HOW THE BOOK IS ORGANIZED

This book is divided into three sections. The first section, “Swim for Your Life,” contains five chapters that explain why swimming is universally recognized as the best all-around exercise there is and how swimming can enhance your health, reduce your risk of developing heart disease and a host of other illnesses and ailments, help you not only lose weight but remain fit and trim throughout your life, and, finally, actually help you live a fuller, more satisfying, and longer life.

The second section, “Getting in the Swim,” consists of another five chapters that will teach you the basics as well as many of the finer points of swimming efficiently, fluidly, and effortlessly.

The first chapter in this section explains simply and directly the fundamentals of swimming: the shared principles underlying all swimming strokes. The following chapters are devoted to the four major strokes: freestyle (or crawl stroke), backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Each chapter is organized in this fashion:

• A brief history of the stroke

• Body position

• Arm pull

• Body roll (for freestyle and backstroke)

• Breathing

• The kick

• Putting it all together

• The turn

• The start

• Ten Tips

The final section, “Becoming Fit,” has four chapters: one on how swimming can improve your love life; a second that deals specifically with women and swimming and includes topics such as pregnancy, osteoporosis, and self-esteem; and a third that explains why swimming is, quite literally, the sport for a lifetime and includes information on the organizations that promote and sponsor swimming for people of all ages. The book’s final chapter talks about training: how to get into shape, different training methods, using swimming paraphernalia, and so on.

The book concludes with eight appendices that provide

• Sample training programs

• Information on where to order everything from swimsuits to prescription goggles and training fins

• An annotated list of magazines, books, and videos that will help you learn more about swimming and keep you up-to-date about developments in the sport

• Directions on how to calculate your body-fat percentage

• A test for determining your life expectancy

• A list of swimming records, from age-group swimming (age nine to ten and under through to ages seventeen and eighteen) through Masters (age twenty-five through one hundred plus)

• A list of addresses and phone numbers for additional information

• Dietary guidelines to help you eat more healthfully