HealthyPools Blog

by Timothy O’Donnell, Professional Triathlete

As a lifelong swimmer, and professional Triathlete, swimming is in my blood. It strengthens my discipline and keeps my body in tip-top shape, and it’s also downright enjoyable. Life can be a constant blur of training, traveling, racing and coffee (my weakness), but swimming is my one constant.

One thing I’m a stickler about where my swimming’s involved is making sure the pool I’m swimming in is properly treated. It’s easy to tell when a pool hasn’t been cared-for correctly because it has that familiar “chlorine” smell (for more on that, see below), the tiles are slippery or the water just doesn’t have that crisp, clear look to it.

Pool water might not sound (or rather look) like a big deal, but because I make my living as an athlete, it’s important for me to stay healthy, and swimming in a pool with improper chlorine levels and pH could lead to recreational water illnesses such as diarrhea (not fun). And more importantly, who would want to swim in a dirty pool? Yuck.

Swimming is supposed to be fun. To make sure that it stays fun (which includes not getting sick!), make sure you’re not only a swimmer, but a proactive one. Be an activist swimmer! Start by ordering some free test strips from HealthyPools.org and test the water at the pool(s) you use regularly. If the readings don’t match those of a healthy pool, tell the lifeguard. It’s easy to be proactive, and the best benefit will be swimming a healthy pool. Then, go back to HealthyPools.org to enter your pool’s data and help paint a picture of pool conditions across the country. See how your pool stacks up!

But also, be a good example yourself — shower BEFORE you jump into a pool. Remember that “chlorine smell?” It isn’t even chlorine. It’s CHLORAMINES– by-products of the interaction between chlorine and body oil, pee and other contaminants.

Because I plan to spend a lot of time in the water over the next few decades, I want to be sure to be swimming in the healthiest water possible. I’m going to be an activist swimmer, and I’m asking you to join me.

Timothy O’Donnell is the 2009 ITU Long Course World Champion and the 2009 USAT Non-ITU Athlete of the year. He placed second at the 2009 US Pro National Championships and is a six-time US Armed Forces Champion (2003-2008). A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he is a member of the USAT Project 2012 Team. You can find him online at www.TimothyODonnell.com or follow him on Twitter.

by Hilary Riedemann

Ok, this could get gross, but stick with me! As a new Mom I am constantly bombarded with “do this”, “do that”, “use this product”, “buy this toy” sales pitches to the point that I’m starting to wonder which end of the baby is up.  And I have to admit, here and there I sometimes fall victim to the sexy ads, alarming wording and overall “must have” nature that surrounds parenthood. For the most part, I can pick and choose the advice and items which I feel fit best with my style of parenting, but when it comes to Baby R’s health, I want to know what’s flash and what’s actually important.

As a newborn she’s susceptible to more problems in her environment than older kids, and it’s my job to keep her safe. With summer coming up, it’s going to be a sun-protection adventure full of sunscreen, hats, bathing suits and that ever-so-wonderful afternoon by the pool.

As little as she is, she certainly won’t be lounging in the sun for long, but I do want to be sure to take her in the water. Not just to cool her off, but to get her used to the water, so that it’s familiar when it comes time for her to take swimming lessons.  And so she can have some fun splashing around!

And, as cute as she’ll be in her little bathing suit (I’m her mother, I’m biased!) it would not be cute for her to have an “explosion” and contaminate the water. Which means, not only will she wear a swim diaper, but I will also change her away from the pool area, and make sure both of us take care to wash up properly afterwards. The last thing I would want to do would be to put another person at risk just because Baby R was in the water!

I also don’t want to risk her breathing or getting used to that “chlorine smell”, which isn’t even chlorine at all. It’s CHLORAMINES – by-products of the interaction between chlorine and body oil, pee and/or bacteria. A truly clean pool – meaning the chemicals are balanced and it’s routinely vacuumed – doesn’t smell – at all. Controlling the chlorine level and the pH of a pool means it’s properly disinfected to kill germs, it doesn’t smell, there’s no grimy feel to the sides, the water doesn’t bother your skin or eyes and, is, overall – a healthy pool.

So not only can I protect my daughter from the sun, this summer, I can also protect her from unhealthy pools – just by doing what Moms do – being proactive. I can take my test strips (they’re free – order them here!) and test the water to be sure it’s safe for her to “swim” in. If the chemicals aren’t balanced properly, I can inform the lifeguard (or other pool caretaker) and I’ll know that I probably shouldn’t take her in the water.

I’m my daughter’s first line of defense against the world, and I want to her to be safe in the water — and FROM the water.

Hilary Riedemann is the mother of 4 month old “Baby R” and a Project Manager
at New Media Strategies. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.