Why Swimming Is So Good for Your Body
Every type of exercise has its selling points. But swimming is unlike any other aerobic workout in a few important ways.It has the power to give your muscles a makeover, transform you into a cardio king, turn back the clock, and calm you quicker than some secluded beaches in Bali.
But if this isn’t enough to get you reaching for your cossie, here are our top 5 benefits of swimming to show you there is no such thing as being too cool for the pool.
1. Swimming improves muscle definition and strength
Swimmers gain muscle strength throughout the entire body. Where runners see muscle build in their legs, swimmers utilize more muscle groups to move through the water. While the legs kick, the arms pull. As the back reaches and rotates, the stomach tightens to power the legs and stabilize the core, making swimming one of the best aerobic exercises to give you a total body workout. Just look at Michel Phelps’ fit physique if you need inspiration!
2. Great for general wellbeing.
Just 30 minutes of swimming three times a week alongside a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy and maintain a positive mental outlook. Do it with friends, and it’s even more fun!
3. Swimming Reduces Inflammation
While swimming’s cardiovascular benefits of strengthening the heart muscle are common knowledge, research also indicates aerobic activities, such as swimming, reduce inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis build-up in the heart. Reducing system-wide inflammation leads to lessened disease progression in many other areas as well, so expect to hear of more benefits as the research progresses.
4. De-stresses and relaxes.
Whether it’s work stressing you out, the kids being a nightmare, or just life in general, we all get times we just want to scream. Well, help is at hand. Swimming regularly can lower stress levels, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve your sleep patterns. Feeling the mental benefits of swimming takes just a light swim. No lane pounding needed.
5. Swimming Can Make You Smarter
Of course, all exercise is great for the mind, but can swimming actually make you smarter? Research from Australia focused on kids who took swimming lessons compared to a control group of non-swimmers. The results showed that kids who regularly participated in swimming were able to master language development, fine motor skills, confidence, and physical development sooner than the control group. Swimming may also help with math skills, as swimmers regularly calculate the meters swum in sets or interval drills to put their adding and subtraction skills to work.