If you’re looking for a workout exercise that doesn’t require being done under the sun or causing too much sweat, then swimming is for you. In fact, swimming is an exercise that’s perfect for all ages.
There are many health benefits of swimming listed everywhere or even cited by medical persons. It’s not just a normal, fun, and relaxing activity done on a beach day, but it contributes many health advantages to individuals who engage in this activity.
Read on below to learn more about the reasons why swimming must be added to your workout routine:
Workout For Your Whole Body
This is the top reason swimming is a must added exercise to your workout routine. Unlike other exercises, swimming uses all the muscles in your body–from head to toe–regardless of the swimming style you’re using.
Furthermore, swimming in water unknowingly makes your body work harder than exercising on land.
Cardio and Muscle Toning
In connection with the mentioned reason above, swimming helps build body endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness, which involves the heart, circulatory system, and lungs.
Additionally, swimming helps the heart become more efficient in pumping blood, resulting in better blood flow in your body system. Swimming also uses all the muscle groups in your body to tone and strengthen your muscles during this exercise.
Burns A Lot of Calories
Since this activity is a whole-body workout, swimming is also a great calorie-burner. The amount of calories you burn depends on your weight and your swimming pace. Nonetheless, swimming can even burn much more calories in an hour than a workout done on land. That’s why swimming is recommended for people who are trying to lose a lot of weight.
Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Aside from the physical benefits, swimming is also good for your mental and emotional health. Interacting your body with water and diverting your attention to your balance forces you to clear your mind, relieving you from any stress and anxiety. Freediving experts even advise their trainees that it’s important to clear your mind while swimming underwater as too much overthinking will shorten your breathing capacity.
Swimming is also known to be a good mood booster and may help increase your self-esteem, hence lowering the risk of depression and dementia.
Fun and Recreational
Swimming on beaches or pools is a great way to have fun and relax for a while, especially when you have a companion or are joined by your friends and family. Some repetitive exercises may bore you, but swimming can be done in many ways to keep it interesting.
Improve Recovery From Injuries
Having injuries may restrain you from doing exercises, especially the hard ones. You can still participate in this swimming exercise as being in water won’t put too much pressure on your muscles. Aside from the physical exercise, swimming might help you recover from that injury after all.
Improve The Quality Of Your Sleep
Medical experts and even athletes generally advise that frequent exercising improves the quality of your sleep. The same is true for swimming as this is an aerobic exercise.
Some people seeking a remedy to improve their sleep, mostly the older ones, don’t find running an appealing exercise. This can make swimming a good choice since, as mentioned above, this is fit for all ages and, whatever swimming technique you do, you’re still using your entire body, resulting in a better-quality sleep at night.
Safe For Pregnant Women
Pregnant women are recommended to exercise as it can help them later on in giving birth and it’s also healthy for the baby. It’s also understandable how some women gain weight during pregnancy.
With swimming, the water can support the mother’s weight and help them exercise comfortably while staying fit. However, make sure to consult your doctor first before engaging in any exercises to know which fits your condition.
Accessible And Affordable For Everyone
Going to the gym might be costly for some, but swimming exercises is accessible and affordable for everyone. You can take your swimming sessions at a discounted pool rate.
Swimming in lakes or the ocean is a good option, too, as it makes swimming a more interesting activity compare to others. When swimming in open waters, be sure to take safety precautions and look out for each other.
An Essential Skill To Learn
Swimming is an important skill to learn since it won’t only benefit you in terms of both physical and mental health. This skill can also come in handy and may save your life or other people’s lives.
Takeaway
Overall, swimming is a good exercise to add to your workout routine due to its physical, mental, and emotional health benefits that not all exercises can provide. Beyond that, this is a skill that you can continue for a lifetime since this activity is open to a wide variety of individuals.
