We are constantly told to lose weight by exercising more. Well the problem I see with that is if you are overweight then you are already putting excess strain on your body, and in particular your joints, just by walking around. Swimming gets round this as it helps to support your joints as you exercise and is low impact, then once you have lost weight you can move onto higher impact exercises like jogging or playing tennis.

Unlike other forms of exercise, swimming is an activity that can be done throughout just about every time period in your life. Swimming is a great, safe, crosstraining exercise that allows for a great workout without putting the body under too much stress. The muscles in your upper body will get the most workout, followed by your legs, but the whole body is worked to some extent. Water workouts can vary in intensity but do not have the pounding or harsh effects on the joints that can be associated with many land-based exercises.

Going for a swim on a regular basis helps to build overall strength, endurance, and can improve cardiovascular health. As well as being great exercise in itself, then swimming can give you increased flexibility and endurance for when you try other things. Having a short swim before you go for a walk or a jog etc can help you to warm up and get the heart pumping. Or it can be a great way to cool down after a workout too. Making just a few laps can help your body relax, cool down, and get blood flowing to muscle groups quicker, which will aid in repair.

There are a few therapeutic benefits to swimming as well. After a long, stressful day, a nice swim can help relax not only the muscles, but also the mind. Water has been shown to have many calming and soothing effects. Many people let their minds empty as they swim along, letting the floating feeling and gentle rhythm of their strokes wash away their troubles. It is not only relaxing, but as swimmers often set goals on the number of laps they complete then by reaching those goals it helps to develop discipline and raise self-esteem.

So swimming is a great form of exercise for weight loss and weight maintenance. It allows you to burn approximately 3 calories per mile, per pound of bodyweight. So for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, and you swim one mile in half an hour, you will burn about 450 calories. The amount of calories actually burned will of course vary based on the intensity of your workout. But with all of these great health benefits, swimming may just be the perfect workout!

If you are looking to lose weight then check out this article on overcoming a weight loss plateau.

Technorati Tags: swim to lose weight, swimming for weightloss

It’s happening again, the same as it does every year. The weather turns hot and people rush to buy affordable above ground swimming pools for their back gardens.

When the temperatures begin to rise, as they’ve been doing in the recent heat wave, people’s thoughts, naturally, turn toward ways that they can stay cool. SWimming pool suppliers struggle to cope with the increased demand.

This results in a list of customers who must wait for more swimming pools to be delivered. Something that is often overlooked is that the high demand at this time of year will often push the prices up.

What many people don’t realise is that the price of swimming pools in the off-season (winter) can often be incredibly low. This is the time of year when swimming pool suppliers do the least business and they will often offer exceptional discounts. It is well known in the swimming pool industry that various popular brands, like doughboy pools, are around 30% more expensive during the peak months of April, May and June than they are during January, February and March.

Another good reason to buy early is construction. There are many models of above ground swimming pools that can be easily constructed without any special skills. Some models of above ground swimming pool are best constructed by an experienced pool construction team. Inevitably these guys are always exceptionally busy during the peak months. This is another good reason why you should plan ahead and get your swimming pool during the off-peak season.

A few other considerations to bear in mind when thinking about swimming pool for your garden:

• Don’t overlook the need for swimming pool water treatment chemicals.
• Remember that you will also potentially need a good pool pump and filter system.
• It is a good idea to get the biggest pool that you can afford.
• Always get some advice from a reputable swimming pool supplier who has a lot of experience with above ground pools.

Technorati Tags: above ground, doughboy, pools, swimming

Swimming pool ownership brings with it responsibility for the safety of those using the pool and people and pets around the pool.

Every year a number of people are tragically injured or even die as a result of swimming pool related accidents. Some of the most common accidents and injuries include:

1. People slipping and falling resulting in various injuries, sometimes very serious
2. Children and pets falling into an unattended swimming pool
3. Children snagged by the swimming pool drain and held underwater
4. Falls from the rim of above ground pools
5. Above ground pools collapsing as a result of people standing or sitting on the rail or rim.

Employing a few basic safety steps and rules will go a long way towards lessening the hazards presented by a swimming pool.

Above Ground Pools
Above ground swimming pools are one of the most popular styles as these can be installed with minimal ground work often by a competent DIY enthusiast. When the pool is installed it is important to ensure that the access ladder is very secure and located where it can be used easily.

For users of an above ground pool it should be a rule that nobody should sit or attempt to stand on the rim or railing surrounding the pool. Falls from the edge can cause serious injury and the weight of a person could cause the pool wall to collapse.

In Ground Swimming Pools
In ground pools present their own safety hazards. Being at ground level means that it is much easier for a child or an animal to fall in. As a rule, children should not be allowed to use the pool unless supervised by an adult. Another good rule is that there should be no running or horseplay around the perimeter of the swimming pool.

Swimming pool safety fencing, pool alarms and pool safety covers can all be used to keep people and pets away from an in ground pool when not in use.

Swimming Pool Chemicals
Dangerous swimming pool water treatment chemicals should be stored safely out of reach of children. Appropriate protection should be used when handling harmful pool water treatment chemicals. Always read and follow the manufacturers safety recommendations.

Pool Drains and Vents
There have been cases of small children trapped below the water by powerful pool water outlets. Pool drain covers should be inspected and verified as safe. If the pool is used by small children they should be instructed to keep away from the outlet drains and it should be ensured that small children cannot be trapped by the suction.

Pool Electrical Equipment
Swimming pools use a variety of electrical equipment for circulating the water through filtration and cleaning. Equipment should be routinely inspected for safety ensuring that all cabling is safe and secure.

While it may seem like a chore to make a swimming pool safe and enforce some basic safety rules doing so will go a long way toward keeping people and pets safe and giving you peace of mind.

Technorati Tags: above ground pools, in ground pools, pool safety, swimming pool safety, swimming pools

Tip:To make efficient use of your swimming pool chemicals, managing good water balance is the main factor

Before adding swimming pool chemicals it is important that you read and familiarise yourself with the workings of your spa / pool and support equipment. A clear, clean fresh spa or pool is only possible if you have good filtration and clear water flow

The first step in treatment is to ensure good water balance, which will create the right conditions for bather comfort, chemical efficiency and equipment protection. There are three major factors affecting water balance, they are pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness

Calcium hardness

Hardness is the measurement of calcium salts in the swimming pool or spa water and this will vary depending where you live. Low calcium hardness levels (soft water) can lead to corrosion of the materials of construction. Hard water (water high in calcium) can lead to limescale foriming in your pipes and equipment
Calcium Hardness Guide Measures
•    Ideal calcium hardness levels are between 100 – 200 ppm (mg/l).
•    When the level is below 75 ppm (mg/l), apply Hardness Plus
•    When the measurement exceeds 200 ppm (mg/l), apply Scale Inhibitor.

pH Measures

pH can range from 1 to 14 where 1 is very acid and 14 very alkaline It is essential to maintain spa water within the 7.2 – 7.6 range which, because it is slightly alkaline, will protect equipment from corrosion and provide the optimum conditions for the people enjoying the pool or spa and also ensures  the best sanitiser efficiency.
•    Ideal pH level for spas is between 7.2 – 7.6.
•    When the level is below use pH Plus
•    When the measurement is greater than 7.6 apply pH Minus
Note
pH can be tricky to manage in spas as the system water turns over fast, is very agitated and is at higher temperature than swimming pool systems. [All these factors

pH rises can be caused by this which causes chlorine products such as chlorine shock to lose effectiveness. Much higher doses of chlorine sanitisers such as will then be required. avoid this problem by using Bromine. Bromine works effectively over a wider pH range than chlorine Unlike chlorine, bromine keeps working in a spa for longer and so helps you minimise your spa chemicalsuse

Total Alkalinity

pH Changes are buffered by total alkalinity If TA levels are too low the pH will fluctuate widely.
If Total alkalinity is too high then water clarity can be affected but it also makes it difficult to make changes to water pH levels
•    optimum Total Alkalinity is 100 ppm (mg/l) When it is below 80mg/l use Alkalinity Plus
•    When Total Alkalinity is above 140mg/l remedy it with pH Minus to reduce it
You should definitely check your water balance on a regular basis as it is the basis for your other chemical treatments

Use Test strips to measure your water balance, they are very easy to use

Technorati Tags: bromine, chemicals, chlorine, hot tub, pool, pool maintenance, spa chemicals, swimming, swimming pool chemicals, water balance

First and foremost, it surely is vital to know  that the amount expended in obtaining and making use of  the proper swimming pool cleaners will truly pay off at the long run; you won’t have to expend huge money on fixing your pool as a result of the fact that regular sanitizing will halt  major damages on your swimming pool.

The fact that we mostly always mistakenly drink when swimming has to tell us of the importance of paying a lot of attention to disinfecting our pools; this is because if the pool’s water is not suitably clean and also free of bacteria, your physical healthiness will obviously suffer when you take in the water.

If you previously didn’t own a pool and yearn to be aware of the very best type of pool cleaner to make use of for your brand new pool , it certainly is most excellent to get the advice of those who have owned and used pool s for countless years; didn’t they confirm that “experience is the best teacher”?

The reality that you were able to purchase a pool needs to tell you of the necessary need more over pay for a swimming pool cleaner that will surely safeguard the larger investment you had done in constructing the pool in the first place. When buying a pool cover for your swimming pool, note that you’ll  still require to sanitize your swimming pool; the only disparity   is that the time to clean your swimming pool can be lessened when you regularly cover your pool.

Some individuals take long-term warranties for their pool cleaners principally on account of the servicing which these swimming pool cleaners need; you can too, if you are certain you will  be making use of  your swimming pool  cleaner much more continuously than usual. I perpetually cherish getting my robotic pool  cleaner to function then staying aside to behold it do its wonders; at these magic I am filled with a sort of overpowering feeling of respect and applaud the wonderful efforts of the inventors that made this likely.

The gorgeousness with robotic pool cleaners is that they come pre-programmed; this implies that you do not have to  bother about programming them; more so, robotic pool  cleaners are “plug N play” pool  cleaners.

What’s exceedingly  marvelous about the robotic kind of pool cleaners is the velocity at which they get your swimming pool cleaned; in just minutes you’ll  be stunned to discover your dirty looking pool  sparkling more than ever.

To close up, it surely is clear that the finest way for sanitizing your pool is to really go shopping for any of the varieties of robotlike pool cleaners which function finest for the form of pool you have.

Technorati Tags: robot pool cleaner, swimming pool cleaner

I have a hot tub that doesn't work and that is recessed into our back deck. We've decided that we don't want to invest any more money in making it work. How should we get rid of it? Even if we give it away on craigslist or something, how do we physically remove it from the deck without paying a lot of money for a crane to lift it out or ripping out the deck around it? Can you cut up a hot tub into pieces with a "saws-all"?

I'll assume it's not built in and is made of fiberglass. in that case they are not that heavy. you have to remove the decking around it.

I just bought a house with a hot tub. The thing foams up and runs bubbly. The chemicals being used right now are bromine for santizing and a ph balance. The water is clear. I have dumped it 3-4 times. I think there may be a build up in the pipes because some of the jets were destroyed by chemical build up……my sister suggested that we dump in a gallon of vinegar and let it sit over night, run it and dump it again as a cheap alternative to a flush. I dont know what a flush (done properly) consists of, nor what it costs. Anyone know?

I think a flush would consist of a delime chemical, vinegar is an acid but I don't think it would cut the lime. You may need to contact a local swimming pool company, they will know how to treat the water in your area, there may be fluorides or some other issues that need to be addressed, Good luck

With pool extras, among the initial items which comes to mind are pool toys that are great for all pools, especially those which will be used by small children. If you are interested in buying swimming pool playthings for the pool, you will find that you literally have an infinite amount of choices. This is due to the fact that most pool toys are designed for the aboveground and in-ground pools.

In addition to swim toys, pool furniture can also be considered a pool add-on, and if you are unsure what this is, pool furniture is an item of furniture that stays buoyant within the pool. Just like swimming pool playthings, you’ll find that the majority of floating chairs are designed for both in-ground and surface pools.

While pool toys, lifesaving devices, and pool furniture are the more famous sorts of pool accessories, they’re not the only things that you may want or even require to own for the surface pool. You might additionally wish to have a look at swimming pool supplies, such as pool fixtures and when working with aboveground pools, those fixtures are frequently ladders. Unlike the situation with in-ground swimming pools, a ladder is required to climb both into as well as out of an surface swimming pools. Though many surface swimming pools come equipped with a ladder, you may need to purchase one. Additionally, dependent on the size of the swimming pool, you might want to get more than one ladder because an additional ladder will make it easier for a number of swimmers to get in was well as out of your swimming pool.

Though ladders are, generally, the one way to get in as well as out of an aboveground swimming pool, there’s one alternative – building a pool deck. Dependant upon where the swimming pool is situated, you might be able to have a pool deck attached to the swimming pool and most are fairly simple to buy or build. For a reasonable cost, you could have a professional build you a deck or you might even make your own. Decks, especially once which are connected to a home, may render entering and exiting your swimming pool easier.

In spite of the fact that many aboveground swimming pools have the ability to withstand the forces of nature and lots of users, there’s a few pools that develop leaks. In the event that your surface swimming pool springs a leak, you will need to repair it immediately and to do this, you’ll have to obtain a swimming pool repair kit. You will find that the majority of swimming pool repair kits will help to prevent you from needing to contend with a large, wet mess. The above mentioned pool supplies and accessories are only a few of the things which you may want to purchase for a swimming pool. If you’re interested in learning a bit more on the products that are obtainable for surface pools, you may wish to contemplate searching through your nearby pool supply stockist or by going to the site of an Internet swimming pool seller.

For the best prices on swimming pools paint, inflatable swimming pool toys and swimming pool pumps click the link above

Technorati Tags: Accessories For Aboveground Pools

One of the numerous pool add-ons that you could utilize in order to make the swimming pool fun is a deep end diving board. Diving boards, used in the majority of normal swimming pools, are called deep end diving boards since they are made only for deep water. Actually, this is the reason why diving boards aren’t obtainable for the majority of aboveground swimming pools because most feature a standard depth of about three to five feet. It is a known fact that it is unsafe to plunge into a pool with a shallow depth. So, if you were looking to obtain a deep end diving board for the swimming pool, you really should only do that if you have an in-ground swimming pool.

If you are able to get a deep end diving board integrated into the pool, you will find that you [have] a number of various choices. This popular accessory is made by a number of varied organizations and a lot of these feature their own special boards. While these boards may appear similar on the outside, they are composed in very different ways and use different compounds. To make certain you’re getting the perfect diving board for the swimming pool, you are advised to investigate all of your available choices.

Maybe, the greatest way to research all of your possible selections is to begin browsing. If you’re not ready to buy yet, you don’t have to, although you might discover advantages to first looking among the possible selections. This can easily be done through going to a nearby pool supply store or by studying products on the Internet. Each of these are great for becoming intimate with deep end diving boards – although, you might find a larger product choice by using the web to do the search.

Along with searching through the stock of diving boards at your local swimming pool supply store or on the Internet, you might additionally want to do a little bit of investigating. This research might entail talking to a swimming pool expert, speaking to other swimming pool owners, or utilizing the Internet for Internet product testimonials. If you know about any person that has a pool, or has experience on purchasing pool accessories, you might wish to talk to them for suggestions.

While looking at deep end diving boards, you’ll want to be looking for diving boards which are reputed for having issues and possibly being unsafe they may additionally need frequent repairs. A diving board is a pretty large buy and there are some that may cost up to 300 dollars or more so for this reason, you will want to ensure that you buy a dependable board.

Once you’ve completely investigated and examined all of your possible options, you should subsequently try to make a final choice. No matter if you choose to buy a diving board from a local store or on the net, it is likely that you’ll be happy with the results. If you buy a dependable product, both you as well as your family could enjoy the board for ages to come.

For the best prices on electric swimming pool heaters, swimming pools chemicals and swimming pool cartridge filters click the link above

Technorati Tags: swimming pool diving board

Using a swimming pool cover has several advantages. Having a pool cover on your pool allows it to retain more heat and reduces your heating costs. A pool cover will also keep your pool clean as it prevents all sorts of debris from landing in your pool.

Having a pool cover for your swimming pool is also effective in lowering the amount of chemicals you need, protection of your pool in winter, and accident prevention. There are a wide array of swimming pool covers from which to choose, depending on what your needs may be.

To help prevent accidents you want a safety pool cover while winter pool covers will be good for maintaining your in ground and above ground pools during the cold months. A solar pool cover will add warmth to the pool during the day and keep the heat in at night. You can find both solid and mesh safety pool covers.
Both types of safety pool covers are anchored to the deck with straps that keep it tightly on the pool.

Solar pool covers are the most affordable types of swimming pool covers. They resemble an enormous piece of bubble wrap laid across the top of your pool. Winter pool covers can be used with either in ground or above ground pools. It is much easier to open your pool up in spring if it has been protected by a winter pool cover.

You can greatly reduce your spring maintenance duties by protecting your pool from rain, snow, ice, and algae. You will be able to relax during the long winter months with the knowledge that your pool is protected from leaves and debirs. They can also prevent small animals such as squirrels from falling and drowning in your pool in their search for water. One way to prevent the buildup of heavy leaves in your pool is by installing a leaf net on your pool. All you need to do is place this on top of your pool before the leaves fall and remove it before it begins to freeze. This makes clean up of leaves simple and easy. Learn more about buying swimming pool covers here.

Technorati Tags: Pool covers, swimming pool covers