There is fear that due to COVID-19, it may have created a generation of non-swimmers who will never learn how to be safe around the water, warn experts.

The peak of swimming lessons in Australia is September just before the beginning of the summer season, however, this year enrolments at swimming schools across Australia dropped 25 per cent compared with last year, according to a research analysis done at 125 swimming facilities by Royal Life Saving Society Australia.

Due to this drop in numbers, these children are unlikely to ever reach national benchmarks that recommend every 12-year-old Australian should be able to swim 50 metres, float for two minutes and know how to respond to an emergency, Royal Life Saving’s chief executive Justin Scarr said.

“If a seven-, eight- or nine-year-old child can’t yet swim 50 metres and tread water for two minutes, then they should be in swimming and water safety lessons,” he said. “Non-swimming children become non-swimming adults, and that is a ticking time bomb.”

The National Swimming and Water Safety Framework, including the benchmarks, can be found here.

Being in a country surrounded by water, children’s swimming lessons are a critical life skill to prevent drownings and to encourage a lifelong love and understanding of the water.

Royal Life Saving is urging parents to judge their children’s swimming abilities and if they can’t reach the National Swimming and Water Safety Benchmarks for their age, they should enrol them in lessons prior to summer.

Royal Life Saving Chief Executive, Justin Scarr notes “the fall in swimming lesson enrolments is so dramatic that Royal Life Saving is concerned that COVID-19 may create a generation of non-swimmers, who will never be safe around water. Parents should be reminded that learning to swim is not only a partial vaccine against drowning, it boosts a lifelong love of swimming for fun, health and fitness.”

If you or you know someone or your child that needs to enrol into swimming lessons please fill out the form here.

With restrictions starting to ease BlueFit is excited to be able to open our doors to the community. To ensure the health and safety of staff and customers there are a number of measures now in place.

Swimming is a full-body workout and therefore it is important that your body is well nourished but not over-fed before you get in the pool. Food is important to provide a consistent supply of energy, however, sometimes in the morning before you leave or just after work/school, there isn’t enough time to cook an A-grade snack such as a smoothie.

Below is a list of easy snacks to make quickly or easy to organise the day before:

Fruit
Pack a banana, apple or mandarin in your bag or cut up some watermelon, cantaloupe or berries, put them in a container the night before and drizzle with some lemon juice to keep them riper for longer!

Museli Bars
These are too easy to pack away and the supermarket will offer you a range of flavours including, nuts, berries, yoghurt or fruit, anything to tickle your fancy.

Raisins or sultanas
You can buy these in bulk and pack a small amount in a container or buy these in small pocket-sized packets to carry. Easy and delicious!

Toast
Carbs are a fantastic type of food to eat before a swim. They can produce a lot of energy that can be burned off in your workout, plus toast takes roughly one minute to cook and a minute to apply your favourite spread.

Eggs
You’re probably thinking how are making eggs easy and quick? In the morning while you’re getting ready or having a shower just put an egg in a pot of boiling water for around 5 minutes, then take the boiled egg on your way. You can peel it when it’s cold before you swim.

Easy to access make up lessons:

BlueFit Swimming is proud to offer make-up lessons via the parent portal. We offer one (1) make-up lesson per month provided you have marked yourself absent through the portal more than 2 hours before your scheduled class. For more information on how make-up lessons work please click here.

Parent Portal Now Open:

You now have access to the parent portal which means you will be able to:

• Mark yourself absent and book make-ups
• Access swim school resources
• Update payment details
• Check class progress*
• Pay outstanding fees
• Book additional lessons

You can access the parent portal by clicking here. Your login details are below:

Username: |your email address|
Temporary Password: 1234

The portal uses your email as your unique identifier. If the email address in our system is incorrect you may have issues getting access to the portal. For any issues with the portal please email support@bluefit.com.au

Checking Class Progress:
Over the coming weeks as we move around and assess all the students the Student Progress section of the portal will be updated. Each time your child achieves a skill you will also be notified by email.

Swim School Calendar:
Our swimming lessons run throughout the year with a small break over Christmas and Easter. We do not run lessons on public holidays and if you have a scheduled class on this day you will not be charged. To view our swim school calendar click here.

Update Payment Details:
You can enter/update your Direct Debit details through the parent portal by using the login above and going to “Update Payment Details” on the left menu bar.

Discount Structure:
A reminder to take note of our discount structure as this may affect your fortnightly class payments. For a detailed breakdown of our discounts click here.

We welcome your feedback:
We always welcome feedback, good or bad, so that we can continue to improve and provide the best quality service. Change is hard, and there are always teething issues when changing systems. With this in mind we would love to know how things are going and welcome your comments.

We all know swimming is a great form of exercise but do we actually know how to turn it into a workout? Is there more to just laps of strokes when exercising in the water? Of course, there is!

Try this workout below and see if it floats your boat:

WARM-UP:

• Start by 2 laps of walking with high knees, as you get to the end of each lap do 10x squats.
• Shoulder rotations: 10 forward each arm, 10 back each arm.

WORK-OUT:

1. Swim easy, with any stroke for 200m.
2. Grab a kickboard with one hand and perform one-arm freestyle with the freehand for 100m (alternating arms every 25m).
3. Move to your back, and do 2 laps of survival backstroke.
4. Grab a kick-board or hold torpedo on your back and kick for 100m.
5. Do 200m of backstroke aiming to do 50m under 40 seconds.

COOL-DOWN:

Pick any easy swimming movement for 200m and end with stretching against the pool wall.

With the winter season upon us, it becomes a little more difficult to get out of the house. However, swimming is a sport you can do all year round, and everyone can participate, especially when there’s a heated pool!

Here are our top 4 reasons why you and the family should hit up the pool for your next family outing:

1. Swimming is one of the few sports you can do throughout your lifetime
2. It does not require lots of special equipment and gear, all you really need is a swimsuit
3. It creates a reason to get together— a good way to socialise with your family
4. Did you know that swimming can boost your immune system? When cells in the body regularly get blood and oxygen, they function better

So what are you waiting for, grab your bathers and let’s go!