Swimming - a great exercise with fun
Swimming, get ready.
Swimming is not only a method to get rid of scorching hot weather. It is also a great and exercise with added fun. Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime - and the health benefits swimming offers for a lifetime are worth the effort it takes to get to the pool.
Have you ever watched the Olympics and found yourself in awe of the professional swimmers' physiques? Their long, lean and toned muscular bodies seem to glide through the water effortlessly.
Swimmers are in fantastic shape and those who swim regularly know that
they not only look great on the outside but feel just as great on the
inside. The health benefits of swimming are almost unmatched by most
any other sport.
Why is Swimming So Good?
Swimming works your whole body, improving cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength, endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time. Your cardiovascular system in particular benefits because swimming improves your body's use of oxygen without overworking your heart.
As you become fitter and are able to swim longer, your resting heart rate and respiratory rate will be reduced, making blood flow to the heart and lungs more efficient. If you are looking to lose weight, swimming is just the ticket.
On average, a swimmer can burn as many calories in an hour as a runner who runs six miles in one hour. Simply put, some call swimming the perfect form of exercise.
Additional Health Benefits of Swimming
Whole body conditioning: Swimming tones your upper and lower body because you are using almost all of your major muscle groups. The best strokes for all-over body toning are the freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke.
Low risk of injury
There is a low risk for swimming injuries because there is no stress on your bones, joints or connective tissues due to buoyancy and the fact that you weigh 1/10th less in water. If you are looking for a safe daily workout routine, swimming is ideal because you can rigorously work out with a reduced chance of swimming injuries. Many athletes supplement their training with swimming.
Low-impact exercise
So many people can reap the benefits of swimming. Pregnant women benefit from swimming because it helps strengthen the shoulder and abdominal muscles, which can be strained when carrying a baby. The elderly, women who have had a mastectomy and those recovering from an injury often turn to swimming or water aerobic exercises because it's low impact, helps relax stiff muscles and isn't weight-bearing. Swimming also increases circulation.
Improve blood pressure
Studies have shown that a workout routine that includes swimming can help reduce and possibly prevent high blood pressure, which lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Stress reduction
You don't have to be a water sign in the zodiac to feel the meditative and healing properties of water. Swimming is extremely relaxing because it allows more oxygen to flow to your muscles and forces you to regulate your breathing. It's also a great way to relieve stress. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water so it's no wonder why some feel such a draw to the water.
Take the Plunge
Before take up swimming, if you have any existing injury or asthma, consult your doctor to determine if you should swim and at what pace. Start slowly. Experts recommend that beginner swimmers start with 12-20 minutes of swimming, and gradually swim longer. For exercise purposes, the best stroke to use in the pool is freestyle, where your arms are moving in a windmill motion while your body is pivoting and you are breathing on the side of the arm that's out of the water. Also mix up the freestyle stroke with other strokes, such as the backstroke or butterfly and you will be working different muscles for a more effective workout every time.
You can also try walking or running in water, which many people find easier to do than on land. It can be exhausting but will help tone your legs and arms.
You can also try water aerobic exercises or gather your friends and
attempt some synchronized swimming.
Revert back to your childhood with a game of Shark or some relay
races.
Don't just take advantage of only the water either, use the walls of
the pool to kick without a kickboard or to do leg lifts.
The water is an ideal playground for all forms of swimming as exercise.
Just be creative!
Why do you swim?
For the health benefits to your heart and lungs? For the chance to be with some of your friends at the pool? Or is it something else? If you are looking for a break from the heat of the summer, then a dip in the water is exactly what you need; swimming is a way for you to cool off.
It fills a wonderful recreational need for individuals and families, from beach and pool fun to water parks. Kicking workouts, water aerobics, pool running, or a regular swimming workout can all give you a great exercise session without the weight of your body pounding you with each move.
Regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Before a land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session. Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.
Swimming does burn calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 lbs. and it takes you 30 minutes to swim one mile (1,760 yards or 1,600 meters), then you will be using about 900 calories in one hour. However, many swimmers do not swim that quickly, and many cannot swim for that distance or duration.
There are other psychological benefit to swimming, if you allow it to occur. Relax and swim with a very low effort. Let your mind wander, focusing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. This form of meditation can help you gain a feeling of well-being, leaving your water session refreshed and ready to go on with the rest of your day. Many swimmers find an in-direct benefit form swimming. They develop life skills such as sportsmanship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through their participation in the sport. Swimmers seem to do better in school, in general terms, than non-swimmers as a group .