Swimming is a popular recreational and fitness activity, with it being the fourth most popular sport in the United States. People enjoying swimming in pools, lakes, oceans, and rivers. No matter your reasons for taking a dip, there are countless benefits of swimming every day.
It’s recommended that the average adult gets around 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week. Why spend that time doing an activity you don’t enjoy? If you love swimming, then make that your physical activity of the week.
We’re going to talk about the health benefits of swimming and why you should implement it into your fitness and recreational routine. Keep reading to learn more!
1. Get a Whole Body Workout
Whether style you swim in, you’re guaranteed to have a full-body workout. 30 minutes of swimming is equivalent to around 45 minutes of other physical activities. Swimming works every bit of your body.
While you swim, you will:
- Build endurance
- Tone muscles
- Increase your heart rate
- Tone muscle
- Manage your weight
Swimming is a great exercise that doesn’t cause additional stress on your body. Physical activities like running put added stress on your tendons, cartilage, and bones. If you’ve had a physical injury before, swimming is a wonderful option that won’t increase the impact on your joints.
Some of the strokes you can add to your workout routine include:
- Backstroke
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Freestyle
- Sidestroke
Different types of strokes focus on various muscle groups. The water of wherever you are swimming also provides resistance. Switch between different strokes so you can work other areas of your body.
2. Any Age Group or Fitness Level Can Swim
Another health benefit of swimming is that it’s suitable for any person. An individual can learn how to swim at a young age. It’s a fun activity for young people to partake in that doesn’t feel like exercise or a chore.
Swimming is also suitable for the older generation of swimmers. It’s a safe and gentle exercise option for those who have arthritis, a disability, or another type of injury that makes high-impact workouts difficult.
You also don’t need to be a stellar swimmer to jump in the pool. A great benefit of swimming is that any person at any fitness level can start participating. Lots of swimming pools are designed for beginner swimmers, so you don’t have to be an experienced swimmer to enjoy the other swimming benefits.
3. Relaxing and Destressing
Exercising, in general, is a wonderful way to decompress after a long day. Swimming regularly greatly improves your mental health.
Swimming can:
- Improve your mood
- Increase you self-esteem
- Slow the signs of dementia
- Improve your sleep cycle
- Lower your risk of anxiety or depression
You don’t have to swim multiple laps to start experiencing the benefits of swimming on your mental health. Even a light, gentle swim at the end of a day or when you’re feeling stressed can relax you.
4. Improve Asthma Symptoms
Many people who take part in cardiovascular exercises find themselves not being able to catch their breath. If you work out in a dry gym or outside when pollen counts are high, it can exacerbate the symptoms of asthma for certain individuals.
Swimming lets you breathe moist air while you’re exercising. It can alleviate symptoms of asthma and improve your lung’s overall condition.
5. Burns a Lot of Calories
A person who weighs around 160 pounds can burn 423 calories during an hour of swimming. It doesn’t have to be a fast swim either. They can burn that amount of calories swimming at a low to moderate pace.
The faster you swim, the more calories you’ll burn. A person at that weight would burn around 314 calories when walking at a moderate pace for an hour.
Another benefit of swimming is you don’t have to worry about sweat dripping into your eyes as you burn a lot of calories. Swimming is just as, if not more, efficient as jumping on an elliptical or treadmill.
6. Reduce Inflammation and Increase Flexibility
Swimming involves every part of your body, from your lungs to your heart to your circulatory system. Swimming helps build your cardiovascular strength while lowering your blood pressure. It can also reduce inflammation throughout your body.
You also need to twist, stretch, and reach as you pull your body through the water. The repetitive stretching you do during different strokes helps with your body’s flexibility. You should also be sure to stretch after a swim.
7. Allow for Safe Exercise During Pregnancy
Exercising while pregnant is a great way to lower an individual’s risk for gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. Swimming is a wonderful source of exercise for pregnant women and is completely safe. There are no adverse effects of swimming in chlorinated water.
Someone who’s pregnant and wants to continue swimming as a form of exercise should speak to their doctor about it beforehand. Activity restrictions may be required for their own individual pregnancy.
8. Boost Your Immune System
Swimming in cold water has shown to boost a person’s immune system. The cold water increases the body’s white blood cell count. That’s because the body has to react to extreme changes in its environment.
The cold water will also increase the calorie burn of swimming. Your heart has to pump faster in the cooler water to keep itself warm. If you really want to amp up your calorie burn, opt for swimming in colder water over warmer.
9. Have an Affordable Exercise Option
Gym memberships can be pricy. The cost of purchasing equipment for your at-home gym can get expensive fast. Many pools in your community may offer reasonable rates and membership costs for you to join.
You can also check out local public schools that have pools to see if they let community members use them. Gyms that have pools sometimes offer separate memberships for members to just use the pool and not the rest of the facility.
Enjoy the Countless Benefits of Swimming Every Day
The benefits of swimming every day are countless on your physical and mental health. Implementing swimming exercises into your daily exercise routine will result in you feeling healthier and happier.
For more exercise tips, check out our wellness library to read another article.