Finally Ready To Dive In? Here Are 3 Great Reasons To Learn How To Swim As An Adult

While many adults feel embarrassed that they don't know how to swim, it's actually very common. There are numerous reasons that you may have never learned to swim — an early incident around water may have made you fearful of drowning, or you may have simply never had access to a pool or the beach. Regardless of the reason, it's easy for adults to acclimate themselves to the water and learn how to swim in a safe environment by taking swim lessons from a professional trainer — read on for three great reasons to do so.

1. It Keeps You Safe Around the Water

Learning even basic swim skills and acclimating yourself with the water will help keep you safe when you're around it. Basic swimming skills that you'll learn in swim lessons include the ability to tread water, which allows you to float for long periods of time with minimal exertion — if you fall in deep water and need to wait for a rescue, this skill allows you to remain above the water without tiring yourself out.

Getting used to the water by taking a few swim lessons also reduces the chance that you'll panic if you should accidentally fall into a pool or off of a boat. If you're afraid of the water and you begin to panic, you'll have trouble staying afloat and will quickly run out of energy. What's worse, you may become a danger to anyone trying to save you — even experienced lifeguards have difficulty saving panicking people from the water. Learning basic swimming skills helps to keep you and your rescuers safe.

2. You May Have the Opportunity to Save Others

If you decide that you enjoy swimming and take more advanced swim lessons, you might be called upon to use your newly acquired skills if someone else falls into the water with no lifeguard around. Advanced swim skills include learning the six basic strokes that allow you to swim longer distances quickly, which can help you rapidly reach anyone in need.

3. Swimming Is Fun and a Great Total-Body Workout

Finally, swimming is great exercise. The resistance of the water provides a whole-body workout that's very easy on your joints. In order to get the most out of your swimming workouts, you'll need to schedule swim lessons and learn how to at least perform the basic strokes — varying which stroke you use when you're swimming will target different muscle groups, which turns swimming into an effective form of both resistance training and cardio.

No matter your reason for wanting to swim, it's best to schedule swim lessons with a professional trainer. If you're new to swimming and embarrassed about swimming with others, you can even schedule private lessons. Learning to swim from someone who isn't trained in water rescues can be dangerous — if you have a medical emergency in the pool or get in over your head, you'll want a professional swim trainer around to make sure you remain safe.