It’s never too late to learn to swim

With this ravaging summer heat, you can’t help but be tempted to have a cool dip in the pool, but the only thing you can do is splash around, not swim. I’ve encountered many people who are in that predicament, mostly young adults ranting that they don’t how to swim and asking me to teach them. Unfortunately, I don’t have the training to teach the sport. But worry no more.

Are you the frustrated swimmer who doesn’t really know how to swim and is afraid or ashamed to enroll in swimming lessons because you’re the only grown-up amid the frolicking and crying kids in the pool? Definitely it’s not too late for you; nor are you too old.

Once again the Bert Lozada Swim School has proven that they are ahead of the pack when it comes to knowing the latest techniques in swimming. This year they are zeroing in on a growing yet unexplored market niche – the adults – by introducing the "Adult Fitness Swim" program or AFS. They have the widest range of swim programs – for those as young as six months to as old as 60 or even older.

The AFS Program is for people 19 years and above. It is for people who want to stay fit through aquatic sports.

This program has three phases – first, for those who desire a regular fitness program; second, for former swimmers who would still want to continue their regimen even after their varsity days, and third for the triathletes who want to improve their form and train for the swim leg in triathlon.

And that doesn’t stop there, in AFS, one can choose the type of swimming regimen he wants – the swimming styles adapted to an individual’s unique personality. And it’s patterned after the Australian swimming model, which the Lozada sons Anthony and Angelo learned on a recent study trip there.

Without really knowing it, I was technically part of the program as I continued my swimming after graduation. In the beginning I thought I was just given a program by my coach and that’s it, but my training was a perfect example of what AFS is trying to point out. It was a good chance to continue the sport I love. I got a bit scared when I saw some of my former teammates with their bulging tummies. Not wanting to go that direction, it was all systems go for my swimming. The only irony, though, is that my performance greatly improved under their program and tutelage compared to my college years. Indeed it’s so important to have a good swim school and a good coach because you must be taught the good swim techniques. For instance, freestyle isn’t just flailing your arms about; it is executing the right strokes. If you observe people swimming in a pool, you can single out those who glide along the lanes effortlessly from the swimmers who are flailing across the water. The difference is not in fitness level, but in technique. I stopped swimming for more than a year a few years back, and was out of shape, but once I was in the pool, my body remembered the right techniques so there wasn’t any difficulty swimming effectively.

Swimming has a lot of benefit, and is probably the perfect exercise since it involves the use of most of the muscles without the stress caused by some dry land sports. Football, for instance, creates a shock wave which travels up the limb and is absorbed by the bones, tendons and joints. While such stress is necessary to maintain healthy, strong bones, if severe, or repetitive, these shock waves could easily damage or weaken the limb.

Swimming is very much like working out. It strengthens the muscles without danger of injury. It is non-weight bearing and imposes no stress on the bones and joints so you can say that injuries are practically nonexistent in this sport. Your joints become more flexible through swimming’s primary movements of stretching and reaching; and your muscles are strengthened from the repetitive movement and the resistance of water to your stroke. Also, because of the increased resistance to movement, the muscles must work harder than they would do on land.

Swimming has a calorie burning potential of 350-420 calories per hour, that’s like running six miles in an hour. That’s why you notice that swimmers gorge a lot on food but they still stay oh so toned with matching washboard abs (still, it doesn’t give you the right to pig out). Swimming is also particularly good for people with musculoskeletal problems such as joint pains and limited mobility. And the colder the water, the more heat you produce, making you burn more calories – so there’s a reason for you to take a dip come the cold months of November and December.

This sport encourages a healthy lifestyle. And it allows young people’s bodies to develop in a very natural way at a young age. You get a natural toned look for your body that you won’t get in pumping iron at the gym. The best bodies I’ve seen were developed in the pool and not in the gym. Knowing how to swim does create wonders when you’re on the beach. It even helps with your social skills and earns you much needed pogi points.

For anyone who is interested in enrolling for the program look for the logo of Bert Lozada Swim School (a big emphasis on the "Bert") for it’s the only school that offers and is authorized to conduct the the program, since they’re the only swim school in the country affiliated with the National Swim School Association of the USA and the Australian Council for the Teaching of Swimming and Water-Safety. The Adult Swim Program is quite popular in these two countries now.

Swimming is a lifetime sport and has no age limit. Take my mom who up to now is still trying to learn swimming under coach Anthony Lozada (that’s how patient he is). She’s been at it (on and off) as far back as I can remember that I call her the "professional swimming student."

For more inquiries about Adult Fitness Swim or their other swim programs, check their website at www.bertlozadaswimschool.com, or call 8000-573/563-55-32.

* * *

E-mail/Friendster the author at ketsupluis@hotmail.com.