SWIMMING BLOG

​Practically everyone would agree that there is something therapeutic about being in or being around water. Even if you are a non-swimmer or have a phobia of water, just being calm and peaceful around water is relaxing for the majority of people. ​Getting out of the bustling towns and cities and walking along a beach can be hugely helpful for your mental wellbeing. We all know that feeling of swimming underwater and being in another world. It’s no wonder swimming can put you into an ideal mental space.
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This effect is equally shown around swimming pools. Swimming for relaxation, leisure or hard training has mental health benefits up and above many other sports. Increased self-esteem is a key psychological benefit of regular physical activity. 

And as a form of physical activity, swimming is hard to beat!
 
Scientific Research on the Mental Health Benefits from Swimming

1. Reduces Stress:  swimming stimulates the brain to release neurochemicals that make the body feel good and in turn reduces stress. Along with the added effect of water moving over the body, it can be very soothing during your swimming routine. Being in contact with the water can also loosen up the body and the mind. Research (although in its early stages) has recently shown that swimming can help generate new brain cells in certain parts of the brain where chronic stress has led to cell deterioration – it’s a process called hippocampal neurogenesis. 
2. Soothing Effect:  many Strictly Swimming London clients tell us how they find that they are able to switch off their mind when swimming and it becomes part of their daily meditation. The water moving over the body creates a massaging sensation which boosts this soothing effect when swimming in the pool or open water.  The rhythmic strokes and sound of the water makes swimming much more relaxing than other forms of exercise and it is also highly conducive to meditation. When you dive into the water, your mood is lifted immediately from the coolness of the water, leaving you free from tiredness and depression.
   
3. Releases Endorphins:   Endorphins which are known as the ‘happy hormones’ interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. They also trigger a positive feeling in your body. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric." That feeling, known as a "runner's high," can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life. The sport of swimming can equally bring about those feelings of euphoria but alongside the therapeutic nature of being in the water, swimming is often proven to beat other forms of physical activity in psychological testing.
4. Boosts Brain Activity: some studies have shown that being immersed in water boosts blood flow to the brain. Swimming as an exercise has been shown to produce the same relaxation response as yoga and the process of stretching and contracting your muscles during your swimming strokes can amplify this feeling. Aerobic swimming increases blood flow around the body and to the brain, which means it can help improve memory, mood, mental clarity and focus.
5. Lower anxiety and depression: Research has shown that exercise is an effective but often underused treatment for mild to moderate depression. Good social support is often important for those with depression and joining a group exercise class can be beneficial. Strictly Swimming London offer group courses which can help with this. Even swimming with a close friend or your partner is supportive. In doing so, you will benefit from the physical activity and emotional comfort, knowing that others are supportive of you. Stick with it. If you swim regularly or start taking lessons regularly, it will soon become part of your lifestyle and will help reduce your depression.
6. Social benefits: Swimming is very much a social sport. Swimmers of all ages and levels can take lessons together, train together, or even work with a Strictly Swimming London coach in the pool. Many studies reveal that exercising and socializing together leads to improved mental health.

 
If you want a challenge and boost your swim training, maybe its time to take advantage of our adult swimming lessons with one of our London coaches. Let our Strictly Swimming London coaches develop your swimming to such a level that you can literally ‘drown’ out all those unwanted thoughts and stresses of your London life. Many swimmers voice that a swimming workout seems to eliminate a bad mood much more efficiently than running, so the time has come to take the plunge once the Covid-19 pandemic slows down and life returns to normal.

Do you like the idea of tracking your swimming in real time? Would you like to see your swimming statistics during or after a workout or lesson? Well the newly designed AR googles (Augmented Reality) that have recently landed on the market will provide your stats during every workout and take your training to the next level.
 
Augmented reality swimming goggles have been designed to help swimmers track their swim times, distances completed and lap splits (to the hundredth of a second) during any swimming workout. This data will also help your coach and teacher to monitor your performance. These goggles can offer you and your Strictly Swimming London coach immediate feedback when in the pool and we can analyse your data during your lesson.
 
The sport of swimming has lacked behind other sports such as cycling and running in recent times (who have various gadgets at their disposal to monitor their stats for some time now). Whereas swimmers (during training and lessons) haven’t had gadgets to hand where they can use them in the water to record split times swum and monitor distances that have been achieved.
 
Such an invention is exciting for the sport of swimming which remains the number one participation sport in the UK with over 2.5 million people swimming in pools each week, according to figures from Sport England recently. This figure increases more if you include open water swimming.
 
There have been various smartwatches on the market for a while with limited functions. The Apple Watches Series 2 and beyond will calculate how many laps that you've swum or the stroke you've performed. Waterproof MP3 players and SwiMP3 players have provided underwater music. However, that’s really been about the level of functions available until now. These new goggle companies are claiming that they will revolutionize the way swimmers train.

Types of AR Swimming Goggles

The Form Goggles display metrics that you need to see in the moment which allow you to take control of your swimming during training and lessons. Developed in collaboration with top competitive swimmers, these goggles allow you to monitor split times, interval times, rest times, total time swum, stroke rate, stroke count, distance per stroke, pace per 100, pace per 50, distance, length count and calories burned (which is impressive).

The smart display is see through and is built right into the goggles lens, delivering metrics without obstructing your vision  https://www.formswim.com/
The FORM Swim Goggles intelligently detect turns and rest—and give you relevant metrics each step of the way. They even allow you to customise your display and review your stats via their App.
 
SwimAR is a holographic display for swimmers by attaching a lightweight, hydrodynamic and waterproof module to a regular pair of swimming goggles. This device includes an added extra GPS system for finding your way in open water.

This module can be attached to various goggle styles with flexible straps.
https://www.swimar.co.uk/

Overall Opinion

If you want to compare your personal bests through your swim training and lessons, then investing in some Augmented Reality goggles is definitely for you! These state-of-the-art swimming goggles will allow you to adjust your stroke to the pace you need, increase your stroke length if you are starting to shorten through your workout and also allow you to stop guessing your pace. For those swimmers with poor eyesight who cannot see the pace clock on the poolside, then these goggles will be ground-breaking. Using AR goggles seems to eliminate pausing to check your lap times during your workout.

The downfalls are that AR goggles are really meant for serious swimmers and secondly they seem not to be able to monitor kick sets at the moment (although we think the positives hugely out way the negatives).
Be careful if you are swimming competitively as these goggles are designed to be used during training but not at a swim meet as they are not FINA approved (yet)!
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If you would like to use these goggles during your lesson with our London coaches, we will be able to analyse your stats and offer instant feedback on your split times and intensity performed during your swimming set.
The Strictly Swimming London team are excited to see these new AR goggles (even though they are pricey) and really believe that they will be massively motivational to swimmers all over the world.

There are so many brands of swimming goggles on the market nowadays, with a varying price range, but the best goggles are simply those that fit correctly and feel comfortable and stable on your face. You need to feel happy and confident that they will stay in place when swimming at your top speed.

Many of the Strictly Swimming London coaching team have a high-level competitive swimming background and all will tell you how they had a favourite pair of goggles or ‘lucky goggles’ they felt helped them when racing (many of these goggles being the lowest price). So despite the price of the goggles you are trying on, always opt for those that fit the best and make your feel confident that they won’t bug you during your lessons, workouts and races.
 
Getting the best fit with your swimming goggles

Try on a few pair of swimming goggles to find a fit that suits you best. For some, children’s goggles may fit better than adult goggles.  Hold the goggles to your face (without using the strap) and if you feel suction and they stay in place briefly, then they are most likely to be a good fit as you can feel a tight seal. If they fall off immediately, they won’t be a good fit and will hinder your swimming lessons and workouts.  The main areas to check out when trying on a new pair of goggles are:

Eye seal​ – After trying various pairs, opt for goggles that fit your eye socket size. With a good fitting pair of swimming goggles, you should feel even pressure around the eye sockets and seals the eyes well. Look at all eye socket types for men, women, all adults and even children’s goggles.

Straps - The straps are used to keep your goggles in place but not to provide the seal. The strap should not be tightened so much that it makes the goggle uncomfortable and creates marks around your eyes, because it is too tight. When wearing a goggle with two straps, place the lower strap about eye level at the back of your head and position the other strap a couple of inches higher. This provides a secure fit and will help to prevent your goggles leaking or falling off when you dive into the water.

Nose bridge – many goggles nowadays have an adjustable nose bridge to allow swimmers to personalise the fit and mould it to fit your face. Find a pair of goggles with a nose bridge that can be tightened or loosened to fit the with of your nose (without it affecting the placement of each goggle on your eye sockets).
 
Pool Swimming or Open Water Swimming?

If you are swimming in the sea or in open water, it is recommended that you opt for polarized swimming goggles. It is also important to find a pair of goggles which allow optimum peripheral vision when swimming in open water due to reduced visibility in unclear water.
A wide medium to large frame will maximize your field of view in the open water, allowing you to ‘sight’ better when swimming in rough water.
 
Swimming Goggles for Triathlon

Whether you are contending with the glare of the sun, murky water or cloudy skies, it is worth spending some time thinking about your needs before you buy some goggles for your triathlon swim leg.            
Adult triathletes who opt for a full open-water mask will experience greater drag than a pair of small racing goggles. That may be true, but a small pair of goggles wouldn’t stand up well to a kick in the face at the start of a triathlon. A full wrap-around goggle is a common choice for open-water swimmers and triathletes, and there are definite benefits associated with the greater peripheral vision and more even distribution of pressure around the eyes through long swims.

Goggles Keep Steaming Up

Goggles fog up because warm, wet air, usually created from your body heat, condenses on the cooler-than-air lenses. However, if your goggles feature an anti-fog coating and still steam up, it could be their age. In some cases, with regular usage, goggles can out-live their anti-fog coating, depending on the method used to apply it during manufacture. If yours are fogging up and are old or well-used, it might be time to consider investing in a new pair. Avoid rubbing the lenses or touching them during your lessons and workouts, as this will start to remove the coating.
 
Taking Care of Your Goggles

Goggle maintenance is not an exact science but by following our hints and tips you should prolong the life of your goggles. All you need to do is wash the chlorinated water off your goggles after your lesson in warm water, air dry them rather than wiping them with a towel and store them carefully to avoid scratching the lenses.
 
Happy Swimming!
 
Paul Williams

No matter what swimming level you fall into, it is essential to find the correct swimming goggles for your lessons and training routines. It is essential in order to give you comfort and maximise visibility and quite simply prevent unwanted chlorinated water in your eyes.

There is nothing more distracting than an unsuitable and uncomfortable pair of goggles during your lessons. Finding the right fit can be a problem to many swimmers and can slow down progression during your lessons. For example, Strictly Swimming London coaches often experience clients struggling and being hesitant with their breathing technique simply due to wrongly fitted goggles. Water getting into clients’ eyes when swimming often hinders concentration during lessons. Wearing the perfect goggles during your lesson will ensure excellent vision, comfort and concentration.
Here is a simple guide to help you select a pair of swimming goggles depending on your needs.
 
Factors to consider when choosing goggles

Face shape – your swimming goggles should fit snugly on your face and eye sockets. This includes matching the width of your goggles with the width of your face. Some competitive swimmers wear smaller racing goggles or children’s goggles for a firm fit. Men and women have different contours of the face, hence why many brands sell both men’s and women’s swimming goggles.
 
Size and Shape – Goggles come in all shapes and sizes. They generally can be classified into small and large sockets, small and large frame size and small and large lenses. Large socket goggles don’t actually fit into your eye socket and rely on suction around the eye instead. Lens size is the size of the lens through which the swimmer sees. A larger lens allows the swimmer to see more with a wide-angle view during lessons. By contrast, small lenses are more streamlined but allow the swimmer a smaller field of vision.
 
Comfort – Select a pair that you can imagine wearing for hours a week without any discomfort. If you are swimming for reasonably long periods of time, comfort will be your main priority.  Swim training and fitness swimming will involve swimming many lengths in one session and you should therefore choose a goggle that feels comfortable around the eyes. Even a one-hour swimming lesson or a one and half hour Iron-man swim requires comfortable goggles.
 
Visibility - A flat lens will typically reduce your perception of depth and distance, whereas a curved lens increases peripheral vision in the water and provide a 180 degree range of vision. Some goggles even have slanted lenses to promote correct head position and body alignment. Visibility is essential in both the pool and open water and your choice of eye wear should provide this. Choose goggles with an anti-fog coating and UV protection. Coated lenses are better because you won’t need to defog them as often. 
Colour of the lens – Many swimmers tend to go for lighter coloured lenses for visibility, but if you regularly swim outdoors or in bright environments, dark lenses can be better in coping with the glare of the sun. 
 
Clear lenses are designed for indoor pool swimming with low light. Dark lenses such as mirrored lenses or smoky lenses are designed for sunny outdoor swimming to reduce brightness (just as your sunglasses work). Blue lenses are suited to both indoor and outdoor use and are designed to allow a moderate level of light into the eye but maintain protection from glare in bright conditions. Lilac lenses provide the best contrast for objects against a green or blue background.  Amber lenses are designed to filter the light to crisp up your view. 
 
Anti-Fog Lens – Regular untreated lenses tend to easily mist up when used in the swimming pool. Anti-Fog treated goggles on the inside surface of the lenses help to reduce fogging up while you are in the water. Many brands now come with anti-fog protection.
Avoid touching or wiping the inside of the lens as this can damage the anti-fog coating which cannot be repaired.