Swimming: What Good Does it Do?

By: Josie Huang

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the beach? Is it people laughing and sun tanning? Or do you think of sand and waves with the sun shining bright and people swimming with dogs? That’s probably what most people think about first. Did you think of how many people drown in these waters? My guess is no. However, drowning is a problem that is frequently overlooked. About 10 people per day drown in just the U.S., and one of the most popular reasons for drowning would be not knowing how to swim.

I know many people, probably everyone, wouldn’t want to drown when they still have the rest of their lives to live out. So, how do you prevent yourself from drowning? The easy solution to this would obviously be just to learn how to swim. There are many swimming schools located all around the U.S., so it shouldn’t be hard to find a place to learn swimming.

Something unique about swimming is that is a skill that everyone can learn young and old, with or without disabilities. Even if you do not happen to live near a body of water or know how to swim, do not think that you are completely out of the danger zone. You’re still in it, just maybe more to the side. If you know how to swim, I would advise you to continue that path. If you do not know how to swim, I would highly recommend you to start taking lessons.  Swimming keeps your heart and lungs healthy and improves your strength, stamina, balance, and posture. It is a sport that is rarely forgotten and may save your life one day. Once you learn to swim, in order to keep your swimming skills in good condition and to be able to swim faster, you should continue your lessons or consider joining a swim team. Swim teams swim basically every day and help you swim faster by doing drills and playing games. A swim team is an awesome place to make new friends.

If you have a younger sibling or friend that does not take swimming lessons, advise them to take them. Having formal swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning in kids ages one to four by 88%. More than one in five of the drownings are in children younger than 14.

Learning to swim is very worth it and it is not expensive. Swimming regularly does good to your body and helps keep you in shape. Knowing to swim can one day save your own life or someone else’s.