For many people, swimming is something that you do on holiday. It’s not a regular hobby for most adults. It might have been when we were children, but it definitely seems to be something we grow out of.
That’s a real shame, because swimming is… well… it’s one of the very best forms of exercise that you can do, and that’s for any age group. From the very young to the very old, swimming has more benefits than you could possibly imagine. In the name of trying to get you back in the pool, here are a few of the reasons why you should be taking a dip sooner rather than later…
Low Impact = Happy Exercise
You may have heard the term “low impact” when it comes to swimming, but not been entirely sure what this means. In essence, it’s all about the stress that your body encounters when exercising.
When you run, for example, your body is under quite a lot of stress. There’s the jolting motion of your running steps, along with the jarring of your feet and lower legs against the surface you’re running on. Injuries sustained while running are surprisingly frequent because it is high in its impact.
Swimming, however… well, that’s just about cruising through the water. Of course you can injure yourself while swimming, but it’s a lot trickier to do. With nothing but the water for your body to push against, there’s a much lower risk of painful injuries that could put you off returning to the pool.
Fitness Factor = Happy Heart
Given that many of us associate swimming with just something fun we do on holiday, it’s easy to think that it can’t be that good for us. However, it’s actually a pretty sustained aerobic workout. For example, swimming at a medium pace will burn around 400 calories per hour, and more if you pick up the pace. In comparison, cycling will burn roughly the same amount – and poses far more risk of injury due to its more high-impact nature.
So if swimming is going to give you a solid aerobic workout, then there’s no doubt about it: your heart is going to be much happier. If you have a history of heart problems in your family, then it’s definitely worth grabbing a swimsuit, a new hat from Swim Capz and some nose plugs, then throwing yourself in the deep end for once!
Low Stress = High Enjoyment Factor
There is evidence to suggest that swimming can lower stress levels, especially if done frequently. It’s fair to say that most of us could do with a bit less stress in our lives. Thanks to the modern rat race and general busyness that impacts all of us, the idea of lowering your cortisol level should be very attractive. No one is entirely sure how swimming manages this – it might be exercise endorphins, or just the fact swimming is quite a soothing motion – but it’s hard to argue with facts.
So what are you waiting for – jump on in and get swimming!
