In our opinion, swimming is the best type of sport to do because of its many health benefits! It’s the perfect combination of cardio and weight training—it gets the body heated up and running while making the muscles stronger and lengthier. It’s also very easy on you since you can do it even with conditions that make it hard to exercise. For example, people with severe back pain (or even fractured spines) can do some gentle swimming moves for exercise without causing too much pain.
There are just so many good things to talk about swimming that we decided to write a whole article on it! Keep on reading to find out more health benefits of swimming.
1. Swimming Extends Your Lifespan
In a report commissioned by Swim England in 2017, researchers discovered that people who swam regularly had a 28% lower chance of early death and a 41% lower chance of death due to cardiovascular diseases.
Another key finding in the report highlights that swimming is very accessible for people of all ages. Everyone from babies to grandparents can go for a swim since water is very gentle on the muscles and joints. Even if you’ve got arthritis, are recovering from injury, or suffer from obesity, you can still get all the health benefits of swimming without it being too hard on your body.
2. Swimming Helps You Melt Fat
Did you know that swimming utilizes all the muscles in your body? From the arms to shoulders to legs to core to back to glutes, you’ve got everything covered when you’re in the water. And not only do you get to work out your muscles, but you also get to do wicked cardio that gets the heart pumping and the body sweating!
For comparison, a person who weighs 155 pounds can lose 432 calories swimming instead of 266 calories while walking!
3. Swimming Improves Your Cardiovascular Health
And speaking of wicked cardio, swimming is a heart-healthy hobby you should consider if you’re prone to cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and hypertension. Doing it regularly helps to strengthen your heart muscles as well as expand your lung capacity. Your body learns to process and use up oxygen more efficiently, leading to increased endurance when doing physical activities!
4. Swimming Increases Lung Capacity
And swimming doesn’t discriminate either. People with chronic lung conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can manage their conditions properly by being in the water too!
That’s because, as we already mentioned earlier, swimming enhances your lung capacity. It improves your breathing technique too, helping to carry more oxygen in the body at any given time.
And considering that the pools and beaches are usually warm, humid, and free of allergens, swimming won’t trigger any asthma attacks or allergies. If you’re still new to swimming, however, please consider having an inhaler close by in case something does happen. Furthermore, ask your doctor if they’d recommend swimming for exercise if you have serious lung problems.
5. Swimming Encourages Brain Activity
Many types of exercise—not just swimming—have been known to boost your cognitive function. However, scientists have recently discovered that swimming offers a unique brain benefit that others do not!
According to their admittedly small but fascinating research, swimmers tend to process visual information better right after swimming. Not only that, but they also respond to cognitive tests more quicker!
Additionally, studies in mice have also shown that swimming improves memory, both short-term and long-term. This tells us that swimming is great if you want to keep the brain fresh and moving.
6. Swimming is a Mood Booster
If you don’t exercise regularly, exercise might be a downer for you. What’s fun about having a stitch in your chest, sweat running down your face, and achy muscles that’ll bother you for the next few days? However, once you move past the initial stages, you start feeling very happy. That’s because exercise releases happy chemicals in the brain like dopamine and serotonin that lower stress, reduce anxiety, and fight depression.
Swimming, in particular, is very effective at lifting your mood.
7. Swimming Lets You Sleep Better at Night
Have you ever gone home after a long, arduous day of doing some physical activity? Ever wondered why it felt extra good to slip under the covers and just pass the heck out? Well, it’s because your body purposely drifts off to a deeper sleep to recharge your body for the next day.
Now, if you do a regular physical activity such as swimming, it improves your sleeping schedule overall. Indeed, people who exercise often say that they sleep a lot better compared to people that do not. That might be because exercise helps regulate the circadian rhythm, which is essential to having a good night’s sleep.
8. Swimming Minimizes Chronic Pain
We can’t stress enough how unique water is in exercise. It’s gentle on your body, meaning that people with injuries or people who have a hard time exercising can still do it. That’s why you see water exercises in physical therapy all the time—it helps you move the muscles without painful pressure on your joints.
In addition to that, water still provides resistance. Sure, it’s easier to do exercises, but it’s not too easy either. You’re not going to suddenly run laps in the water—if you’ve ever tried to run in water, you’ll know just how hard that is!
Basically, water helps strengthen the muscles without putting you in much pain. The stronger your muscles, the less pain you’ll be in!
9. Swimming Strengthens Your Bones
Swimming doesn’t just strengthen the muscles. If you do enough hours of swimming every day, it might also strengthen the bones! It’s reported to increase your bone density, which is crucial if you want to avoid painful bone conditions such as osteoporosis or broken bones.
However, you need to make sure you get at least three hours per week. You also need to be committed and do it for the long term. You’ll see more results that way.
