What swimming does for your body - Benefits

Swimming is great for your body! This incredible full-body workout leaves you physically stronger, and with a healthier heart, too. Plus, swimming is pretty budget-friendly too. Regular swimming can actually improve your mental health, your cognitive capacity and your lung capacity. Studies show that a weekly pool workout even reduces the risk of chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Full-body toning in the water, and your new and improved stamina, translates into better overall fitness levels and increased physical capabilities. (22/20) So, what swimming does for your body is all good!

Benefits of Regular Swimming

• Improved mental health
• Increased fitness and muscle mass
• Low impact cardio
• Better sleep
• Safe during pregnancy
• Muscle definition with different strokes
• Great physical rehab

Improved mental health

Swimming is about the same as yoga for stress reduction. Leave your phone on dry land and get into the water for some feel good hormones! Swim indoors or outdoors, in pools or rivers or at the beach. Knowing how to swim give you so many options for places to go to relax and get away from it all.

Increased fitness and muscle mass

We are supposed to be doing at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week. This could be anything from running or walking to circuit training or HIIT workouts at the gym or at home. If you choose a more vigorous activity, like fast swimming, you can reduce the time to 75 minutes – or an hour and 15 minutes a week. Swimming as a fitness exercise is easy enough to do. Just speed up how fast you swim. Also, swimming can help build muscles too. Swimming can tone up pretty much every part of your body. If you start working hard in the pool, expect more definition in your arms, upper body and thighs, for sure.

Low impact cardio

Do you have sore knees or ankles? Well, you are certainly not alone in that. And it can be difficult to get in high-intensity workouts that exacerbate already aching joints. Running or challenging cardio home workouts tend to make sore knees and ankles even worse. But jump into the water for some pool laps and you can get the exercise you need, without the extra pain.

Runners exert 5 to 10 times their body weight over their hips, knees and ankles. But the water naturally holds you up while you swim. So, it reduces the moving weight of your body by up to 90%. This reduces the stress and impact on joints, bones and muscles by that same 90%. Running or cycling does burn more calories than swimming. But swimming manages to keep your heart rate up without the stress on the rest of your body. This steady-state training exercise and helps build stamina.

Better sleep

All aerobic exercise makes for better sleep. Swimming counts as cardio activity, without having to get sweaty.

Swimming is usually safe during pregnancy

First, check with your doctor about any exercise regime during pregnancy. But, generally, one major benefit of swimming is pregnancy-safe exercise. Because the water supports you and your baby, it makes it easier to exercise, and can even help reduce swelling in your feet and ankles. Research actually shows that pregnant women who swim early on and into their mid-pregnancy have a lowered risk of preterm labour.

Muscle definition with different strokes

Water works to create a whole-body resistance while you swim. The major strokes all work out your whole body, but each one works specific areas more than others.

Breaststroke

Slower, but the best all-over body workout swim stroke. Breaststroke helps strengthen your upper body, chest and back. Also, you breathe out under the water increasing the resistance on your chest, to improve lung function. Breaststroke also helps tone your thighs and lower legs because of the complex leg movements.

Front crawl

This speedy stroke shapes your whole body, but it really tones your upper body. The front crawl uses your deltoids – the muscles in your shoulders, the side of your back, and your triceps and biceps in your arms.

Backstroke

The elegant backstroke helps improve your posture. Excellent for core strengthening and opening your chest muscles, too. Backstroke helps shape your upper and lower back and thighs.

Butterfly

The butterfly burns the most calories. You need lots of power, strong triceps and biceps. The butterfly helps strengthen shoulder muscles because you rotate your shoulders, which develops stronger deltoid muscles. The butterfly also builds up your legs and a strong core.

Great physical rehab

If you suffer from an injury or reduced mobility, hop in the water. Because of the reduction in body weight and stress on your joints, swimming offers ways to move you can’t on land. The support from the water makes rehab exercises easier and uses the water’s resistance, too. Plus, build cardio and muscle strength without the extra stress on your injury or other mobility problem. Of course, always check with an expert for any injury.

In Summary

Overall, there is a long list of positive things swimming does for your body and mind. If you don’t know how to swim, take some lessons. And even if you do know how, a few lessons to improve your form might make it easier to build those muscles and improve your endurance in the water. Check out all the accessories you need for swimming here at Eazyro.com. We’ve got you covered for your next splash!