Enjoy The Rest Of The Outdoor Pool Season

Marco!  Polo! 

The sound of those two words makes you instantly think of summertime and swimming. The pool at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile claims to be the largest swimming pool in the world and holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s deepest swimming pool at 115 feet at the deep end!  This pool is 3,324 feet long and covers 19.77 acres. Imagine playing Marco Polo in that pool!  Maybe not.

There are plenty of things to do in the swimming pool to keep yourself entertained and get a little exercise.

• Learn all the swim strokes. There are four main strokes and each has it’s own benefit.
  1. Freestyle, sometimes called the front crawl: This stroke provides an excellent workout for the whole body.
  2. Breaststroke: If you’re looking to tone your back and leg muscles, this one is for you. It also works the chest muscles, upper back and triceps.
  3. Backstroke: This stroke works the spine, hips, shoulders, legs and more and can help improve your posture. If you spend a lot of time sitting at work or home, you should give this one a try.
  4. Butterfly stroke: While this can be a more challenging stroke for some, it engages your core and can help improve posture and make your body more flexible and strong.
• Make a scrapbook. You can create hours of fun using a disposable underwater camera. Let the kids show off their craziest underwater faces or do their best at synchronized swimming. Once you have the pictures in hand, make a scrapbook, put them on a wall organizer or on a photo gallery app.  Vote for the best picture.  Make it a fun event that lasts beyond the pool time.
• Make pool-time, gym time. Many kids won’t be going back to the classroom this fall and that means missing out on gym class.  Not so if you have a pool.  Invest in a volleyball net or basketball hoop.  Or buy weights meant for the pool and create a routine.  There’s no reason you can’t burn calories and have fun.
• Play games. Yes, Marco Polo is a fun game that people have played for decades. Or toss rings in the pool and have the kids jump in to get as many as they can (safely). A quick online search will help you find many games to make pool time extra fun.

Take time this summer to enjoy your pool before fall sets in and you start to think about closing the pool for the season.