The Many Health Benefits Of Swimming
Health and fitness are important parts of your wellbeing. They impact every aspect of your day-to-day life. Many adults who are motivated to get into shape and to lose weight often begin by jogging. They also enjoy doing other high-impact cardio exercises.
While there is nothing wrong with that, there are other great ways to get into shape.
Keeping up with a year-round jogging routine in Etobicoke is more like trying to run on ice 6 months of the year. For the sake of your joints, your belly, and your heart, you are much better off swimming in a nice heated indoor pool.
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Why Swimming Is Good For You
For those of you who don’t know, here are some of the most important health benefits of swimming.
Swimming Builds Muscle Strength And Definition
Swimming is an exceptional way to build muscles throughout both the upper and lower body. Runners may build their legs, but swimmers build their shoulders, arms, back, neck and legs.
Swimming is also great for your core muscles like your abs and obliques. In other words, count me in!
Swimming Is Great For Cardiovascular Health
Swimming is one of the best things you can do for your heart and lungs. Swimming reduces blood pressure and impacts blood sugar and LDL-cholesterol levels. This is to say that swimming will make your heart and cardiovascular system strong!
Swimming Is Low Impact
Swimming is one of the best exercise for injured athletes. It is also great for those looking to reduce long-term stress on their joints.
High-impact exercises like box jumps and sprints are harder on your body. Sports like football and basketball are great too, but they take a toll on your joints and muscles.
Adding swimming to your weekly exercise routine enables you to give your bones and joints a rest. Burn fat, strengthen your heart, and continue to stay loose and ready for the next activity.
Swimming Fights Fatigue
VO2 is the amount of oxygen your body is able to take in during exercise. The more oxygen in your blood during exercise, the better. This is true not only when you are working out, but also while you are at work. Why? Because better VO2 leads to more energy. Swimming is one of, if not the, best exercises to increase individual VO2 levels over time.
Swimming Strengthens Your Bones
Swimming increases bone mass. This is something that health and fitness experts have only recently come to realize. Before, running and weight lifting had a positive impact on building bone mass. But it turns out, that isn’t true. Swimming is a great way to build bone mass.
Build bones without putting too much pressure on surrounding joints and ligaments.
Swimming Is Great For Weight Loss
Swimming is one of the best ways to burn calories and lose fat. Swimming is more efficient when compared to running, walking and other higher-impact workouts.
Swimming Is Good For Flexibility
Swimming can reduce inflammation in your body. Inflammation is everywhere. Swimming tackles it from your joints to your heart. Inflammation has a major negative impact on your total health. With swimming, you get the benefits of a high-intensity workout. Spare yourself any of the long-term consequences.
Swimming Is Good For Sleep
If you have ever gone for a long swim you know that it improves the quality of your sleep. While swimming is a good morning exercise because it can give you some immediate energy… It will also come back and benefit you again at the end of the day when you are laying down to sleep. Another win-win for your body.
Swimming Can Combat Asthma
Asthma is one of those problems that can make staying in shape far more difficult. It is one thing to have to worry about getting tired, but having to worry about passing out due to lack of oxygen? That takes things to a whole new level.
Here is the good news: Regular swimming reduces Asthma when done over a long period of time. Swimming a good short-term alternative for Asthma-sufferers. It offers a way to get in shape, but it can also have serious long-term benefits.
Swimming Is Good For Your Brain
When you are swimming, blood flow to the brain increases which is a good thing. We aren’t sure exactly why this happens yet. It may have something to do with the pressure water puts on the chest cavity. Either way, it is safe to say that swimming is good for your brain!
Swimming Is Good For Your Mental Health
While “runners highs” are common, not as many people know about swimmer’s high. Like running, swimming can give you an endorphin rush that will make you feel happy and give you energy. Even more than running! Though, the “high” you get from running is more stable and long-term.
You could say swimming is to green tea what running is to coffee.
Swimming May Help You Live Longer
More than any other aerobic exercise, swimming seems to have an impact on life expectancy. A recent study shows swimming reduces death rates over walking, running, and weightlifting.
Conclusion
Get in shape by burning more calories, losing fat. Go easy on their joints and build upper and lower body muscle. You get it all with swimming. If you haven’t yet jumped into the water, you can learn at any age, whether as an adult through adult swimming lessons, or get your young ones going with children’s swimming lessons.
Whether you are trying to get in shape for the first time or trying to bring your fitness up to that next level… It all starts with jumping in that pool and swimming your first lap!