Fun swimming facts that make owning a swimming pool even more interesting.
Your backyard swimming pool is one of the greatest assets that you own. It’s a place where family and friends can hang out after a long work week, throw a birthday party for a loved one, or get in some exercise by swimming laps following a hard day. Custom pool builders obviously know a lot about swimming pools, but they also know a lot about swimming.
We thought it’d be fun to take a look at eight different swimming facts that you may have never heard before. Feel free to pass a few on to your friends and family!
Most People in the United States Can’t Swim
If you ask any average person, they’ll probably say that coming across a person who doesn’t know how to swim is a rather rare occurrence. The truth, though, is that the majority of people in the United States cannot swim. Some studies have put the number as high as 65%!
Swimming Uses Every Major Muscle
Swimming is an excellent exercise for improving muscle strength. You may not realize just how much swimming benefits the body when you take a few laps. The muscles that get a workout include abdominal, forearm, upper back, lower back, shoulder, hamstring, glutes, and hip flexor muscles. No wonder swimming relaxes you and wears you out at the same time.
Florida is the Only State with Certification Laws
Florida takes the importance of swimming lessons very seriously. How seriously? Well, it is the only state where you must be are there a certified instructor or lifeguard in order to teach a person how to swim.
Swimming Burns More Calories Than Running or Biking
Swimming benefits anyone who is looking to burn a ton of calories. While running burns 557 calories per hour and biking burns 483, swimming beats them both at 784 calories. This will depend on a person’s gender and weight, of course, but swimming will beat both forms of exercise regardless of these factors.
Olympic-Sized Pools Are Bigger Than You Thought
You probably already know that an Olympic-sized pool is big, but you might not know exactly how big. These pools can hold more than 660,000 gallons of water. To put that into perspective, a bathtub contains just 70 gallons, which means that an Olympic-sized pool translates to more than 9,400 baths. Don’t get us started on how many rubber duckies you’d need!
Egyptians Were Swimmers, Too!
Swimming appears to have been a popular activity amongst ancient Egyptians. We know this because hieroglyphics depicting swimming have been discovered in various locations. That’s probably how they found the strength to build all those pyramids!
Swimming Became an Olympic Sport More Than 120 Years Ago
Swimming was introduced as an Olympic sport way back in the year 1896. However, women weren’t allowed to compete in the event until the 1912 Olympics. What may be most shocking, of course, is that it was still seven years before women were given the right to vote.
Ben Franklin Invented Swim Fins
Electricity and water may not mix, but that certainly didn’t stop Ben Franklin. The truth is that Franklin loved to swim but wanted to go faster. He started off by inventing a pair of handheld fins, but after realizing how tiresome that was, he instead put them on his feet.
Contact Larsen’s Pool & Spa for Custom Pool Design and Remodeling
Larsen’s Pool & Spa is a leading pool contractor and has spent years helping homeowners just like yourself discover the magic of experienced pool design. As a custom pool builders in Tampa we can design and construct a backyard pool area that will leave you in awe. To learn more about our services and to schedule a no-cost consultation, reach out to us today at (727) 786-7665. We’d be happy to provide more swimming facts, too!