Page 38 - Seniorstoday April 2023 Issue

fastest strokes. Similar to the backstroke
legs simultaneiously extend backwards
with bent knees and your feet kick up and
down, propelling you forward. It is a very
basic, easy stroke and it allows you to
keep your head above the water, nice for
learners.
The breast stroke — is the slowest
stroke, but also the easiest. It is one of the
first strokes taught to new swimmers. It
requires precise timing and is performed
on your stomach with your face in the
water. Your arms extend forward, below
the water, pull backward (lift your head at
this time to grab a breath) in an outward in
a sweeping motion toward your chest and
then extend again to glide and start the next
stroke. You bend your knees, bring your
feet up toward your body, move your feet
outward and then extend and snap your
legs together. Just like a frog.
The Backstroke — also known as a back
crawl, the backstroke is the fastest stroke
performed on your back, with your face out
of the water and easy breathing. Your arms
move in a circular motion like the windmill
motion and alternate with pushing and
pulling. As one arm extends forward and
enters the water, the other is exiting. Your
legs alternate in an up-and-down motion,
to perform the flutter kick.
Freestyle — or the crawl, is one of the
38
but is performed on your stomach with
your face in the water and your whole body
close to the surface. To breathe, instead of
lifting your head, turn it to one side to take
a quick breath.
The Butterfly stroke — It’s easily the
hardest stroke to learn, and it requires
some serious strength, It’s also one of the
best calorie-burners, around 820 calories
per hour. It requires precise timing in
addition to coordination. You time the
movement of your arms with a dolphin
kick as your body undulates, similar to the
way worms move, through the water. Lift
both arms out of the water, reach forward,
enter the water in front of your shoulders
and pull your hands back through the
water toward your feet. When your hands
are near your thighs, lift your head to
breathe, lift your arms out of the water and
repeat the stroke. Take two dolphin kicks
with each stroke. Keep your legs together,
bend your knees and whip your feet
downward. Not for the faint hearted.
A few fun facts about swimming-
1. Swimming is one of the safest exercises
for pregnant women.
2. Swimming is an economical and
affordable form of exercise
3. Swimming helps control MS symptoms
4. You can get dehydrated while
swimming, so stay hydrated
5. Swimming regularly can make you
smarter
6. No matter your age or skill level,
learning to swim is a must, it could save
your life or the life of someone else.
The benefits of swimming start as soon
as you jump into the pool and extend well
beyond the time you leave the pool.
As Dory said in Finding Nemo, “just
keep swimming!”