PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF SWIMMING
Whether you feel physical weak, unfit, exhausted or run-down or mentally unable to gather the motivation to go out and exercise; taking that first difficult step to get out there really is worth it. Exercise, of any form, is known to help alleviate many physical and mental health complaints despite seeming to be counterintuitive. If you’re in pain how will forcing your body to exercise help? Obviously, if you are in pain you should consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine, however, you may find that long-term pain can be alleviated by exercise such as swimming with lifeguard recertification.
- Full-body workout
- Builds cardiovascular strength
- Burns calories
- Suitable for most people
- Low impact for people with injuries
- Can help several health conditions
- Mood boosting
- Stress management
- Helps to improve sleep
- An important life skill
SWIMMING IS A FULL BODY WORKOUT
From your arms to your legs and everything in between swimming works out most of the major muscle groups in the body. When swimming you use your arms and legs to help propel you through the water; in addition to that you use the muscles in your core to hold your body in position. There is no better workout than swimming for effectively working and strengthening muscles throughout the body.
Whether you choose to swim as your only form of exercise or in addition to other things such as running or cycling it will help to tone and strengthen your body. Water provides the natural resistance that works your muscles. You can increase the full-body benefits by alternating strokes, doing some days for speed and others for distance, you can even train with specially designed swim weights.
INCREASING CARDIOVASCULAR STRENGTH THROUGH SWIMMING
Cardio is any exercise that involves the heart and lungs. By increasing your heart and respiration rate blood is pumped through your circulatory system faster. Whether your aim is to get fitter or to lose weight cardiovascular exercise should be an important part of your regime. Swimming is a fantastic cardiovascular workout.
Doing three or four cardio workouts per week can have a whole host of positive benefits for your body; such as:
- Strengthen the heart
- Lower blood pressure
- Regulate blood sugar
- Weight loss or long-term healthy weight maintenance
- Boosts mood
Hitting the pool for a regular swim can help to reduce your risk of heart disease, as well as reducing your personal risk level for having a heart attack or stroke. If you have a history of heart problems do contact your GP for expert advice before starting any new exercise regime.
BURNING CALORIES THROUGH SWIMMING
Fad diets are not the way to lose weight; healthy eating and exercise have long been promoted as the most effective weight loss tools. Burn more calories than you ingest, and weight loss will follow – it’s that simple. Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise for burning calories. Actual calorie burn will depend on your weight, the stroke and speed of swimming. There are lots of online calculators to give you a guide, or you could invest in a swim-proof fitness tracker to get accurate calories burned for every swim you do.
SWIMMING IS A SUITABLE EXERCISE FOR EVERYONE
For kids and adults, as a solo, group or family activity swimming can be enjoyed by most people. Hitting the pool with the kids can be a great way to encourage your children to do more exercise, as well as being a fun family activity. Not forgetting, that teaching your child water-confidence and the life-saving skill of swimming is essential.
Alternatively, take some ‘me’ time and swim alone. Length after length swimming is fantastic for de-stressing, zone out, burn calories and enjoy the freedom of being in the water. Swimming is also a great activity for older adults. With the water to support you it is less stressful on joints than other types of exercise.
SWIMMING IS LOW-IMPACT
For rehabilitation following an injury there is no better exercise than swimming. Water supports the body and muscles making it a low impact form of exercise; for this reason, it is the perfect exercise for older adults as well as those with injuries. From professional athletes and sports people, to runners or cyclists with an injury, swimming is the ideal low-impact way to reintroduce exercise to your body during the rehab process.
Always consult with your doctor or physiotherapist before exercising after an injury; however, swimming is generally considered a good option to re-build muscle strength, stamina and cardiovascular fitness. As your strength in the pool improves you can move onto building up your training in your chosen sport. However, you should consider continuing regular pool sessions for variety and better overall fitness.
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