A New Year. A New Pool. A New You.

Can a new swimming pool help you achieve any or all of your New Year’s resolutions? You bet it can.

As you know, it’s that time of year again. Time to make your New Year’s resolution.  Do you know what it will be?  According to Goskills, the “Top Ten Resolutions” are as follows:

1. Exercise more.
2. Lose weight.
3. Get organized.
4. Learn a new skill or hobby.
5. Live life to the fullest.
6. Save more money (aka spend less money)
7. Quit smoking.
8. Spend more time with family and friends.
9. Travel more.
10. Read more.

Let’s take a look:

There is no doubt having a swimming pool provides you with an opportunity to enjoy one of the best exercise activities on the planet: swimming.

The beauty of swimming is that it can be enjoyed at all ages, in many ways.  Swimming laps is the quickest way to improve fitness since it involves all your muscles in a non-impactful way.  There is no stress on your legs. Translation? You are not going to get shin splints like you could get with running.

Swimming and playing in the pool exercises your heart and gets your adrenalin churning. If you prefer aerobic activity, exercising in the pool allows you to do so with minimal risk of injury.  Swimming also burns more calories than bike riding. Plus, you don’t have to worry about breathing in exhaust fumes from passing cars or watching out for dogs and potholes.

A simple corollary to the exercise equation is losing weight when swimming. By performing activity most days of the week, you should be able to burn a lot of calories and start working on your physique.  This is similar to walking 10,000 steps a day but you can do it faster and work on your overall body composition through swimming.

There are several ways you can get better organized through the use of a swimming pool.  First, there is the organization you will have when you order your new Imagine Pools swimming pool and have a production and delivery schedule to manage with your local dealer.

The greatest benefit will be having your swimming pool and then using it for exercise and physical activity.  You will find your mind will become clearer as you exercise.  Many realize time in the pool is therapeutic and allows for better focus on other activities.

You will also find you will be able to schedule events and outings with your family, friends, and neighbors.  You will be organizing activities for the kids, family reunions and get-togethers . Further, you will begin inviting neighbors and associates over to your home to enjoy your pool.

The most obvious skill that you can learn is how to become a better swimmer.  You can start with the basics of the freestyle stroke but then you can also learn the butterfly, the dog paddle, the breaststroke and then the back stroke.  Put them all together and have incredible family events and competitions for the kids.

Another skill you can learn is the art of conversation.  This will occur when you invite friends and family over to enjoy your pool.  This is a great way to spend time by your beautiful pool and talk about how much fun you are having, what games you can play. Maybe you can have a better discussion about sales and budgets sitting beside the pool?

Is there any doubt that you enjoy life more when you have your own backyard swimming pool?  Life is simply too short to not take advantage of having an incredible swimming pool to exercise in, to relax in or to create wonderful memories.  Many years ago, having a pool was only for the wealthy to enjoy.  While it is a major investment, it is one that many families can take advantage of – if they do a little planning and careful research first.

Today, many families are not comfortable spending thousands of dollars to travel to resorts, to theme parks or away from home.  Think of the investment in time and money that takes you away from home for a “vacation” packed with uncertainty and insecurity. Instead, make an investment in what will be a lifetime asset with your own swimming pool.

Your swimming pool will save you money on airline tickets, hotel rooms, and overpriced meals.  Plus, you will have an investment that will provide you with significant returns on happiness for many months – not just one week or two.  In addition, having a pool can add to your home’s real estate value, making it easier to not simply get your money back but even more if you decide to sell your property.

Additional note: selecting a composite fiberglass Imagine Pools swimming pool can also provide significant savings in maintenance and care.  This includes fewer expenses when it comes to maintenance and care of your pool versus gunite and vinyl liner pools.

One of the best ways to quit smoking is replacing a bad habit with a good one.  Instead of smoking, go out for a swim.  This will help make your lungs stronger and assist you with developing stronger breathing habits instead of inhaling nicotine.

This will work even better if you have someone who will work alongside you to make sure that you are transferring the habit of “going out for a smoke” with taking a “healthy swim.”  Plus, it will be a great example for the rest of your family.

Speaking of family and friends, who can turn down time at the pool, especially during the hot summer months?  What a great way to have some fun, cool off and beat the heat.  During the other times of year, you may want to look at having a heater for your pool to extend your swimming season.

There are many families today who are installing indoor swimming pools.  With the right ventilation, this could become a year-round activity that will almost certainly bring more activity to your house.

Most people, especially kids, will find that doing physical activities such as swimming is a great distraction from social media.  It gets them off the couch, away from their video games and phone screens, and allows them to have more fun in the pool, playing and engaging in physical activity.  This means that parents will spend less time on social media trying to monitor their kids. They will know where they are and what they are doing.

Believe it or not, you can travel more by having a backyard pool.  Think of the miles of swimming and mountains of fun you and your family will have with your own swimming pool.  Now, we admit most of the traveling will be done from inside your house to your back porch, but that is what makes it so much fun, right?

If you do not own your own pool, then we suggest that the best travel is to rent out a pool.  There are a number of swimming pool rental companies now available, such as Swimply that will offer you the opportunity to travel to a home and “rent out” their backyard pool.  Enjoy a freeform swimming pool on one occasion or perhaps a classic rectangular pool with a built-in spa on another trip.  Perhaps you would be interested in trying out a pool that has an 8-foot deep end?  This would be a great way to “test drive” different pools until you decide on which one would be the right one for you and your family.

We find that many pool owners enjoy sitting beside their pool, reclining on their lounge chairs, with their heads intently between the pages of an entertaining book.  The calming effect of the water allows them to be better focused on what they are reading. As a result. They are more involved with their reading activities.

All of us at Summerside Pools have resolved to make this year  your best year yet.  We want you to achieve at least one of your goals, if not all of them. We believe we can help and we, at least, want to give it a good try.

Happy New Year!