Looking for an exercise that builds muscle, burns calories, and elevates your mood?
Those are just a few of the benefits of swimming. Keep reading to learn more
It’s no secret that regular exercise is good for you. It benefits your body, your mind, and your soul. And the more consistent you are, the more you get out of it.
But this post is all about one type of exercise in particular: swimming.
A lot of people say it’s the best form of exercise that you can do. And based on the information we’re about to share with you, they may be right. It strengthens your body, sharpens your mind, improves your health, plus so much more.
And in this post, we share 15 benefits of swimming that reward you physically, mentally, and socially.
15 Benefits of Swimming You’re Missing Out On
+ Physical benefits of swimming
Full body workout that builds muscle and strength
Did you know that swimming is one of the only physical activities that can target multiple muscle groups at once?
While traditional exercises like running focus on lower body, and push-ups focus on your upper, swimming incorporates both groups at once.
With even the simplest front crawl stroke, you immediately put your arms, chest, and lower body to work. Switch up to butterfly or freestyle and you’ll immediately feel different muscle groups warming up.
And while swimming is great for building muscle, it also improves physical endurance. So the more you swim, the better your muscles will feel and function.
So the more you swim, the better your muscles will feel and function.
Good for heart and lungs/improves cardiovascular health
Pretty much all physical activity is beneficial to your cardiovascular health. But as an aerobic exercise, swimming works especially well for reducing inflammation and preventing artery buildup, or atherosclerosis.
And with less inflammation throughout the body comes a number of other benefits, which leads to the next point.
Lowers risk of disease
If you need convincing as to why swimming may be the best aerobic exercise in existence, here it is.
While swimming keeps your heart and lungs going strong, it also does a few other things in the background.
Swimming regularly can:
- Help control blood sugar levels
- Reduce cholesterol in blood
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce the risk of blood diseases like diabetes
Improves brain and memory function
As we mentioned earlier, swimming helps reduce muscle inflammation and insulin resistance in the brain. But what you may not know is that less inflammation and lower insulin resistance paves the way to brain cell growth.
This, in turn, has a positive and noticeable effect on brain performance and memory function. So not only will you feel better after swimming, but you’ll be sharper and more alert too. And the more you do it, the more you’ll notice the difference.
Delays aging
We’re not saying that swimming is the secret to long life. But, there’s no denying that it has a way of fighting off the natural effects of aging. And it does so in a fairly proactive way.
Consider this:
What happens as you age?
- Blood pressure increases
- Muscle mass reduces
- Oxygen flow slows down
- The heart weakens
What does swimming do?
- Reduces blood pressures
- Increases muscle mass
- Improves bodily oxygen flow
- Improves cardiovascular health
So if you look at it that way, swimming might be the greatest exercise-focused anti-aging solution.
Good for the skin
Swimming in warm, heated water not only feels great, it’s good for your body too. As the heat touches your skin, it begins slowly warming up your bones and muscles. As this happens, blood circulation starts to increase. And as circulation increases, our muscles untighten, and joint inflammation reduces.
Of course, if you have a salt water pool, then swimming regularly also does wonders for your skin. Since salt water chlorine generators produce a natural, and gentler salt-based chlorine, you get all of the sanitary benefits minus the skin and eye irritation.
Low impact
One of the greatest benefits of swimming, and the reason why it has such a great reputation, is that it’s low impact.
While traditional exercises and sports tend to put heavy stress on your bones and joints, swimming does this opposite.
When you swim, you only have to work with 10% of your body weight, thanks to buoyancy. This is why you feel so much lighter in the pool. At the same time, this means less pressure on your body.
For people with arthritis or recent injuries, swimming is the perfect low impact exercise to stay in shape while keeping active.
Burns a lot of calories/Good for weight loss
Did you know that half an hour of swimming burns just as many, if not more, calories than running?
And from what we mentioned in the last point, it does so while putting way less strain on the body.
So for people with weight loss goals, swimming can be a great exercise to start with. It’s easy to pick up, and simple to make more challenging as your build up your endurance.
Improves flexibility
While it may not be as effective as a yoga session in the park, swimming does help you work a bit of stretching into your daily workout.
As you alternate between different strokes, you stretch out different parts of your body that you normally wouldn’t target during your day to day. And you keep stretching them, repeatedly.
So the more you do a particular stroke, and the longer you do it for, the more you stretch out the muscle group that it works. It’s no yoga, but it’s a good way to stay limber.
+ Mental benefits of swimming
Lowers stress
We’ve all heard of a “runner’s high” before. It’s the rush of endorphins and endocannabinoids that your body releases during long periods of exercise. Together, these natural chemicals create an uplifting yet calming feeling that motivates you to keep exercising.
At the same time, the release of these chemicals combined with the benefits of exercise contributes to significant stress reduction.
So even if you’re in the pool doing laps, experiencing a “swimmer’s high” is equally possible. And since a swimming environment is so naturally relaxing as it is, you may even enjoy it more.
Helps relieve depression | Elevates mood
When you swim, your body releases a bunch of chemicals and hormones. One of them in particular, serotonin, serves as a natural mood lifter. So if you’re feeling a little blue, try taking a dip in the pool and stock up on your daily dose of feel good energy.
Improves sleep
Truthfully, routine exercise, in any form, can do wonders for sleep. It gives your a body a healthy outlet to release all the energy that you build up throughout the day. A lot of the same energy that, if not used up, tends to keep you awake at night, struggling to sleep.
By adding some time for swimming into your daily routine you can:
- Regulate your sleep schedule
- Improve the quality of your sleep
- Relieve insomnia
- Enjoy better health
Sharpens goal achievement skills
It may not seem like it, but every time you’re doing laps in the pool and racing to beat your best time, you’re honing your goal achievement skills.
Measuring and competing against yourself is a great way to not only improve your swimming skills but to also build the self-discipline needed for achieving other life goals.
And the more consistent you are, the deeper the concepts of hard work and dedication embed within your psyche. And naturally, this begins to translate into your daily.
+ Social benefits of swimming
Affordable
Once you’ve made the initial investment of installing a pool, you have a long-term outlet for getting fit and improving your health right in your backyard. Aside from regular maintenance expenses, it’s a cost-effective way to have fun and spend time without affecting your monthly budget.
Why not swap out that trip to the movies with an impromptu summer pool party?
Family friendly activity
If you want to include swimming as part of your life but barely have time to spare between taking care of the family, the solution may be right in front of you.
Swimming serves as the perfect group exercise, where everyone can get involved and still go at their own pace.
You can host family swimming competitions and relay races, or play over 40 swimming pool games you’re sure to enjoy.
At the same time, swimming can also be a great way to connect with your community. From pool parties and barbecues, to swim aerobics and competitive clubs.
Safe for all ages
If you’re a senior dealing with conditions like arthritis, swimming is the perfect way to stay in shape while taking the stress off of your body.
At the same time, if you have younger children who are still learning to walk, guiding them through supervised swims is a great way to helps them get all that youth energy out while acquainting them with the water nice and early.
Closing thoughts
Now is a better time than ever to make swimming a part of your regular routine. It’s an easy habit to start, it’s affordable, and it improves your mental and physical health in ways unmatched. By swimming just a few days a week, you’ll see direct improvements in other areas of your life. It’s all just a matter of one thing: starting.
If you own a pool and could use a few tips that’ll save you time and money on pool maintenance, check out these posts:
- 21 Pool Care Hacks You Should Know About
- 9 Energy Saving Tips For Your Pool
- 9 DIY Pool Heater Repair Tips & Troubleshooting Hacks
