Search Results for: blog the swimming lesson

Swimming Lessons Day 1

We just finished our first week of swimming lessons. at the Rockwall YMCA. We opted to go every day for two weeks. Classes are Monday through Thursday. It takes a lot of planning to take two small children through different activities that last all day long. On Monday I thought I really had everything together because I packed most of it the night before. We left the house a little later than I wanted, which happens all too often. I had never seen that many cars in the parking lot before. I was lucky to find a place to park. … Continue reading →

Indoor Swimming Pool

My toddler daughter and I attended the third birthday party of her twin friends recently. The party was at a community center with an incredible indoor pool. The shallow end didn’t have a drop; it was a shoreline like being at the beach. When Jessie saw the water she was going to go right in fully dressed. I had to stop her from getting her clothes wet and she still went in with her shoes on. We went into the party room long enough to say hi to all my friends, especially the hosts, and drop off the baby before … Continue reading →

The Swimming Lesson

We have a pool in our townhouse complex, and my daughter visits it nearly every day during the five month long pool season. This year, she’s managed to learn how to move across the pool without a flotation device. This is a great accomplishment, but a little scary. She now feels like she knows how to swim. Every summer, we also take swimming lessons down the street from our house. The lessons are very strict, but the kids do learn how to swim well. Everyone from our neighborhood goes. Last year, the first lesson met with a lot of tears … Continue reading →

Prep for Swimming!

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This weekend my wife and I took a small break from our normal lives, went to a big box store and bought our son some swimming diapers, and took him to a pool. At one point I was a certified lifeguard (thought that has long since lapsed) but I’ve generally enjoyed the water. My wife also enjoys the water and we both figured this would be a good experience for our son to have before the really hot summer months begin to oppress our neck of the woods. We were unsure about how he would react to the water. He’s … Continue reading →

The Dreaded Swimming Lessons

I love swimming, and so does my daughter. From these two statements, you might assume that we would adore swimming lessons. You’d be dead wrong. When my daughter was a toddler, I decided that I would inspire myself to get out of the house and sign up for some swimming lessons at the local pool. While I thought that baby and toddler swimming lessons were a little silly, I figured that having a particular time scheduled for swimming would help my sorry self get to the pool. We enjoyed the lessons until the instructor decided that all of the toddlers … Continue reading →

Focus on the Olympics: Eric Vendt (2008 Swimming Hopeful)

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Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Eric was the first American to break the 15 minute barrier in the 1500 Freestyle. Meet Eric Vendt Eric returned to the pool in April 2006 after retiring from competitive swimming after the 2004 Olympic Games. He spent four months backpacking in Europe after the 2004 Games before moving to New York, where he taught swimming lessons to beginners. His time spent working with kids gave him a new outlook on swimming. Eric majored in … Continue reading →

Fitness Swimming For Beginners

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In a previous article, I wrote about my recent experience using swimming workouts to lose weight and get in shape. All you need to get started is a suitable pool to swim laps (25 yard pool recommended) and the determination to make something happen. I started out by getting in good enough shape to walk two or three miles briskly six days a week. When I could comfortably do that, I was in good enough shape to swim. I found that I was able to swim over and back, rest a couple of minutes, and do it again. In my … Continue reading →

Swimming Tips

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Swimming is such a great activity during the summer that we sometimes forget that swimming is a great way to build and maintain fitness. It’s also a great way to build up your muscle strength because water provides natural resistance for your muscles that you have to push against whether you are walking or swimming in the pool. If you want to take advantage of time spent in the pool with the kids as part of your workout routine, here are some tips to get the most out of your pool workouts: Haven’t really swum in a while? Take some … Continue reading →

Baby and Swimming

When it comes to learning how to swim, a lot of us want to wait until our babies are older – but swimming offers you a great way to contribute to your baby’s development. There are many places where parents and baby can take infant and toddler swimming lessons together and there is plenty of documented evidence that swimming has a positive effect on your baby’s development along with motor and cognitive skills. Encourages Bonding Swimming with your baby can encourage bonding between you. It’s especially great for Dads who may be worried about not spending enough time with their … Continue reading →

Put Kids to Work

My parents were huge proponents of the idiom:  “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings.” In other words, my mom and dad hated seeing their offspring sit around when there was work to be done.  And when you’re living in a home occupied by six people, there’s never a shortage of tasks to be completed. For me, summer meant tennis camp, swimming lessons and plenty of chores.  In my dad’s eyes, no job was too dirty for his little girl.  Looking back, I don’t begrudge my father for keeping me and my brothers busy during the dog days of summer.  In … Continue reading →