Exercise and Bone Mass

Swimming: The importance of physical activity for maintenance of skeletal health is generally recognized. Weight-bearing activity has been commonly considered to be essential for the beneficial effects of exercise on the skeleton; swimming, therefore, has been considered to be of little value in the maintenance of bone mass. Results of a new study suggest otherwise.

A group of men and women aged 40 to 85 years, competitors in the 1986 Masters Long Course National Swimming Championship held in Portland, Oregon, or regular swimmers who did not compete, participated in the study. They had all been swimming regularly (at least three hours a week for at least three years) but had engaged in no other form of exercise. They were compared with a similar group of nonexercising control subjects. Dietary calcium and protein intakes were similar in the two groups.

Male swimmers had significantly greater bone mineral density at both radial and vertebral sites compared with male controls, after the effects of age had been considered. No relationship between swimming and bone mineral density could be identified in women, however.

"These results suggest that swimming exercise may be beneficial in the prevention or therapy of osteopenia and that its usefulness in this regard should be further investigated." In view of its tremendous popularity, the ready availability of swimming facilities, and the relative safety and non-traumatic nature of swimming as an exercise, it seems particularly suitable for the elderly for the prevention and therapy of bone mineral loss.

ES Orwoll et al, The Relationship of Swimming Exercise to Bone Mass in Men and Women, Archives Internal Medicine 149(10):2197-2200 (Oct 1989) [Reprints: ES Orwoll, MD, Veterans Administration Medical Center (111), PO Box 1034, Portland OR 97207]

Getting in the Swim of Things, Part Three

TIPS ON SAFE SWIMMING

* Don't swim alone.

* Never swim after drinking alcohol.

* Try to swim when a lifeguard is on duty or near a person who knows CPR.

* Learn to swim with private or group lessons at a community center or health club.

BENEFITS OF SWIMMING

* Swimming is good for rehabilitation after surgery, weight loss and relaxation.

* Swimming works all the muscles and gives similar results to walking or running, without adding stress to knees, ankles, legs and the back.

* Swimming is a low-impact exercise that's even suitable for pregnant women, experts say.

* The near weightless feeling of being in the water helps strengthen shoulders and abdominal muscles.

* Swimming strengthens the heart, which improves delivery of oxygen to muscles.

* Swimming helps decrease problems associated with diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and allergies.

Getting in the Swim of Things, Part Two

Kevin Wiggins, a former college football player and previous contender in the Mr. Connecticut Bodybuilding Championship, enjoys the buoyancy and resistance he gets from swimming an hour a day, three days a week. He moves through water with less pain and more range of motion than he usually feels when he's walking. The 48-year-old salesman made swimming his main form of exercise after finding out six years ago that he had arthritis and deteriorated cartilage between his right hip and leg bone. "Swimming is a great exercise for people who are getting older," says Wiggins.

And for people who are younger.

Even babies should learn to swim, says Harlem swimming instructor Lindo, who helps infants, 6 months old and up, get used to water. Children and adults have to overcome their fear of water and build their self-confidence to learn how to swim, he says. "People need to trust themselves, trust that they can control the water and trust that their instructor won't let them drown."

If you don't already know how to swim, you're never too old to learn. But make sure you learn from a certified instructor who is trained in CPR and first aid. If you're getting aquatic therapy, make sure your instructor is certified in physical fitness with knowledge of your medical condition, says Dr. Jorge Minor, medical director of rehabilitation services at Queen of Angels Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. Before you sign up for a swimming class, consult your doctor, Dr. Minor says, especially if you have chronic pain or heart or inner ear problems.

Despite the many advantages associated with swimming, many people avoid the water. Some never learned to swim because they were afraid of drowning, says Fathemat Nauzo, a Harlem YMCA swimming instructor. Some women don't want to get their hair wet because it'll take too long to get it back together. Nauzo suggests that these women schedule swimming classes near their hair appointments or use a mild shampoo and a leave-in conditioner. But making excuses and avoiding water just prolongs how long it'll take to learn how to swim and to enjoy a healthier life.

Whether swimming for exercise, recreation or therapy, the buoyancy and resistance of water works all the muscles, physical fitness professionals say. Swimming gives a similar cardiovascular workout to weight lifting, jogging, walking and aerobics without the pounding.

Getting in the Swim of Things, Part One

The following posts on swimming and fitness come from "Getting in the Swim of Things", published Ebony (August 2003).

Some walk, some run, but the best exercise of all, some say, is swimming, which provides the same results as walking and running, without adding stress to knees, ankles, legs and the back. A major benefit of swimming is the near weightlessness, which can help swimmers strengthen their shoulders and abdominal muscles. The exercise also strengthens the heart and helps decrease problems associated with diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and allergies.

Alicia Samuels, a New York University dentistry student, is one of many Blacks who swim regularly. She also works out with weights, does aerobics and uses cardiovascular machines. "But swimming," says the 21-year-old, "is the best total body workout."

Swimming also is, according to a number of professionals, one of the best health workouts. People who can't do jarring aerobic exercises can still swim because it's a low-impact exercise that's safe, even for pregnant women, doctors say.

Toby DeMott, a physical therapist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, says many of the patients she works with in water have arthritis, spinal cord injuries, low back pain, or are recuperating from a stroke. In addition to having a water therapy session with her, DeMott tells these patients to swim at least an hour a week on their own.

Water therapy helps in two ways. First, the buoyancy of water helps people move and walk better. "In water up to your chest, you only weigh 20 percent of your normal body weight," DeMott says. "In water you can move your limbs a lot easier. It's nice to unload your joints by being in the water."

The second way water helps is by offering resistance. "Sometimes we'll have somebody work on their limbs by moving their arms and legs as quickly as possible," DeMott says. "The quicker you move, the more resistance you're going to get from the water."

Because water is buoyant and resistant, swimming is like doing two exercises at once, says Dwayne Lindo, a swimming instructor at the Harlem YMCA. Raising and lowering your arms is similar to doing arm curls and arm presses in a gym without using two different machines, he says.

Regular Swimming Benefits Women's Health

A growing body of medical research suggests that regular swimming is particularly beneficial to women's health, possibly even reducing the risks of breast cancer, osteoporosis, and miscarriage. Phillip Whitten, author of The Complete Book of Swimming, indicates that swimming helps pregnant women exercise further into their terms due to the near-weightless environment, making them better conditioned for both delivery and recovery. In the same study, conducted by the Melpomene Institute of Minneapolis (Minn.), researchers concluded that women who swim suffered 75% fewer miscarriages or stillbirths than those who jogged or didn't exercise, Whitten notes.

A report in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that high levels of body fat increased the likelihood that women with a genetic risk of breast cancer would develop it. Women who swim regularly--which reduces body fat--were less likely to develop breast cancer. Physically active women also were two and, a half times less likely to develop cancer of the reproductive system, according to research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health. One of the study's authors recommends swimming at least 30 minutes a day, three days a week.

Whitten points out that researchers have found that swimming can increase bone mass in older women'as much as weight-bearing exercise. Moreover, a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that younger women can strengthen their bones through exercise and calcium supplementation, even after the bones no longer are going through the lengthening process.

Source: USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 1999

Natural Chemicals for Your Pool

Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct is proud to introduce a new line of pool chemicals from Natural Chemistry that are friendly to the environment as well as your pool. You'll find safe and all-natural alternatives to many over-the-counter pool chemicals.

Keep your filter running smoothly and efficiently with Filter Perfect. Have trouble with algae growth? PhosFree removes phosphates from your water and helps prevent algae.

Polaris Pool Cleaner ... in Action

The History of Swimming

What is the history of swimming?

Human beings have been swimming for millennia. According to Wikipedia, Stone Age cave drawings depict individuals swimming and there are written references in the Bible and the Greek poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" dating back 1,500 to 2,000 years. There are even Egyptian clay seals from 4000 BC showing four swimmers doing a version of the crawl, and the most famous swimming drawings were apparently found in the Kebir desert and were estimated to also be from around 4000 BC.

According to the Encyclopedia of Traditional British Rural Sports, literature specifically related to swimming grew in the middle ages. It is believed that the first book devoted to swimming was Colymbetes by Nicolas Wynman written in 1538, and a more widely recognized text, De Arte Nantandi, was published in Latin by Everard Digby in 1587. The encyclopedia also reports that swimming was required of knights and that Romans built bathhouses and pools wherever they conquered to serve as social clubs and places to exercise.

Organized swimming began in the 1800s and 1900s with the creation of swimming associations (for example, the Amateur Swimming Association in 1886) and clubs that competed against each other. There are reports from that era of swimming clubs in England, France, Germany, and the United States. High-profile events also contributed to swimming's visibility. For instance, Matthew Webb swam the English Channel in 1875.

Competitive swimming continued to grow in popularity during the 1800s and was included in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. In 1904, the Olympics in St. Louis included the 50-, 100-, 220-, 440-, 880-yard and one-mile freestyle, the 100-yard backstroke and 440-yard breaststroke, and a 4x50-yard freestyle relay.

By the 20th century, swimming had become mainstream. Indoor pools were beginning to appear, most towns with populations over 20,000 had public outdoor pools, and swimming clubs became increasingly popular for recreation. Women participated for the first time in swimming in the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, and Johnny Weissmuller (considered by many authorities to be the greatest swimmer of all time and who later went on to Tarzan fame in movies) became the first person to swim 100 meters in less than one minute.

Today swimming is the second most popular exercise activity in the United States, with approximately 360 million annual visits to recreational water venues. Swim clubs, recreation centers, Y's, and many other facilities feature swimming pools. Many high schools and colleges have competitive swim teams, and of course, swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports. Millions of Americans are swimming each year. Are you one of them? If not, the following information may help get you started.

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/swimming/article.htm

Virtually Chlorine-Free Pools

Swim in pure, silky soft, ozone-treated water.


Escape the chlorine routine and chemical hassles, hazards and high costs while enjoying fresh, sparkling pool water. It’s safe, easy, and affordable with the industry’s most advanced purification technology: ozonation.

Used to maintain pool water at top health spas and at the Olympics, ozonation is also the chosen standard for purifying drinking water across Europe, and it is increasingly used by major American cities to help ensure healthy tap water for millions of people.

Ozonation has plenty to offer pool and spa owners as well, according to R’nelle Lazlo, national spokesperson for Blue Haven Pools & Spas in San Diego. She explains that this automated, fuss-free process drastically cuts the amount of chlorine needed to maintain sanitized pool water.

Without the usual chemical loads, the benefits are extensive. For starters, the pool water looks spectacular.

“Ozonation is natural,” explains Lazlo. “And it’s the same kind of process that Mother Nature uses to make that gorgeous, shiny water you see in a stream up in the mountains.”

Beyond looking good, ozonated pool water also feels great, and it creates a consistently gentle swimming environment.

“You don’t have to contend with stinging red eyes, itchy skin, or faded hair that feels like straw,” Lazlo points out. “Better yet, you won’t be inhaling those awful bleach-like fumes, and any family pets that like drinking from the pool won’t be lapping up a chemical soup.”

Ozonated water is remarkably silky soft on swimmers’ skin as well. Lazlo says that Blue Haven offices around the country frequently hear comments from amazed customers after their first swim in an ozonated pool. She explains that it is very difficult describe the incredible sensation without actually experiencing it.

“My favorite story comes from a mother in Tampa whose son had eczema, and his skin sensitivity had always kept him out of swimming pools,” says Lazlo. “They put in a Blue Haven pool with our SmartPure ozone system, and now she’s thrilled that her son can actually go in the water without any problems.”

In addition, without bottles and tablets of chlorine, there isn’t the typical build up of chlorine by-products. As a result, the interior finish on pools will last longer, as will manicures, hair perms, color treatments, and results from skin bronzer and sunless tanning products.

Commercial Pool Supplies

Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct recently created a special section devoted to commercial pool equipment. It's designed to help people who own or manage commercial pools -- like hotels, summer camps, park and recreation departments, or homeowner's assocations. You will find a special selection of commercial cleaners, filters, pumps, and more.

Escape the Chlorine Routine

Salt systems provide a kinder, gentler way to sanitize pool water.

Imagine never having to add liquid or tablet chlorine to your pool!

With today’s state-of-the pool sanitizing systems, you can enjoy healthy, pristine pool water without the usual fuss, expense, or aggravating side effects from off-the-shelf chlorine. One popular system creates what is commonly referred to as a “salt pool,” “saltwater pool,” or “salt generator”. The benefits are dramatic.

“For starters, you are going to avoid the stinging red eyes, dry itchy skin, and irritation in your nose that are so common with traditionally chlorinated pools,” explains R’nelle Lazlo, national spokesperson for Blue Haven Pools & Spas.

Water won’t dry out and discolor hair and swim suits, create heavy scum lines, or erode the pool’s interior finish, she says. Salt systems create a consistently gentle swimming environment and can help prevent water imbalances that sometimes play a role in causing swimmer’s ear and nasal infections.

Here’s how a sanitizer works: By converting natural salt through a microprocessor-based electrolytic generator, an absolutely pure, incredibly efficient, non-liquid form of chorine is produced. With the sanitizer integrated into your pool’s plumbing systems, pool owners can count on immediate, consistent, uniform dispersion throughout the water.

With such even, thorough distribution, the output is not subject to the unhealthy highs and lows of chlorine levels that occur with the liquid and tablet form of the chemical. Virtually pH-neutral, the output helps neutralize calcium as well—resulting in water that’s remarkably silky soft on swimmers’ skin.

With so many salt systems on the market, Lazlo cautions that selecting a proven, trusted brand is critical. For example, Blue Haven Pools uses only those systems that boast pure titanium blades, interface with automatic remote controls, feature self-cleaning capabilities, deliver 10,000 operational hours, and provide a super-sanitization mode to easily shock the pool when needed.