Swimming: A Complete Exercise For Your Health

Swimming is one of the most complete sports that exist, since it allows working different parts of the body simultaneously, with the extra added of being short impact. Learn more about its benefits.

Swimming is a very complete exercise for health. However, it is not an activity that many people choose. For example, some opt for fitness or other types of sports activities.

The reason may be that not all gyms have a swimming pool, or the belief that you can only learn to swim “when you are young.” However, once you discover the benefits of swimming, you will be interested in the idea of ​​practicing this discipline regularly.

Swimming, a very good exercise for health

Swimming can be considered one of the best exercises for health, mainly because it puts the whole body into operation. With this sport, you exercise the muscles of both the legs and the trunk and arms.

It is true that these are benefits that you can also find in other types of exercises. However, swimming can be a compendium of all of them. Let’s see some:

Allows you to do cardiovascular work

Swimming, like walking, running or cycling, can increase endurance and improve heart and lung health. According to a publication of the Spanish Heart Foundation, this is one of the most recommended sports disciplines for cardiovascular health.

In addition, thanks to the aerobic exercise that it demands, you will learn to breathe more efficiently, so that you will endure more when you do any daily activity. For example, if you have to climb stairs, it won’t cost you as much.

Swimming also helps you lose weight, as it is a cardiovascular exercise that, as indicated by research published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, increases energy expenditure and helps burn fat if combined with a diet balanced. 

The positive of this last point is that you will not only lose kilos. Sometimes it happens that you lose weight, but in part you sacrifice some muscle tone. Instead, swimming allows you to lose weight and tone your body at the same time.

It is a low impact exercise

Performing certain aerobic exercises such as walking or running have an impact on the joints and bones. This means that such structures, in addition to muscles, can be injured. On the contrary, this does not happen with swimming, or at least it does to a lesser extent, according to an article published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In swimming, the body is in contact with water. It is a very gentle exercise, with little impact and that provides significant benefits. If you are prone to injury or if you already suffer from any physical discomfort, chronic or not, swimming might be a good option for you.

Swimming is good for back sufferers

If you’ve ever had back problems, chances are your doctor has recommended swimming. The reason is that, as we mentioned before, it is a sport with little impact and that it exercises the trunk.

For people with scoliosis, for example, swimming can help relieve pain, as stated in a study published in the Central European Journal of Sports Science and Medicine .

This source details that, even at an early age, it is capable of preventing this type of injury from continuing to worsen. Therefore, it is an advisable exercise if you have back problems.

Swimming improves coordination

There are many people who do not coordinate their body movements well. Something as simple as raising the right hand and left foot at the same time and then continuing with the opposite arm and leg is a great effort. Therefore, swimming can help them.

Swimming requires coordinating not only your arms and legs, but also your breathing.  This may seem very difficult at first, but with practice and by the time you are in the pool, everything flows. Over time, without realizing it, you will be able to properly coordinate your body.

Swimming is fun

Something very positive about swimming is that it is fun. Throughout your life, you have surely been taught to run, walk, and you will also have done various cardiovascular exercises … Therefore, adding this element can be a motivational bonus . Also, who doesn’t have fun every time they go to the pool or the beach?

We encourage you to try this way of exercising, which may be new for you if you have never practiced swimming. With it, you will learn to breathe properly and you will gain stamina for when you want to swim in the sea or in the pool. You may even realize that you love swimming so much that you would love to join a competition!