New research shows that swimmers may live longer than runners and walkers! Researchers thought that swimmers and runners would have a lower risk of dying, but they were surprised that the swimmers had a statistically significant lower death rate than runners.  This serves as an inspiration to hop right into that pool where you can get year-round, low-impact aerobic therapy, or just take a few laps,  and hope to live longer!  Low-impact exercise in pools doesn’t strain your lower joints as intensely as running and walking.  This certainly doesn’t mean to give up your running or walking, but it gives you another reason to jump on into a new method of exercise.  Some persons can’t walk or run because of arthritis, so this would be a way for them to get some healthy and fun exercise.

Swimming is such an important activity for young people, and it is very important that children learn to swim.  Parents can teach them at a very young age to not be afraid of water, by accompanying them in the pool, and using floaties, tubes, etc. to keep them afloat.  Swim lessons are vital to everyone to be able to enjoy boating, and other water activities.  Swimming and other water-related activities are excellent ways to get the physical activity needed for a healthy life, and millions of people enjoy oceans, lakes, rivers, pools, and spas each year.  Listed is information from the Centers for Disease Control regarding information about swimming and the risks involved, such as drowning, water-related diseases, and sunburn:

• There are 8.8 million residential and public-use swimming pools in the United States.
• Drowning is the 2^nd leading cause of all unintentional injury deaths in children aged 1-14 years and the 7^th leading cause of unintentional injury death for all ages.
• Among 0-4 year olds, 69% of drownings for which the location was known occurred in swimming pools. (Many home pools.)
• There are over 6.6 million hot tubs in operation in the United States.
• Sunburn is a risk factor for both basal cell carcinoma and melanoma (types of skin cancer). In 2003, a total of 45,625 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States, and 7,818 persons died from the disease . (Please use sunscreen!)
• Over 12 percent (13,532 of 111,487) of pool inspections conducted during 2008 resulted in an immediate closure, pending the correction of the violations.
• A total of 78 recreational water-associated outbreaks affecting 4,412 persons were reported to CDC for 2005-2006, the largest number of outbreaks ever reported in a 2-year period.
• Of 48 recreational-water associated outbreaks of gastroenteritis during 2005-2006, 64.6% were caused by one chlorine-resistant parasite: Cryptosporidium..
• Of 35 gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with treated (for example, chlorinated) recreational water venues, 82.8% were caused by Cryptosporidium .
• Because of its resistance to chlorine, Cryptosporidium (Crypto) has become the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with swimming pool venues. Reporting of cryptosporidiosis cases increased 208 percent from 2004 (3,411) to 2008 (10,500).
• In the United States in 2007, almost 32 million individuals participated in motor or power boat activities .
• In 2006, 3,474 persons were injured and 710 died while boating .
• The U.S. Coast Guard’s 2006 statistics stated that approximately 87 percent of boaters who drowned were not wearing life jackets.

Never leave a child unattended at a swimming pool.  Always check  that the swimming pool water has been tested for Crypto.  Water activities are a lot of fun, but can be dangerous if not taken seriously.