But the bottom line for most of my clients is losing body fat. A lot of them have strong core muscles, but they’re buried under a little belly. The only way to lose that belly is to lose the body fat; if you can’t do that, no core work is going to help you get a six-pack stomach.

The author goes on to use it again, as in: “Ab exercies … I recommend doing them before your strength training or interval workouts.”

I might have taken it out of context incorrectly, maybe because it is being used rather loosely. I agree there are better ways to use the term.

I *think* the term “interval” is being used incorrectly here. Could the author have meant session, instead?

I work my abs as part of my strength training, and I apply the same principles to training my abs as I do to training any other muscle group.

Children, on the other hand, often have no choice in the matter. They may have a HUGE fear, but often it’s Mommy or Daddy who has told them that they have to learn how to swim. They aren’t old enough to go through the rational thought process and come out the other end saying “OK, I’ll live through this experience”. This experience presents a plethora of unknowns for them, and may continue to freak them out. As a swim instructor, we can always help them overcome those fears, but it may take a long, long time.

Now, there’s also a middle ground. Take older children: Non-swimmers who are eight, nine, ten, eleven years old (give or take a few). These children are in between adult and young non-swimmers, and have developed much fears and anxieties, but don’t have the maturity to know better then to let the fears over take them, as adults to. Personally I find that this is the hardest group for me to teach.

All in all, for me, working with the fears of young non-swimmers is easier. Their fears haven’t turned into full blown phobias yet.