Brr, when the colder months hit Melbourne, you know about it- hello sunshine, oh wait, it’s hailing! Melbourne’s winter can certainly be brutal, and we all steer towards curling up by the heater. We also know removing yourself from your warm household to head to swimming lessons can be challenging. Swimming facilities like ours are warm and toasty inside, so for parents or carers watching their children in their swimming lesson, there is no need to bring a winter coat with you – believe us, it’s warm enough.
How to Keep Warm When Swimming in Winter
While it’s warm inside our pool facilities and the water temperature sits between a comfy 28 – 30 degrees, when a student hops in and out of the water, they’ll most likely feel a cool breeze hitting their body, making them feel cold unless they are submerged in the water. No one wants to feel uncomfortable in the water or have their body freeze up in the middle of their swimming lesson. That’s why we thought we’d give you a few tips and tricks from those (that’s us) who’ve been around the pool in winter months for quite some time. Here’s how to keep warm when swimming during your winter sessions:
Thermal Rashies for Adult and Kids
Our top pick from our staff is a thermal long sleeve top designed to keep you warm by not holding onto water and rapidly drying. They are made of hydrophobic polyfleece weave and won’t restrict movement some other paddle tops. These thermal rashies are also really effective against wind chill, so our bodies stay nice and warm in and out of the water. They are available in both child and adult sizes so the whole family can swim comfortably. If your child complains that they are cold during their lesson, a thermal rash vest will provide warmth to their torso, and if you grab a long sleeve thermal rash vest, their arms will also stay nice and snug. But these won’t just be useful for your swimming lessons, they are great for everyday swimming as they also have built in UV 50+ sun protection – so for those long days at the beach, you can rest assured there will be no sunburn in sight. Just remember, these need to fit in a relatively snug way to be effective, if they are too large or old and worn then they will just add to the cold.
Swimming Caps
Swimming caps aren’t always a required item in your swimming lesson, however, our Just Swimming Tintern and Wesley facilities request a cap on at all times while in the pool. Swimming Caps are great at keeping hair dry and maintaining warmth, and you can even wear two for double the protection. As with all exposed body parts, including our head, we can rapidly lose body heat so a cap is going to be useful to contain some of that much needed warmth.
Clothing
When you finish your swimming lesson and hop out of the pool, go for that towel to dry off and if possible, change into some warm clothes as soon as you can, especially while you are in the warm pool environment. Another popular item is to wrap kids in a dressing gown which can tie around their stomachs.
We’re always listening for new ways to stay warm for your swimming lesson in the colder months, and we’ve seen no shortage of creative ideas out there. What’s your favourite way to stay warm during swimming lessons?