New FREE content from the OWC System for Mastering Outdoor Swimming!
As much as I enjoy swimming outdoors, I have to admit that it’s not always a pleasant experience. Unlike a swimming pool (well, unlike MOST swimming pools at least), the lake is not a sterile and antiseptic environment.
So at any given time, you might find some or all of these niceties in the water:
– Algae
– Pollen
– Bacteria (especially E. Coli)
– Viruses
– Parasites
– Fungi
– Mold spores
– Sewage effluent
– Heavy metals
– Pesticides
– Runoff from agriculture and urbanization
– Air pollution particulates
These water contaminants – whether naturally occurring or artificially created – unfortunately wreak havoc on our bodies if they’re allowed to remain in our systems for extended periods of time. When left unchecked, they can cause allergies, mild to severe ear infections (i.e. swimmer’s ear), sinus infections, and flu-like illnesses due to water-borne contaminants.
So while many of us do what we can to keep our beaches and swim areas clean and contaminant-free, we have to accept the reality that it’s impossible to completely eliminate these health risks whenever we swim in the lake.
But what we can do is mitigate their impact on our personal health.
Be sure to check out the recent videos I produced on this subject. I’ve placed links to them below. FYI – If you’ve been out to any of our recent meetups and listened to me grumble incessantly about ragweed, you can probably skip the first two!
OWC System for Mastering Outdoor Swimming – Water Quality – Introduction
OWC System for Mastering Outdoor Swimming – Water Quality – Overview
OWC System for Mastering Outdoor Swimming – Water Quality – Swim Hack 1
OWC System for Mastering Outdoor Swimming – Water Quality – Swim Hack 2