Benefits Of Swimming 101: All The Health Benefits You Must Know
Research suggests that it is advisable for adults to get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of intense exercise every single week. Swimming is an excellent exercise that helps in a full body workout along with the exercise of the cardiovascular system.
The benefits of swimming when you perform it for almost an hour can be compared to the benefits of running. The added advantage is it doesn’t cause any stress to your muscles and joints.
Swimming is one of the most popular physical activities all over the world. There are tons of benefits of swimming which encourage people more and more.
Benefits Of Swimming
Here are some noticeable benefits of swimming:
1. Works Your Whole Body
The greatest benefits of swimming is that it includes the workout of the whole body from head to toe. It does the following:
- Increases heart rate without causing stress to the muscles and joints.
- Builds Strength and endurance.
- Gives muscles a great shape and tone them.
There are different kinds of strokes like breaststroke, backstroke, sidestroke, butterfly and freestyle which you can try. Each of these strokes focus on a large muscle group. When you are in water it does not matter what stroke you are performing but you are always moving almost all the muscles of your body.
2. Works On Cardiovascular
While your full body is getting a good workout your cardiovascular system is also getting exercise. Swimming helps in strengthening your lungs and heart. It may also decrease the risk of early death caused due to multiple reasons. In comparison to non-swimmers the risk of death is reduced for swimmers by almost 50% because it reduces various chronic diseases like hypertension and elevated blood sugar levels.
3. Appropriate For People Having Injuries
When you have any injuries or diseases it is important that you should consult your doctor before starting any workout regime. Swimming can be a safer and easier option especially when you are suffering from:
- Arthritis
- Injuries
- Disability
- Other Issues That Impact The Bones
Swimming could also be helpful for you if you want to recover from an injury.
4. Good Option For People With Asthma
The humid environment of pools makes a great exercise for people suffering fro asthma.
Not only swimming but breathing techniques related to this exercise also help you to expand the capacity of lungs and support you to regain your control on breathing.
5. Torches Calories
The benefits of swimming also include burning calories at a rapid rate. When taking a swim at a moderate rate a person burns a lot of calories. If you want to burn more calories than you should perform swimming with more intensity and vigorously.
6. Improves Sleep
Swimming has the power to give you a sound sleep at night. If you are the one suffering with various problems like insomnia, sleep cycle disturbances and other sleep related disease then this exercise is made for you. It is also suitable for the people who find other aerobics like running less appealing.
7. Helps You Overcome Mood Swings
Swimming and other aerobic exercise are not only good for physical health but they also help you remain healthy mentally and emotionally. If you are feeling low take a dive in deep waters to raise your mood. This technique will make you happy and keep mood swings and irritability at bay.
8. Reduce Stress
Studies suggest that people who are stressed and depressed due to their lifestyle can include swimming in their routine. By swimming even for a short amount of time everyday can reduce the stress levels.
Safety Tips For Swimming
While there are many benefits of swimming, before getting started you must keep these safety tips in mind just in case to prevent yourself from any mishap.
- Try to swim only in areas that are dedicated to swimming like pools, roped and supervised sections of waterbodies.
- Never swim alone, bring someone with you or do it in an area where there are supervisors.
- If you are new to swimming, consider taking swimming classes to avoid injuries.
- If you are planning to swim outdoors then you should always wear sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. Also do not go swimming between 10 am and 4 pm when the sun is at its highest.
- Stay hydrated and don’t forget to drink water even if you feel cool inside the water your body may get dehydrated.
Conclusion
If you have never started with a workout regime or your are looking to take from your daily and boring schedule of exercise then you can try swimming and gain its enormous benefits.