burden!

Best Way to Burn Fat

You can’t spot reduce a certain area, you can’t overwork an area to tighten it, and you can’t wish it away! What are we talking about?? FAT! If you are continuously looking for the best ways to burn fat, we have a secret! It’s HIIT! Also known as High Intensity Interval Training. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must! 

HIIT can be done in various ways, one of the most popular being sprints. If you aren’t a long distance runner, steady-state cardio can be such a dread! It can be very boring, time-consuming, and not as effective as it should be. This is due to your body adapting. If you keep running at the same speed and time for a while, your body isn’t going to be working as hard. It’s very important to keep your body guessing!

Although HIIT is commonly referred to with sprints, it is the same concept for many different activities. This involves a series of ‘intervals’ at which you should be giving 80-90% intensity, followed by a rest period. I know you may be thinking it may be intense, but that’s the point! When you are finished with cardio in 20 minutes rather than an hour – you’ll thank me! 

Concept:

           Warm-Up: 3-5 minutes

           –––––––––––––––––

80-90% Intensity: 30 seconds

                      Rest: 30 seconds

         –––– Repeat 10x ––––

            Cool-Down: 3-5 minutes

If you are unable to go the full 80-90% intensity, or you need longer than 30 seconds to rest – It’s OKAY! It will take some time to get used to, but you will see results. Do what works for you and just remember to keep pushing yourself.

If you don't have a stopwatch, you will probably want one for HIIT! Check out our MAO Elite Meet Stopwatch!

 

Are sprints not your thing? We know swimming is – so what are you waiting for? Hop in the pool! This also can be done on an elliptical, bicycle, stair master, sled drags, and more!

Water Aerobics: Barbell Exercises

Swimming is a great way to work out without the harm on your joints! Depending on your stroke, you can get a full body workout. Front & Back Crawl works your arms and shoulders, while the butterfly works your chest and abs. Depending on your weight, you could burn up to 1000 calories doing the breaststroke. Why stop there? Use some aerobic barbells for extra resistance! 

Bicep Curl

This is the most common barbell exercise that can be done in both inside or outside the pool. By holding the barbell in each hand at your sides with your palms up, you will want to slowly lift your forearms to water level. Be sure to keep your elbows tight to your body while doing this motion to activate your bicep muscles. Return your arms to your sides and you’ve just completed one rep! Complete a full set of 10-12 reps.

Front/Lateral Raises

These are both great exercises to hit your shoulders! For a front raise, hold barbells in your hand at your sides with your palm facing down. Slowly move your arm to the surface of the water, and return it to the starting position. For lateral raise, begin with your barbell at your sides with your thumbs up. Similar to the front raise, you want to raise your arms outward until you hit the surface of the water and return to starting position. This will hit a different part of your shoulder than the front raises. You can do both of these exercises or combine them – the choice is yours!

Chest Fly

To begin, step with your right foot and lean forward to keep you steady for this exercise. Extent your arms and hold your barbells at water height with your thumbs facing up. Use the resistance from the water and bring the barbells together in front of you. This will activate your pectoral muscles, also known as your chest. Return to starting position, that’s one! Keep going!

Oblique Side Bend

Who doesn’t want a nice, strong core? Again, hold the dumbbells at your side with your palms facing down. Slowly move the right barbell down your leg, toward your knee, and then back up to the starting position. You will want to do about 12-15 of these before moving to your left side. This will work the sides of your core, those dreadful love handles! 

The Lifeguard Store offers a variety of different styles of aerobic equipment to keep you in shape! Be sure to check out our jog belts and wrist/ankle weights!