Staying Afloat

“Swimming is an aerobic sport that uses all the muscles of the body,be it the hand and leg muscles,core muscles or the chest muscles — giving an overall exercise to the body. It helps you maintain a balanced diet and also increases your metabolism. Children can also take up swimming which helps them gain height to some extent since it involves jumping and kicking exercise,” says Olympic swimmer Gagan Ullalmath.

A Speedo athlete,Ullalmath admits that he is very concerned about his curly hair getting unruly after long hours in the pool. “I spend about six hours swimming every day. Since I have curly hair,I have to take good care of them. So I rinse my hair every time I get out of the pool and shampoo them once in two days. People can also use double caps to keep their hair from getting soaked. I always suggest that immediately after swimming,one should wash the hair in fresh water to get the chlorine out,” he says.

Talking about skincare,the young athlete says swimmers should use a waterproof sunscreen lotion to avoid getting tanned. “Another important aspect is to invest in a good pair of swimsuit. Cheap suits easily fade and tend to become transparent,” he adds.

Noted swimming coach Vinay Marathe also allays fears that might keep people from splashing around in the water. “Generally,young girls and women are apprehensive about their skin getting affected by chlorine. They also fear getting severely tanned. But the tan is only temporary and should not discourage people from swimming. I tell people to take a shower both before and after swimming and to use any basic lotion or cream when they are done swimming so that their skin colour is not affected,” says Marathe.

He adds that although being in the water in the heat of the day is an inviting prospect,people should try to swim before 7am or after 7pm. “If possible,swimming in a covered pool is a good idea,” says Marathe.

Among other queries that he often gets are questions about hair loss and contracting infections. “Hair loss occurs when a person is sensitive to chlorine. If you wear swim caps,there should be no problem. Again a basic precaution is to take regular showers. Swimmers can get ear infections but it is also easily avoidable if one regularly cleans the part,” he says.

The coach also gives a thumbs-up for pregnant women to include swimming in their daily routine. “Swimming is a very natural activity for pregnant women and the strokes in fact helps them during delivery,” he adds.