Articles

The Effect of Lack of Sleep on Human Performance (Guest Writer: Paul Barry)

  Believe you can perform at your peak or athletic peak on 6 hours of sleep daily? Science says … “You Better Go Back To Bed” Clinical studies have reflected that people whose sleep patterns are reduced to 6 hrs per night for a period of 2 weeks become equally as fatigued as someone who has remained awake for a period of 48 hours! If athletes were aware of these findings, it would be a challenge to find anyone backing themselves to...

How Social Media Improves Water Safety (Guest Writer: Natalia Darlan)

Recently, the country has been experiencing extreme weather conditions. Reuters reports that temperatures are rising above 100 °F and it’s being felt in several areas such as New York (99 °F) and Texas (112 °F). In response, many Americans are getting into swimming to stay cool. This makes water safety all the more important because accidents like drowning can occur, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informs is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children ages...

Ocean and Beach Safety

Greetings Families! Our beaches are open and we want everyone to be safe while enjoying them! Pls share this with your friends and family members along with our PSA Here. https://twitter.com/SwimStrongNYswimstrong-2015-infrographic.png Beach Forecasts and Text Alerts The daily beach forecast by the National Weather Service (NWS), located at https://www.weather.gov/beach/okx , includes rip current risk levels and information about other hazards at the beach. Sign up for text alerts for beach conditions by texting “Beach” or “Playa” to 877877. To check on beach water...

Be SMART to be SAFE Around the Water

As Water Safety Professionals We Advocate That You Only Swim When A Life Guard is Present BUT If You Insist Upon Putting Yourself in Danger, Here Are Some Ways to Minimize Your Risk of Drowning and Injury. Can’t swim? Don’t go out! Know your limits and stay within them. Assume that your swim skills are less than you think in open water.    Swim with a buddy; preferably one that is more swim skilled than you are. Ask a person who is on...

Oxidative Stress – What Is It? and How Does It Impact Our Health?

Both Oxidative Stress (OS) & Free Radicals (FR) are terms many have heard but no little about. A great place to start is a base understanding of human cells. Adults are made up of 30 trillion cells, with every cell renewing on a 3-month cycle. Humans are cellular structures, which is biologically accurate, but our cells are also molecules! Cells are made of proteins, a type of molecule, & water, which is another molecule, together with a variety of molecules....

IMPORTANCE OF FLUID INTAKE (HYDRATION)

Drinking enough fluid each day is vitally important for everyone’s continued Health & Wellbeing. While fluid incorporates a very broad range of substances, I’m referring to water. Our goal should always be to consume the highest quality purist water that we can access. There are numerous factors relating to volume required e.g., Season, Climate, Exercise Intensity; but as a generic value adult males require 3 litres each day whereas, an adult female needs approximately 2.2 litres. Our body relies on the...

COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE & CRF MEASURED AS VO2 MAX

COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE & CRF MEASURED AS VO2 MAX The concept of being able to enhance your brain & neural network via aerobic & anaerobic energy systems is amazing! Our brain & nervous system change in response to enhanced oxygen usage with studies clearly indicating that CRF is associated with brain volume & brain white matter integrity in healthy older adults. White matter refers to areas of the Central Nervous System (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons which impacts...

VO2 Max Testing – Is This Important For Non-Athletes?

Vo2 Testing V̇O₂ Max is a term that many have heard but may not be aware of it’s meaning or usage. The test reveals the maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental exercise; that is, exercise of increasing intensity. It directly reflects the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise. It’s a combination of how much oxygen rich blood your heart can pump together with the heart’s efficiency in extracting & utilizing oxygen. This sports science test...

Wading into Open or Wild Water for the 1st Time? By Kate Gillwood

Introduction: Swim Strong welcomes our Scottish colleague Kate Gillwood, who helps us understand what we should be thinking about before taking our first open water swim. Are you that person who has been building up the courage to do this for a few months and is now here at the waters edge ready to go. You start to wade in and instinctively take a sharp breath as you toes almost recoil in surprise. Ooft it’s cold!! This sounds like just about any...