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How to Prevent Stains in Your Swim Spa

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Stains can form when your swim spa is not in use, which can make your spa lose its luster to a certain degree. There are ways to combat this, however, and keep your swim spa looking as good as the day it was purchased and installed. According to the experts, the absolute best way to keep stains or any other degradation from happening is to invest in a really good cover for your spa for those dormant or winter months. There are different types of covers to consider. The mesh safety covers or solid safety covers with drain panels serve a certain purpose, yet they still allow a certain amount of contaminants, such as oils and dirt to accumulate in the spa all winter long. A solid safety cover is considered the absolute best way to prevent those contaminants from entering the spa and causing the stains that can form when they are allowed to enter.

Another very important factor to consider and action to perform is to fully ensure that the water remaining in the spa is properly balanced. As the colder weather comes, the water will change and it can have a very negative impact on your spa. The colder water will allow the formation of crystals from the salt if the ph, alkalinity and calcium are not properly adjusted to counteract this simple chemistry reaction.

The third thing to consider is the final cleaning of the spa for the winter close up. Be sure to take the time to thoroughly clean the spa, so that it is virtually spotless. By doing this, you will be sure that there is nothing that can give rise to the problems outlined above.

The maintenance does not end there either. Be sure to keep the cover free of any debris that may blow in over the course of the fall and winter months. Always keep the water level below the rim of the cover as well to prevent the water from touching the cover as it can trap debris like leaves. Also, be sure to clean any snow off the top and use a leaf catcher to reduce the amount of leaves and debris from sitting on the top.

These are just a few of the tips needed to maintain your spa during winter. You will also need to consider using scale inhibitors, stain inhibitors and possibly enzymes as well, depending on your particular climate and type of filtering system. Be sure to do your homework and follow the advice of your manufacturer to ensure that your spa looks great for years to come.

A Closer Look at Swim Spa Enclosures

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Having a swim spa installed at your home is a great addition. It is something that is going to bring many hours of entertainment, as well as fun and relaxation to the entire family. Once you have your swim spa installed, you may want to go a step further and think about one of the many enclosures that can make this space even more valuable.

Your enclosure can be based around pools or swim spas. When making the decision for your enclosure, you may want to get one that is electronically controlled. These are super easy to use and usually all they take is a touch of a button on a handheld remote to open and close the enclosure. This gives you the best of both worlds. When it’s a bright and sunny day, you can open the enclosure, so you can enjoy the warmth of the sun. When the weather is not cooperating, it doesn’t mean that you can’t take advantage of your swim spa, as you can easily close your enclosure to provide you with the extra protection that you will want.

When choosing your enclosure, you’re going to want to think of some of the variations in colours, as well as shapes and designs. You also want to look for an enclosure that is going to fit in with the aesthetics of the area where your swim spa is located.

If you want to go even more elaborate, you can look at the fully retractable pool enclosures. Again, you have the option of having it open or closed which really makes the use of the swim spa versatile. Before making your decision, you really want to look at what is available to you, as a well as your budget.

It is not unusual for many people, when first starting out with a swim spa, to not consider adding an enclosure. However, after they have enjoyed the fun and all the other benefits that the swim spa has to offer, they don’t want to lose any time throughout the year of not being able to use it. Making the extra investment for an enclosure is a good one because it allows you to use your spa all year round.

Using Your Swim Spa as a Treadmill

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There is a lot fun to be had with a swim spa and included in this is making use of it as a swimming treadmill. If you have ever used a traditional treadmill, you know the type of workout it can give you. Now, when you combine that with water resistance, you will get an impressive workout that’s also easy on your joints.

Traditional Treadmill Warm Ups

As with any type of exercise, a warm up is always required. Normally, for the warm up, it would consist of a three to five minute walk at an easy pace, which is then increased gradually. This helps to loosen up the muscles that are going to be used in the extensive treadmill workout.

Water Treadmill Warm Up

The warm up actually begins when most people enter the water. This is when they are going through the process of getting used to the water with its feel and temperature. It is common for people to automatically start moving their arms and legs once in the water.

Confidence

When on a treadmill, it is normal for most to use the cross bar of the treadmill to hang on to help them keep their balance and remain on the treadmill. This is not something that has to be done in a swim spa because the water provides the buoyancy that is needed to keep you stabilized.

Reduction In Soreness

It is not uncommon when using a treadmill, especially when first getting used to it, that one experiences different degrees of soreness. The feet can become sore as well as leg muscles. With the treadmill actions being carried out in the water, this is really reduced, especially when it comes to the feet.

Using the swim spa to carry out treadmill exercises often makes this type of exercise more enjoyable. You may feel far more refreshed as opposed to feeling sweaty and tired when using the traditional treadmills. This is just one of the many forms of exercise that can be carried out in the swim spa. When you combine these benefits as well as the fun and relaxation that a swim spa offers, it is well worth the investment.

Reasons To Workout In Your Swim Spa

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Swimming in a swim spa is a great workout, but what many people don’t realize is that it is not the only workout that is available to a swim spa owner. The massive variety of workouts that you can do in the swim spa is impressive.

There are a wide variety of low impact workouts that you can do in the water that will benefit the entire body and the cardio vascular system. The benefits that you realize come from the water providing resistance to the movements of the exerciser.

Hydrotherapy or working out in a water based environment is an excellent way to get full body exercise and, for many reasons, it is beneficial for anyone, even those who may have physical disabilities. The fact that working out in the water causes much less strain on the joints in the body means that you can avoid injuries that you may encounter when working out on land.

This also means that you can actually work out longer than you would traditionally working out in the gym, while the lack of stress on the body and pain in the joints means that you can have very effective workouts overall.

The aerobic workouts that you can do in the water will have a huge benefit on your cardio vascular system and actually offers a more powerful workout than traditional land based workouts. If you add up all the incredible benefits that a swim spa can introduce into your fitness regimen, not to mention the fun that you can have, it all adds up to a great solution to get and stay in shape. Whether swimming is passion or you have limitations due to a physical impairment and need a shallow water workout instead, you and the whole family will benefit from a swim spa.

Cleaning Mistakes To Avoid With Your Swim Spa

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It is so beneficial to have a swim spa in your yard or basement that you can head to for a full body workout as you swim. The benefits of swimming have been proven in study after study to have such an incredible effect on the health of not just your body but on your mental health as well. Having said that, when you decide to install a swim spa, there are some things you need to remember and mistakes you should avoid.

By having the necessary knowledge beforehand, you will ensure that your swim spa experience is the best that it can be. One of the most common mistakes that new swim spa owners make and one that can be completely avoided very easily is the use of the cleaners that you use to clean and maintain your spa.

Most people would never even consider the effects that mixing certain chemicals can have on both the liner and the water itself. There is a specific reason that there are chemicals on the market that are specifically designed for cleaning your spa. The chemical composition of these cleaners are designed to work with the chemicals that you use to ensure that your water stays bacteria free. If you neglect to use these chemicals, you run the risk of mixing chemicals that are found in regular household cleaning products with the stuff in the water that can have very negative effects for your swim spa and potentially your health.

In some extreme cases, you can also inadvertently create a chemical reaction that can be harmful. Always use only products that are designed to be used in conjunction with the chemicals in the actual water. Whenever you have doubts, make sure to do your homework by checking with a reputable swim spa manufacturer or pool supply company to get the right information.

Never rely on the advice of people who do not know for sure what they are saying. This can be a recipe for disaster. There are enough products on the market that are specifically designed to maintain and clean your spa. Be safe and use only the stuff your manufacturer recommends.

Maintaining a swim spa is really easy, takes very little time and there are only a few precautions that you need to take with it.

Iron Man Training with a Swim Spa

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Iron Man training is no easy task and it takes a lot of time and commitment. In general, this type of training includes running, cycling and swimming. Many of those who are involved in this type of training are not able to commit to it full time. They have to fit their training in with their daily life of work, family, and social commitments. Having a swim spa on their own premises really helps with the swimming requirements and can even help with the cycling.

There is a second benefit to a swim spa, which is recovery time. Whether one is new or advanced in this type of training it always puts stress on the body as participants strive for higher levels of activity. The swim spa is perfect for helping to soothe the aches and pains as a result of this and helps them to heal faster.

Swim spas enable the swimmer to adjust the current, which helps build strength and endurance. Those that have had a swim spa installed usually set up a routine for implementing it into their regime. Some will go for their run first, then move to the swim spa activity. There are some that have even replaced their run exercise by doing it in the spa.

For those that participate in Iron Man competitions, they have to adjust to the water temperature, which is another great advantage of the swim spa. The temperature can be regulated to mimic the variations in water temperature that a ironman competitor may have to face.

There is the cost factor to consider as well. Many times, by having a swim spa in one’s own home, it can cut the costs down for having to pay for training facilities. It’s also a time saver, which often means more time can be dedicated to the workouts because there is no travel involved going back and forth to regular facilities.

The Iron Man workouts that can be done in the swim spa are on par with standard training and may even be better. The water allows for less stress on the muscles and joints, which helps to cut down on the time necessary for recovery. This, in turn, means the Iron Man trainer is not experiencing as much down time due to pain and discomfort often caused by standard workouts.

There certainly are a lot of benefits for the individual who has decided to have a swim spa installed at home. Also, it can be used by other family members for fun and relaxation, so there is no doubt that it will be put to good use.

Health Conditions that Respond Well to Swim Spa Activity

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swim spa can certainly bring a great deal of fun and entertainment to the entire family. Many people are now having a spa installed to help them with some of their health conditions. Those that use a swim spa put it to good use for not only swimming and relaxing but for exercising as well. It has been shown that hydrotherapy is an excellent form of treatment for many different types of health conditions.

Helping With Arthritis and Fibromyalgia

Both of these conditions are rheumatic conditions. They attack the joints and soft tissues of the body and, when doing so, create chronic pain. Many of those that suffer from these ailments try to find ways that they can relax the muscles and tendons as well as the joints. Many have found that the warm water in the swim spa brings some definite relief by reducing the stress on these areas and minimizing the stiffness. The body is weightless in the water, so there is no pressure being applied to the joints, so there is no discomfort when using the swim spa.

Using the Swim Spot To Help With Parkinson’s Disease

Individuals that suffer with Parkinson’s disease are often encouraged to go through a lot of physical therapy exercises. It has been determined that hydrotherapy is really beneficial to help with this. Now those that own a swim spa at their own home are able to carry on with these exercises and get additional benefits. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system and while there is no cure, there are ways to go about helping to minimize the discomfort. Those that use a swim spa find that it acts as a full body support and allows them to balance easier when going through their exercises. At the same time, the warm moving water helps to loosen up the joints and muscles.

Neuromuscular problems

There are a lot of conditions that fit into the category of neuromuscular conditions. These include Muscular Dystrophy as well as Multiple Sclerosis. These are conditions that can affect the nerves and muscles and it is important that those that suffer from these problems focus on their mobility. The water in the swim spa provides a buoyancy, which allows the individual to move much easier with a lot less pain and stress on the joints. With the comfortable conditions that the person is in, they find that a lot of their symptoms are reduced. They often suffer with symptoms, such as muscle spasms and weak muscles. Pain and discomfort is also part of the problem and they sometimes have a limited range of motion that includes poor balance.

General Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is different than acute pain, which is usually sharp, whereas chronic pain persists over a long period of time even after an injury may have been treated and healed. The water in the swim spa can help to relieve the stress in the pain area. It helps to minimize the pressure on the joints during exercise, which allows the individual to participate much longer.

Using the Swim Spa For Recovery

A lot of people can end up with injuries from many different causes. Many have found that using the swim spa is a great way for speeding up their recovery and allowing their body to heal much more quickly. These are just some of the great health benefits that a swim spa can offer in addition to all its other great uses.

Making the Switch From a Pool to a Swim Spa

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For many, the thought of buying a home that has a swimming pool is one of great benefit and something that they look forward to immensely. For others, however, the thought of buying a house with an existing pool is a deal breaker. So, what do you do with an old pool? Do you spend the many thousands to have the pool removed from the premises completely or do you spend even more to have the pool brought back to life with a complete refurbishment? There is a third option. Rather than tearing the pool out completely, some have chosen to use this as a base for the installation of a brand new, modern swim spa.

As most now know a swim spa is a “pool” that has a propulsion system built into one end that generates a strong current that the swimmer can then swim against. You can also shut off the propulsion system and use the pool as a lounge pool as well. This is great for when the kids come to visit and you just require the relaxation of a pool without the propulsion system enabled. By using the footprint of the old pool you are also able to build an excellent outdoor area around the site of the old pool once construction on the swim spa is complete.

You will find that the smaller footprint of the swim spa opens up all kinds of possibilities for adding decking, gazebo or other structure to compliment your new swim spa. The benefits of having a swim spa for health reasons cannot be overstated. Swimming “laps” against the current or even engaging in water yoga or aerobics are all proven methods of getting and staying fit.

So, if you truly love the property you have recently looked at that has a pool, you do have options. Explore the world of swim spas and talk to your representative about changing the old pool into a world-class swim spa experience. You will be surprised how many options are available.

Different Types of Propulsion Systems for Swim Spas

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Most consumers are aware by now of the difference between a swim spa (sometimes referred to as a lap pool) and a regular swimming pool. The main difference is that the swim spa houses a propulsion system in one end of the swim spa that generates current strong enough for a grown person to literally swim against. This resistance allows the swimmer to swim using whatever method they choose – breaststroke, butterfly, and front crawl.

There are many reason people choose a swim spa. First, the size of a swim spa is generally less than half that of a regular in-ground pool, which translates into savings of several thousands of dollars for installation, as well as considerable long-term savings on maintenance. In addition, because the swim spa is smaller in size, it heats up more quickly and is far easier to keep at a comfortable level during what would be considered non-pool weather for a full size swimming pool. This allows the user to get more “bang for the buck” as you can use the swim spa earlier in the season and keep it open much longer. You can also install a swim spa easily in a normal size basement to swim year round.

Another great advantage for the serious swimmer is the ability to swim without ever having to turn. This means a longer, uninterrupted swim.

There are primarily three different types of swim spa propulsion systems available for purchase. These are the jet propulsion system, the paddlewheel and the propeller system. The Jet is the most common and uses a motor to drive the current through a pressure system, which then can be directed into current streams allowing the swimmer to customize the current to suit their purposes. The paddlewheel and the propeller work in a similar way. The paddlewheel or propeller turn at high speeds, which creates the current.

Both of these systems create a current that can be adjusted for speed like the jet system. However, the paddlewheel system creates current across the width of the spa and cannot be directed like the propeller and jet systems can. Do your homework and find the swim spa that works best for the purposes of yourself and your family and you will not be disappointed. The future is here and swim spas are the future of swimming.