SportsDirect.com’s Guide to Getting the Whole Family In The Pool

Recent articles have expressed that children, all around the World, are physically less fit than what their parents were when they were the same age. Higher body mass index and increased weight has been made accountable for this, according to exercise physiologist, Grant Tomkinson, as well as lower levels of exercise. SportsDirect.com take a look at how family swims can tackle this issue.

Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise when it comes to utilising the majority of muscles in the body and  helps improve aerobic fitness. Being a low-impact sport, it is not too strenuous on children, but it will make a difference to their overall level of fitness and keep them active.

Aerobic fitness levels have also decreased in adults, and lack of exercise could increase chances of a heart disease or stroke. Swimming for an hour burns approximately 500 calories and acts as a mini resistance workout, due to the fact that water is about 800 times denser than air, so it is a great way to shape up.


Going swimming as a family has numerous benefits. Parents will be motivated to go and do exercise and it will be more of a fun and sociable activity for children, instead of them sticking to just swimming lessons. By the whole family heading down to the local pool, it will also help children’s confidence in water as they will become more familiar with it, and it will help to develop their swimming skills.

Children won’t necessarily see swimming as a chore either as it can be made fun too. Parents can alternate between more ‘serious’ swimming, such as lane swimming and ‘fun swim’ which involves slides and inflatables. Therefore they will be increasing their aerobic fitness as well as having family fun.

For a range of  swimming and buoyancy aids, as well as swimsuits and accessories visit http://www.sportsdirect.com/pages/swimming. Keep up to date with SportsDirect’s competitions and get ideas on staying healthy and fit at www.facebook.com/sportsdirectuk or www.twitter.com/sportsdirectuk.