Benefits of swimming

Today’s weather is absolutely beautiful. If you have had a very stressful week and you want to calm those nerves, another way to relax those nerves is by swimming and that’s exactly what am doing now. Swimming is a healthy, low-cost activity that you can continue throughout your life. It is a low-impact activity having many physical and mental health benefits. Swimming is a great way to feel better about yourself and reduce stress, anxiety and the symptoms of depression. Over time, swimming will help you to maintain a healthier brain, heart, lungs and blood vessels. As well as being fun, swimming is a great way to keep fit, stay healthy.


It is a great recreational activity for people of all ages. Recreational swimming can provide you with a low-impact workout and it’s also a good way to relax and feel good. Common swimming styles in recreational swimming are breaststroke, backstroke, side stroke and freestyle. Some people who enjoy swimming want to take it to a competitive level. This can provide the health benefits of a vigorous workout as well as the thrill of a competition. The main strokes used in competitive swimming are breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and butterfly.

Health benefits of swimming:
Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water.  It works practically all of the muscles in the body (if you do a variety of strokes). Swimming can develop a swimmer’s general strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Swimming is a good all-round activity because it:

1. Keeps your heart rate up, but takes some of the impact stress off your body
2. Builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
3. Helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
4. Tones muscles and builds strength
5. Provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.

Other benefits
• Being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise
• Alleviating stress
• Improving coordination, balance and posture
• Improving flexibility
• Providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions
• Providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day
• Being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe.

If you have been doing some other form of land exercise, and now an injury prevents you from putting weight on a knee or ankle, swimming is an ideal alternative to stay fit and healthy. 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. Additionally, 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.

Some general tips for swimmers:
• Before you dive in, make sure you know how to swim
• Choose a safe environment
• Warm up and stretch your muscles and joints before entering the water
• Have plenty of fluids on hand and drink regularly
• Don’t overdo it if you’re just starting out
• See your doctor if you haven’t exercised for a long time

So go out there and have a lovely time!!!

Photo Credit: ethiopia.limbo13.com