Most of us know that swimming helps to tone our body and burn calories.
However, beyond the perspective of losing a few pounds and helping us maintain our physique, swimming offers many other advantages. Some of the most significant benefits of swimming have been listed below:
Swimming Increases Cardiovascular Conditioning
Heart diseases are among the most common of lifestyle illnesses. Contemporary work schedules and diets are such that heart diseases in the mid-30s are no longer shocking. To avoid this fatal illness, you need better cardiovascular endurance. This is best developed by swimming. This activity engages nearly every muscle in the body. It improves blood circulationwhich helps to scrape away the small layers of cholesterol or other toxins within the blood vessels. This is among the few aerobic exercises that can burn a lot of calories without putting too much pressure on the limbs or making you gasp for breath. Further, swimming tends to engage a large number of calories, per stroke. This includes calories sourced from cholesterol which is the leading cause of heart-related illnesses and elevated blood pressure.
Swimming Improves Flexibility, Posture & Balance
Flexibility refers to our range of motion. This includes the ability to maneuver our hands, feet, neck and the back. As we age, our flexibility tends to decline. This is mainly due to the reduction in our level of daily, physical activities. Swimming is a rare exercise since apart from working the muscles; it also stretches the muscle fibers and ligaments. This is vital for maintaining the tension in our tendons that supports various bodily movements. People often suffer from musculoskeletal problems due to bad posture or loss of muscle tone. Swimming is the only low-impact exercise that requires the entire body to function coherently. This means it forces the body to realign itself in a more uniform manner. This is vital for completing those laps around the swimming pool. This is how swimming gifts us with better balance and posture.
Swimming is a Great Stress Buster
Swimming is a great away to burn-away the blues. The act of plunging into a pool and splashing through water tends to engage our body and mind. This takes away our preoccupation with any troubling thought. Being a full-body exercise, swimming has the effects of a high-impact workout at the gym. This induces the release of endorphins. These are the bodys feel-good hormones that help to neutralize that depressive feeling. Further, the buoyant action of the water has a massage-like effect on the body, helping us to relax.
Swimming Increases Muscular Strength & Aids Overall Physical Conditioning
Swimming is a unique exercise since it works the core muscles apart from the upper and lower limb simultaneously. This stimulates the formation of lean muscle. This kind of muscle is important for increasing our overall physical conditioning. Swimming tends work the joints without inducing the risk of an injury. Please note that there is a difference between becoming powerful and having bigger biceps. Curling weights in the gym can get you bigger muscles but swimming helps you become stronger, i.e. it raises your muscular strength. Swimming comprehensively works all the bigger muscle groups like the chest, thigh and back muscles. This kind of group muscle conditioning is almost unheard of in the gym.
Swimming Surpasses Limitations of Age, Availability or Serious Illnesses
Many people are unable to start an exercise routine because of theirlifestyle limitationor chronic diseases that make it very difficult to take upon strenuous exercising. However, swimming is one of the most affordable, easily-available exercises. It is equally suited for small children and the elderly. Inside the pool, our bodyweight is balanced by the buoyant force of water. This is why water-based exercises are recommended to those with physical disabilities too. For those who get bored with gym routines, a wide range of swimming-based activities offer the chance to experiment with something new.
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