If you’re at the beach, it’s the perfect time to discover the benefits of swimming, so don’t just lounge or wade in shallow water. Swimming is excellent for working the entire body and cardiovascular system.
Here’s why it’s beneficial to include swimming in your routine:
Full-body workout
Swimming truly engages the entire body from head to toe. It increases heart rate without putting stress on the body, strengthens muscles, builds strength, and enhances endurance. Different swimming techniques, such as breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle, butterfly, target different muscle groups.
Internal benefits
As your muscles work, your cardiovascular system becomes active. Swimming strengthens your heart and lungs, and experts suggest it may even reduce the risk of death. Compared to inactive individuals, swimmers have approximately half the risk of mortality. Studies also indicate that swimming can help lower blood pressure and control blood sugar levels.
Suitable for injuries, arthritis, and health conditions: Swimming can be a safe exercise option for most people with arthritis, injuries, disabilities, or other conditions that make high-impact exercises challenging. It can help reduce pain and improve recovery from injuries. Research shows that individuals with osteoarthritis reported significant joint pain reduction, less stiffness, and fewer physical limitations after engaging in activities like swimming and cycling.
Asthma-friendly
Swimming can benefit individuals with asthma by improving lung capacity and breath control through breathing exercises associated with the sport.
Beneficial for multiple sclerosis: Swimming can also be beneficial for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). In one study, a 20-week swimming program resulted in significant pain reduction among MS patients. They also experienced improvements in symptoms like fatigue, depression, and disability.
Calorie burning
Swimming is an efficient calorie-burning activity. A person weighing 70 kilograms burns approximately 423 calories per hour swimming at a low or moderate pace. The same person can burn up to 715 calories per hour swimming at a vigorous pace.
To put these numbers into perspective, the same 70-kilogram person would only burn around 314 calories walking at a speed of 5.5 miles per hour for 60 minutes. Yoga may only burn 183 calories per hour, and an elliptical trainer could burn only 365 calories in that hour.
So, take advantage of your vacation time and melt away those calories by swimming!
Improves sleep
Swimming can help you sleep better. In a study involving older individuals with insomnia, participants reported improved quality of life and sleep after engaging in regular aerobic exercise.
Boosts your mood
Researchers assessed a small group of people with dementia and observed improved mood after participating in a 12-week water-based program. Swimming and water exercises are not only psychologically beneficial for individuals with dementia but have also been shown to improve mood in others.
Helps manage stress
Researchers examined a group of swimmers before and after swimming. Out of the 101 individuals surveyed, 44 reported experiencing mild depression and stress related to the fast-paced life. After swimming, the number of people still feeling stressed decreased to only eight.
While more research is needed in this area, researchers conclude that swimming may be a potentially powerful way to quickly relieve stress.
Safe during pregnancy
Pregnant women and their babies can also reap some wonderful benefits from swimming. It has been shown that swimming can protect babies from a type of neurological issues called hypoxia-ischemia, although further research is needed in this area.
In addition to potential benefits for the baby, swimming is an activity that can be done throughout all three trimesters. Pregnant women who swam during early to mid-pregnancy had a lower risk of preterm birth and birth defects.
Keep in mind that while swimming is generally considered safe during pregnancy, some women may have activity restrictions due to pregnancy complications.
