However the CDC does state the following: "Regular exercise is important to the maintenance and improvement of health."
The health benefits of swimming are many. Swimming works your whole body, improving cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength, endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time.
I've listed some of the information I've found regarding swimming and cold weather. At the bottom of the list you will find the CDC recommendations for preventing colds and flu. Please follow these recommendations to help keep everyone healthy.
Bring your suit. Swim for your health, for your safety, and for the fun! Come on in! The water is a wonderfully warm 86 degrees year round!
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: "There is no evidence that you can get a cold from exposure to cold weather or from getting chilled or overheated."
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/healthscience/healthtopics/colds/cause.htm
American Lung Association: "Myth: You can catch the flu or a cold from going outdoors in cold weather. Fact: The flu and colds are more common in the winter months because that is when the viruses spread across the country. It has nothing to do with being outside in cold weather." www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9o0E&b=35869
Barnes Care Connection: "Although many people are convinced that a cold results from exposure to cold weather or from getting chilled or overheated, research has found that these conditions have little or no effect on the development or severity of a cold."
www.barnescare.com/barnescare_bcc_content.aspx?id=1459
OurOhio.org: "There is no evidence that your chances of getting a cold are related to factors such as exercise, diet, exposure to cold weather or from getting chilled or overheated."
http://ourohio.org/index.php?page=stop-cold-flu-germs
CommonCold.org: "Myth: Becoming cold or chilled leads to catching a cold. Fact: Almost everybody becomes infected whether they are chilled or not, if cold virus is dropped into the nose. Colds were no more frequent or severe in volunteers who were chilled than those who were not." http://www.commoncold.org/special1.htm
Department of Health and Human Services Centers of Disease Control and Prevention: "Prevention: Strict attention to infection-control practices should decrease or prevent spread of infection. Frequent handwashing and not sharing items such as cups, glasses, and utensils with an infected person should decrease the spread of the virus to others. Excluding children with colds or other respiratory illnesses (without fever) who are well enough to attend child care or school settings will probably not decrease the spread of HPIVs, because the viruses are often spread in the early stages of illness." www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/hpivfeat.htm
More CDC information: By far, the single best way to prevent the flu is for individuals, especially people at high risk for serious complications from the flu, to get a vaccination each year. However, there are other good health habits that can help prevent the flu. These are:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
- If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
- Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/pdf/qa.pdf
KETV Channel 7 Story: Exercising when you have a cold: http://www.ketv.com/familyfitness/15112534/detail.html
FYI: I coached swimming in Jupiter, Florida for many, many years. Our swim team practiced year round in an outdoor pool. The rule for morning practice was 40 degrees we practice, 39 degees we don't practice. All of our swimmers were to check the Weather Channel and whatever the temperature was at 5:00 AM, that's the temp we used to determine whether or not to have swim practice that morning. We didn't have a temperature rule for afternoon/evening practices. We just swam regardless of the temperature.
We had hundreds of swimmers of all ages swim on our team over the years and the subject of swimming in cold weather leading to illness never came up! We didn't swim below 40 degrees because it wasn't much fun, not because we thought someone might get sick. (Mostly it wasn't much fun for Coach Neal to stand on the deck when it was in the 30's. The swimmers were just fine.) We regularly practiced in the morning and in the evening in temperatures in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. We always swam in the wind and rain. The only weather condition that would result in suspension of practice was lightning in the immediate area.
Swimming lessons were conducted in the outdoor pool year round and there was no temperature set for closing the pool to open swim. The pools remain open for lap and open swimming regardless of the air temperature. Swimmers would be very angry if they were told they couldn't swim because it's too cold. It's over 80 in the water, that's all that matters.
Of course, there are people who like to swim in cold water, not just in cold weather. Those people are just silly, silly, silly! I won't even take the time to write about such a crazy practice, no matter what the health benefits may be. Our pool is kept at a lovely 86 degrees year round. -jn
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