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Swimming is one of the best cardiovascular and muscular physical exercises that we can perform without fear of injuring our joints or other parts of the body.
If you are thinking of starting a swimming routine in a pool or you already do it, you must take into account its pros and cons.
Among its advantages is the benefit of health:
- It is a sport that exercises the whole body and increases your metabolism, which many calories per hour therefore helps to lose weight.
- Excellent for joints when floating, muscles do not have to support our weight. For that reason, it is recommended for people with arthritis, overweight or muscle aches.
- Strengthens the immune system and reduces cases of flu and colds in winter.
- Greatly reduces stress and anxiety.
- Strengthens the heart, reduces the risk of heart attacks as it is one of the best cardiovascular sports.
However, besides being an excellent sport with numerous health benefits it has its disadvantage as well and one of them is because of chlorine. You must take care of your skin, since you are more prone to the appearance of fungi. The pools are disinfected with chlorine and other chemicals so it can cause skin allergies such as dermatitis, and also irritate the mucous membranes mainly the eyes.
In addition to mycosis or fungi on your skin, many times after swimming, you will notice that your eyes become red and irritated, and your skin is left feeling dry. This happens more often when chlorine levels are not respected and that is why we must protect our eyes and skin. You should also know that a lot of chlorine damages our hair by drying it out.
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But what is chlorine? Chlorine is a chemical agent used to treat pool water, that in certain concentrations usually irritates the mucous membranes and the respiratory system.
According to the standard, the amount of chlorine that the water in a pool must have must be between 0.20 and 0.60 milligrams per liter (chlorine is perceived by smell when it contains 0.30 mg / l). If our pool has more chlorine than necessary, the first effect on our body is seen in the eyes, which red, then dry the nose, throat …
Tips to protect your skin from chlorine
- The first is extremely important. Shower before entering in the pool. With this we get rid of certain bacteria that we can carry in sweat or even on bare feet. For example: When leaving the pool, back to the shower so that the tap water drags as much chlorine as possible from our hair and skin.
- When you get home as soon as possible bathe with soap to eliminate all the chlorine that may remain on the skin.
- It’s time to recover the elasticity of the skin: use a moisturizer and apply it to your body and face.
- The hair also suffers similar consequences, it dries out. That’s why it’s important to wear a bathing cap. In the shower, already at home, use conditioners I would recommend using argan or coconut oil that are very moisturizing after a day of swimming.
Equipment to protect you during swimming
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I recommend a swimmer’s cap and goggles. Wear sandals when getting out of the pool and walk around it.
To avoid skin rashes after a pool session I recommend using calendula, aloe and green tea creams, then you should moisturize your skin with a good moisturizer. I recommend the Farmasi brand’s high quality skincare products that I use after swimming. They work very well in maintaining healthy hair and beautiful, clear, skin.
Below is a link where the skincare products can be found: https://www.farmasius.com/
Finally, I recommend swimming in a pool three times per week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, allowing your mucous membranes, joints, skin and hair to recover on the non swimming days.